END OF OVER:
17 | 17 Runs | AUS-W: 170/1 | RR: 10.00

  • Meg Lanning64 (44b)
  • Tahlia McGrath91 (49b)
  • Heather Knight1-0-17-0
  • Sophie Ecclestone4-0-29-1

Australia win by nine wickets with one of the most dominant chases you could wish to see. A magnificent all-round display from Tahlia McGrath. What a player she has become. And Meg Lanning played superbly as well. That's a big statement early in the Ashes. Two points on the board. A record chase for Australia and with three overs to spare.

Tautoru: "Sensational McGrath with bat and ball." - About sums it up!

Jack: "Well, that escalated quickly!"

Tahlia McGrath: "A lot of fun. My home state so was looking forward to this and to start us with a win, super happy. I was just excited to get out of my hotel room! It was a really nice wicket. Wyatt batted beautifully then with the bat it was skidding on a bit under lights."

Heather Knight: "Thought the batting was outstanding, took the game to the Aussies, probably about par. Pitch got slightly better under lights...Tahlia made it very hard to set fields.

Meg Lanning: "We felt it was about a par score, pretty hard to defend. Tahlia McGrath was amazing, I was standing at the other end watching this show. Pretty intimidating. We were probably looking at another 20 runs then she broke that partnership."

I'll wrap things up there tonight. It's 2-0 to Australia and they have sent the benchmark. We'll be back in a couple of days for the second game and we'll see you then. Goodnight.

16.6
4
Knight to Lanning, FOUR, low full toss, swatted through the leg side and splits the gap! What a run chase
16.5
4
Knight to Lanning, FOUR, width outside off and a slashing drive square of the wicket through point...3000 T20I runs for Lanning
16.4
1
Knight to McGrath, 1 run, straighter at the stumps, driven down the ground to long-off
16.3
4
Knight to McGrath, FOUR, round the wicket, full outside leg stump, swept again and wide of short fine leg...McGrath into the 90s

Nida: "England are a bowler short. Playing Farrant would have been a better matchup instead of Bouchier."

16.2
4
Knight to McGrath, FOUR, full at leg stump, swept backward of square and the boundaries just keep coming
16.1
0
Knight to McGrath, no run, over the wicket, full outside off, sliced to point

The captain brings herself on

END OF OVER:
16 | 8 Runs | AUS-W: 153/1 (17 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 9.56, RRR: 4.25)

  • Meg Lanning56 (42b)
  • Tahlia McGrath82 (45b)
  • Sophie Ecclestone4-0-29-1
  • Freya Davies3-0-29-0
15.6
0
Ecclestone to Lanning, no run, defended on the front foot
15.5
2
Ecclestone to Lanning, 2 runs, worked off the pads backward of square, and the running has been another feature of this stand

England Women in Australia 2021-22 News