Australia Defeated by 198 for 7 (Mooney 75, McGrath 26). England 141 (Dunkley 59, Wareham 3-25, King 2-14) by 57 runs
The hosts were missing regular captain and keeper Alyssa Healy, who was ruled out with a right foot injury. There were those in which he tore his plantar fascia in the T20 World Cup in October, and Ashley Gardner, the star of his 3-0 ODI haul. Chain sweep, to calf stretch.
It was the first time Australia had played a T20I without both Healy and Gardner in their XI in 12 years and neither had played their first international since an ODI in February 2016. He made his T20I debut after impressing young opener Georgia Voll. For Australia’s one-day series against India in December, Healy will replace Healy, who is currently suffering from a knee injury.
But it also stood as wicketkeeper for Mouni Healy, who helped Australia to 198 for 7 in 20 overs with 75 off 51 balls amid some poor fielding by England. Tahlia McGrath was Australia’s next best batsman with 26 off 9 balls. Mooney also took two catches.
With Australia now leading by eight points to nil, the best England can hope for is to win both the remaining T20s and Tests to draw the series, with the hosts retaining the trophy.
While a crowd of 9,279 turned out for a pleasant Monday night during the summer school holidays in Sydney, the overall one-sided Ashes contest does not bode particularly well for Cricket Australia’s hopes of attracting a big day-night crowd at the MCG. Attract for the test. May well be full dead rubber.
Easy alternative
Woll gets on the front foot and hits the fifth ball he has faced in T20Is – off Freya Kemp – powerfully over mid-on for four. A few fielding mistakes from England compounded when Lauren Bell dropped Wool on 13. The leg
But Bell made amends when he pinned Wall in front of leg-stump for 21 off just 11 balls in the next over and the Australian torched the Revue in the process. Woll’s exit brought Phoebe Lichfield to the crease and, as she had predicted in the match, favored England’s spin attack. She slapped leg-spinner Sarah Glenn’s third ball through cover for four, followed immediately by a brilliant switch hit at cover point for six.
Moony shines.
Mooney, meanwhile, rode his luck, falling on 16 after being overturned for an lbw decision by wicketkeeper Amy Jones, who skied the last ball of Glenn’s opening over towards cover only for two nearby fielders to bowl him. You can see them falling to the ground in their midst. But Heather Knight then put England to shame straight after the drinks break with a fine direct hit from mid-off to remove a diving Lichfield at the non-striker’s end as she gave away a single.
England’s fielding quickened for a time, though from a low base, Jones completed a quick stumping to remove Ellie Perry, Danny Whitehodge made a convincing run from deep midwicket while Annabel Sutherland was out and Maya Boucher nearly succumbed to grief. Good long diving effort from McGrath to block a four. Boucher appeared to hurt his shoulder badly but recovered to stay on the field. All the while, Mooney kept pace with the Australian innings. He scored his fifty off 37 balls and he and McGrath contributed 17 runs off Bell’s third over. When Sophie Ecclestone ended McGrath’s innings with a perfect delivery that dipped between the batsman’s legs and slipped onto the stumps, Mooney pressed on until she was stumped by Kemp’s delivery. By then, she was done.
Dunkley keeps England in it.
England’s chase got off to a poor start when Bouchier sent the second ball of the innings, from Megan Shutt, straight to deep backward square and White Hodge out-swinged a low Garth to Lichfield at slip. Dunkley hit three sixes and 22 runs off Garth’s next over. King, playing his first T20I in almost two years, hit his first ball, a short leg break that beat Nat Sciver-Brunt’s bridge attempt and plowed into mid-stump. But Dunkley’s timing was superb as he picked up the gap with precision and cleared the boundary four times. He scored his fifty off just 24 balls, the second-fastest score against Australia in a T20I and tied for the second-fastest in the format.
King picked up his second wicket shortly after drinks when Australia made a DRS appeal to dismiss Knight lbw as he attempted a reverse sweep and McGrath’s cutter hit Dunkley’s leg stump for England. Felt like the end. So it proved as the visitors lost their last five wickets for 25 in 3.1 overs, Wareham removing Jones, Ecclestone and Dean.
Valkyrie Baines is a general editor for women’s cricket at ESPNcricinfo.