By Matt Hardy
Australia are in the driving seat to win the only Women’s Ashes Test of the series after the tourists took five wickets in the final session of day four to leave England needing 152 with five wickets in hand.
Australia began day four of the first five-day Women’s Ashes Test on 82-0.
But after the top order of Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry fell for 85, 46 and 25 runs respectively, the rest of the Australians could amass just 90 runs – 50 of which came from Alyssa Healy – to leave England requiring 267 before their second innings.
Sophie Ecclestone’s wicket of Darcie Brown handed her a ten-for in the match.
Ashes Test in balance
Opener Tammy Beaumont – who scored 208 in the first innings – was caught by Mooney for 22. However, her combined total of 230 runs in this innings means she now holds the record for the most runs in a single Ashes Test in the history of the competition.
Nat Sciver-Brunt left the crease without adding to England’s total before Emma Lamb was trapped leg before wicket on 28.
Heather Knight fell for nine when Ash Gardner got her third wicket of the innings before Sophia Dunkley’s dismissal handed Kim Garth her first Test wicket.
England will head out into day five with Danni Wyatt and Amy Jones at crease in Nottingham this morning requiring 152 runs to win their first Women’s Ashes Test since the 2013-14 series and their first at home since 2005.
Australia need to find five wickets to win their first Women’s Ashes Test since 2015.
“We probably didn’t bat to our full potential in our second innings but you have seen in this final innings how hard it is to bat. Some are spinning and some are rolling,” spinner Gardner said.
“We spoke at tea how crucial those runs were from Alyssa Healy and it was a monkey off her back. She led from the front and took it into her keeping as well.”
