13th over: Australia 97-2 (Mooney 57, Perry 2) Nicely done by Hazell, racing through the over with the new pair yet to settle. A wide in there, but three runs only. Mini-fightback, maybe, after a couple good overs on the trot.
12th over: Australia 94-2 (Mooney 56, Perry 1)
Before the wicket fell, Mooney was ever so clever playing a delecate dab after charging and readjusting. All-but yorked herself, but had the timing to get it fine enough for another four. She’s still got ample time for three figures, I reckon.
There’s the second for England. Villani comes down to a quicker Ecclestone delivery, missing a late-cut and that’s the end of that.
11th over: Australia 86-1 (Mooney 50, Villani 15)
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Well, they have a plan for Villani. All four fielders outside the circle are on different parts of the legside rope, Hazell coming around the wicket and targeting the pads. But she gets off strike with a single. Villani gets another chance later in the over and tries on a premeditated reverse – down in position before the ball is bowled – making only partial contact. Mooney gets one to cover to the penultimate ball of the set, moving her to another half-century. Nine fours in 38 balls. Doing the job. Villani last ball finds a way through that legside field, whacking it out to long-on for four. Australia on for 160-180 here.
10th over: Australia 78-1 (Mooney 48, Villani 9) Brunt to continue, her third in the spell. Mooney off the front foot is clever, accessing her favoured backward square leg area with a standing little pull-flick off the front foot. Brunt hates it, understandably. Just when England were about to complete a good over, Brunt is lifted over midwicket into the game by Mooney who gets a ninth boundary to finish off the first half of the innings! Fantastic batting.
9th over: Australia 71-1 (Mooney 43, Villani 7) Villani goes hard off Shsubrole’s second ball back into the attack, recording the first six of the evening via a sweep over fine leg. A lot of hang-time, but did enough to clear the rope. That makes it Mooney’s turn to go again, the opener creating room before punching another boundary through the off-side. Her eighth four. Makes it 11 off the over.
8th over: Australia 60-1 (Mooney 39, Villani 1) Wouldn’t be a Manuka game if I didn’t mention the truly magnicicent Jack Fingleton scoreboard we’re looking at across the field, which sat proudly at the MCG until 1981. It was renamed after Fingleton when it made the journey to Canberra because he was a fine Australian opening bat of the Bodyline era that went on to live here as a political journo post-cricket. Nice, ay?
Healy has picked out Knight at extra cover and it is a sharp catch! Looked to be preparing to launch herself after smacking Brunt through midwicket earlier in the over, but the Ian Harvey Slower Ball has done her in, miscuing the attempted slap.
7th over: Australia 54-0 (Mooney 38, Healy 15) Field out, but that ain’t a thing for Beth Mooney. She brings up the Australian 40 with another superb flick over backward square. 40 balls for Australia to reach their first milestone of the night. Jenny Gunn the new bowler here, I should note. A few singles through the rest of it. If Mooney bats 20 overs she’ll easily reach triple figures. Now I’ve said that, you can be sure this lovely little innings will be over inside ten minutes. Sorry in advance, Beth.
6th over: Australia 47-0 (Mooney 32, Healy 14) Katherine Brunt now from the Shops End. Could probably call that the Parliament House End as well, where I spent six years of my life. First ball of her night it is a familiar story, Mooney collecting another four! This is class, on the balls of her feet and steering past point. Fantastic batting. She clips two more from the hip, hard running earning warm applause. The quick does well to fight back, finishing the over with three dots and a single. And that’s the power play.
A couple of those earlier boundaries.
5th over: Australia 40-0 (Mooney 25, Healy 14) Healy’s turn, inside-out over extra cover for another four! Hazell gave it some air, but the punchy keeper-bat was easily up to the task. And again: pulling with real force behind square for another! Boundaries six and seven. Tries to make it eight, but miscues, falling well short of Wyatt at deep midwicket. Mooney takes a quick single to finish it off. 11 from that one, and still another to go in the power play.
