There was a hint that the Barnsley Express was on the verge of a derailment on Friday in Sydney, smashed for 33 runs in three overs after collecting a first ball duck. So often when veterans pass their best, the decline is abrupt. Age gets all fast bowlers in the end.
But Katherine Brunt was having none of that, getting back on track in the best possible way by steering England with bat and ball to a 40-run victory in the second Women’s Ashes T20.
The 32-year-old clobbered a no-nonsense, unbeaten 32 in 24 balls to drive England’s innings to 152 for six, twice clearing the long-on rope with mighty strikes. Then in defence of that score, she was instrumental in orchestrating a collapse of five-for-20 that rocked the hosts after they had gotten off to a flyer.
Helped by Sarah Taylor’s rapid and precise gloves, Brunt had Elyse Villani stumped with her fourth ball before getting a bit of luck as Ellyse Perry dragged a pull shot onto the stumps via her boot. But it was the tightness of the spell that earned the errors, conceding just ten runs across four probing overs.
Until Australia lost their first wicket they were cruising, Alyssa Healy leading the way through a power play period worth 47 runs. But just as that opening stand looked to be getting out of hand for the visitors with four boundaries in a row, Friday’s hero Beth Mooney was run out with a direct hit from Jenny Gunn at mid-off.
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When she went to the bowling crease herself, it took Gunn three balls to seduce Healy with her lack of pace, caught on 24 when trying to clear her favoured long-on. By the time Perry departed, it made four wickets in 16 balls with Australia’s wheels now falling off.
Rachael Haynes and Delissa Kimmince showed their experience to restore some local hope, but both were picked up by teenage spinner Sophie Ecclestone in the 14th over, the former picking out Heather Knight at cover and then the latter bowled trying to smash Australia back into the contest.
Hard-hitting all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner was also caught in the deep off the bowling of Danielle Hazell. Sure enough, Brunt was again in the game taking the chance on the midwicket rope.
“We had one day to turn it around and so we’ve done really well to pick ourselves up,” the Yorkshire champion said after play to BBC radio. “It was really bitter the other day. We’re still feeling it and it still hurts.”
Doing what they could to hang on as the required run rate climbed into double-digits, Australia’s lower order kept swinging, but the wickets kept falling – the hosts eventually bowled out in 18 overs. Gunn was the beneficiary, her three late wickets making very handy figures of four-for-13. It was the perfect way to cap her 250th appearance in an England shirt.
Earlier, the foundation was laid by Dani Wyatt who smacked a quick 19 after being elevated to the top of the order. Sarah Taylor continued where the opener left off, stroking a faultless 30 full of her customary timing and innovation before attempting an ambitious quick single that left her short due to a Kimmince direct hit from gully.
Natalie Sciver top-scored, riding shotgun with Taylor then Brunt for 40 in 32 balls, taking no risks until she gave a catch to Haynes at cover with three overs to go. By then it mattered little – England were well on their way to a serious total.
Megan Schutt’s efforts at either end of the innings were again of the highest quality, picking up the dangerous Wyatt, then going on to concede only four runs in the vital 20th over. Her two-for-16 makes 18 wickets across the three formats for the South Australian in this series.
The home captain Haynes acknowledged it was poor effort after having successfully retained the Women’s Ashes trophy on Friday night. “We’re playing a game for our country so I’d be pretty disappointed if anyone in the change rooms found it difficult to play today,” she said. “We have a lot to prove in this format. We haven’t won a T20 series since 2015.”
England now has the chance to return home with at least the T20 mini-series to their names if they win again on Tuesday, that game also to be played in the nation’s capital.