Australia hold a 106 run lead after a commanding display on day two of the Women's Ashes Test at Canterbury in which they bowled England out for 168.
After rain earlier in the morning, the start was delayed and the teams came out with about 30 minutes to play before lunch. Jess Jonassen, who reached 95 over night, could only add a few singles to her total with the injury to partner Kristen Beams forcing slow running between the wickets. Sitting on 99, Jonassen then fell lbw to Katherine Brunt, who finished with figures of 2-60. Fast bowler, Holly Ferling was the final batter and she faced just the one ball before Australia declared on 274-9. Captain Meg Lanning later said, the visitors were looking to declare late on the first day but the 10th wicket partnership wasn't scoring quick enough and as Jonassen got closer to a debut century, they held of the declaration hoping she would reach the milestone.
Ellyse Perry bowled the one and only over before lunch, containing just a nice cover drive for four from Heather Knight as England survived unscathed. But Australia took control after the interval, as Perry had Lauren Winfield caught behind off the gloves for 1 and then Sarah Taylor out next ball, pinned on her pads for lbw. With Perry on the hat-rick, captain Charlotte Edwards came to the crease and just about fended off the fast bowler to see out the over. With Megan Schutt, the other opening bowler, going well from the other end, England were playing ultra-cautious and seemingly content to just play safe, proven by Edwards taking 16 balls to get off the mark. Looking to play themselves in, Edwards and Knight started to take more singles and the odd boundary as Australia made the first bowling changes of the innings, Coyte and Ferling coming into the attack. And the changes worked, Knight driving at Coyte in her second over but edging behind to be caught by Allysa Healy. The wicket bringing two Kent players together as Greenway joined the captain, facing the task of rebuilding the England innings.
With the hosts stabilising and ten overs without losing a wicket, albeit only scoring 27 runs, Schutt then took the prize wicket of Edwards. The Australians appealing for caught-behind before realising the ball had gently hit the top of off-stump and removed the bail. With Greenway sitting on 14, Natalie Sciver joined her in the middle but the pair got bogged down in dot balls as the visitors bowled maiden after maiden. Sciver obviously curbing her natural hard-hitting game to dig in. With the game slowing, Lanning brought herself on to bowl the penultimate over before tea, possibly short on bowlers with Beams off the field getting treatment, and England take a few quick singles to go into the interval on 81-4.
After the break, England started to play more positively, with both Greenway and Sciver finding the boundary and running better between the wickets. But, in the 45th over, Perry trapped Greenway in front for 22 from 86 balls, a questionable decision given the ball pitched outside leg stump. This brought Georgia Elwiss to the crease, in the team for the injured Jenny Gunn and playing her first test innings, and seemingly rejuvenates Sciver, who starts playing her shots including a beautiful cover drive through the covers for four. The hosts passed 100 after Elwiss hits a couple of fours in quick succession, one edged through the slips and another through cover. With England starting to score more freely, Schutt struck again. Another questionable decision with the ball seemingly sliding past leg stump, but Sciver was out lbw for 35. And that wicket was closely followed by another, Jonassen with a peach of a ball which pitched on leg and hit leg stump, to bowl Elwiss for 17. By reaching 125 England avoided the follow on, but after the loss of those two wickets, were starting to get into the tail and would be relying on the bowlers to reach a decent score.
With 21 more overs left in the day, it looked as though Australia could well be batting again. Katherine Brunt and Laura Marsh the new batters in, but the latter didn't last long as she left the field for 0 after being caught behind off Schutt. Anya Schrubsole was the next batter in, joining her strike bowling partner Brunt, who is connecting well and hitting regular runs. But that almost became her downfall, as increasing in confidence she skewed an attempted pull shot high into the air, but it bounces safe after Australian captain Lanning can't quite reach it. At the other end Shrubsole was batting competently, although not scoring any runs, as she ducked under a bouncer then dug out a yorker from Ferling. But the innings came to a close as Brunt was bowled for 39, the highest score of all the English batsmen, when Coyte managed to get one to nip back and stay a bit low to hit off stump. And Shrubsole followed soon after, trapped lbw for a duck from a mammoth 47 balls, but she played vital role in allowing Brunt to hit her shots. Schutt taking her fourth wicket, and finishing the pick of the Australian bowlers with figures of 4-26.
Kate Cross was the not out batsmen for 2, as England collapsed to finish on 168 all out to leave Australia with a comfortable lead of 106 runs going into their second innings tomorrow. With Australia in a commanding position for the test win, which would give them an 8-2 lead in the multi format series and all but secure the win to regain the Ashes.
Day 2 Highlights from Official England Cricket YouTube Channel.