Australia put demoralised England to the sword yet again in Ashes T20

England may win passages of play but Australia have the ruthless streak required to get themselves over the line, every time. In yet another commanding performance, Australia triumphed in the second Women’s Ashes T20 by seven wickets with 13 balls to spare, courtesy of an unbeaten 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Meg Lanning (43 not out) and Ellyse Perry (47 not out).

“We’re a really successful side at the moment that is putting together some really complete cricket,” Perry said, on a day in which she became the first player ever to reach 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20 internationals. “It has just been really nice to turn up every game and for us to perform and to find a way to win and win dominantly.”

If this Australian showing was not quite as overpowering as it was at Chelmsford on Friday, it would still be fair to describe it as one-sided: maulings, after all, are relative. No doubt this ruthless Australian side will kick themselves for putting down two catches off of England’s top-scorer, Tammy Beaumont: but even an imperfect Australia are far too good for this utterly demoralised England team.

It was, bar one change, the same side who took to the field to be battered at Chelmsford. Georgia Elwiss opening the bowling in place of Anya Shrubsole, discarded for the first time in T20 since her debut in 2011. It bore no fruit, Alyssa Healy punishing the first over for 14 runs as Australia made a rapid start to their 122-run target.

Katherine Brunt intervened with her first ball of the match to dismiss Healy, who top-edged it behind the stumps after her quick-fire 20 up top. Sophie Ecclestone then snuck one past a swinging Beth Mooney in the fifth, to leave Australia 35-2 at the end of the powerplay – identical to England’s own total at that stage.

England’s efforts had been streakier but effective – Danni Wyatt sending two edges for four through first slip, before dancing down the wicket in Jess Jonassen’s first over and sending a catch up mid on. Nat Sciver soon followed, bowled by Georgia Wareham after walking across her stumps.

That was after what you could label the inevitable dismissal of Amy Jones up top by none other than her bunny-maker Perry: the fourth time she has been dismissed in 10 balls in white-ball cricket this Ashes series. If there is one player whose fortunes symbolise England’s wider problems this series, it is Jones: a good player reduced to a quivering wreck when faced with the green and gold.

England’s way back in was Beaumont, in conjunction with captain Heather Knight, as the pair added 38 for the fourth wicket, hoicking runs over the infield, and England looked suddenly in the game. But Beaumont was bowled round her legs by Jonassen in the 13th over, attempting the reverse, with Knight chipping a simple catch back to Wareham the following over. From there, England sunk from 78-3 to an under-par 121-8.

“My shot was terrible. I was looking for the boundary and it was just the wrong time,” Beaumont acknowledged. “That’s where we went wrong – I got out at the worst time for the team, just as Heather was getting going, and no one else took that time to get themselves in.”

The contrast with Lanning and Perry, ruthless to the end, was stark. Their partnership began in sensible fashion – they could teach England a thing or two about the benefits of orthodox stroke-making – before the pair gradually accelerated.

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“Once we got settled, it felt pretty rhythmical and obviously Meg is in unbelievable form and she just carried on from where she left off in the last match,” Perry said.

“I thought the way that our bowlers probably set the game up to restrict England to 120 on what’s a pretty small ground and a fast outfield on not a bad wicket was an outstanding effort. We’re playing some really experienced and mature cricket, and that’s giving us a really great advantage.”

source: theguardian.com