4th over: Australia 29-0 (Mooney 23, Healy 5) Beth Mooney is on one! Dances at Ecclestone and whacks her over the top, over her head. One bounce, two, over the rope. Then pulls the next, a short ball that sat up. This only bounces one time before registering the same result. Five boundaries for Mooney in four overs. A reminder: she didn’t play in the ODIs earlier this month. Down the ground for one more to keep the strike. Ten from it. They’re away.
3rd over: Australia 19-0 (Mooney 14, Healy 4) Hazell from the Pool End. Healy off strike straight away. Oh that’s filth, waist-high fully that Mooney helps on its way to fine leg for a third four in as many overs. Wyatt comes into the circle at deep point so they can push a second fielder out on the legside – only two allowed out in the opening six over power play. So Mooney goes down the ground instead. Healy retains the strike. This is a good start.
2nd over: Australia 12-0 (Mooney 9, Healy 2) Ecclestone, Sophie. From the Cathedral or Manuka Shops End. I love a joint with multiple names for their ends. Especially one named after some shops. Very Canberra. Nice stride in from Healy, taking one to cover. Looking solid early for her part. Mooney uses her feet wonderfully later in the over, making perfect contact with a flick and splitting the gap between long-on and deep midwicket for her second boundary.
This game is live on the telly in both Australia and the UK. Pop it on.
1st over: Australia 7-0 (Mooney 5, Healy 1) Shoooot. First ball Mooney is away with a delicious square drive. She misses well wide of off-stump, the sundries underway as well. Shrubsole freely admits she hasn’t had her best tour, so she’ll be determined to fight back hard enough. Couple of singles rounds it out, Healy to keep the strike.
Out they race. England on the sprint. Australia’s openers, Mooney and Healy, letting them wait. There are approximately 40 kids still on the field. As Henry Cowen, ECB media boss, says across the press box: “you can’t have that many people inside the ring, I’m afraid.” Good start. Righto. Anya Shrubsole has the ball in her hand, coming from the Manuka Pool End. PLAY!
While we’re waiting for the main event tonight…
Hard to avoid what’s going on in Brisbane. You’ve probably seen Nathan Lyon’s frolic. Now for the Matt Prior return of serve on twitter just before. Goodness me.
Never a bad decision at Canberra, no matter what the format or what the occasion. As it happens, the nation’s capital has turned on another gorgeous night. We should be in for a spectacular sunset before the equally spectacular light towers take over.
Teams, you ask? I have them.
England are unchanged from the XI that won at the same group on Sunday. Australia the one change, the aforementioned leggie Amanda Wellington for seamer Sarah Aley.
Australia: Mooney, Healy (+), Villani, Perry, Haynes (c), Gardner, Kimmince, Wellington, Jonassen, Strano, Schutt
England: Wyatt, Beaumont, Taylor (+), Sciver, Knight (c), Brunt, Filson, Gunn, Ecclestone, Shrubsole, Hazell
A month of quality cricket comes to an end in Canberra tonight. Sure, the series-at-large was resolved on Friday night – the Women’s Ashes trophy is staying in Australia. But England are determined to depart home with the T20 mini-series. I’m not sure if that warrants a trophy as such, but it’s certainly something ahead of next year’s World T20. If Heather Knight’s side do get up, they will also finish with an 8-8 points tally across the three formats. Not a bad effort after giving up the first four points on offer.
Adam Collins with you here at Manuka Oval to take you through the first innings, before Geoff Lemon takes the OBO baton for the second. No sign of teams as yet from the warm ups, but I’m reliably informed Amanda Wellington has been recalled to the local XI. We’ll know all when the toss is run and won in a tic. Let’s hope for a fitting finish.
Adam will be here shortly. In the meantime, have a read of Vithushan Ehantharajah’s feature on the fallout from England’s Women’s Ashes loss.
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