The Australians Have Won the Ashes
A half-century from Alex Blackwell that went
unbeaten and an exciting cameo from Ashleigh Gardner has led Australia to a win
in the final over in Brisbane. The team from Down Under has drawn first blood
with a pulsating two-wicket win in the Commonwealth Bank Women’s Ashes Series
which took place on Sunday at the Allan Border Field.
The Ashleigh
Gardner Show
The star of the Women’s Ashes Series was
undoubtedly Ashleigh Gardner, whose uncompromising cameo in the tense final
stages turned the match to the hosting team’s favour, thanks to three wickets
being taken with the ball!
As punters enjoying the services of betting sites making markets for the game are well
aware, Gardner managed to strike two stimulating sixes in her 18-ball 27 which
perfectly complemented the imperturbable innings from seasoned-player Alex
Blackwell, who finished undefeated on 67.
A Two-Point Lead
in the Series
This means that Australia has now got a
lead of two points in the multi-format series. The two sides are set to travel
to Coffs Harbour now, for the remaining two One Day Internationals set to take
place on Thursday and Sunday, before the Day-Night Test in Sydney and the three
Twenty20 Internationals.
The Playing XI
Announced at the Toss
After whittling down the squad to 12 by
the day preceding the match, Australia announced their playing XI at the toss.
Kristen Beams and Beth Mooney were dropped from the side that lost in the
Women’s World Cup semi-final game against India.
Alyssa Healy, a dynamic batter and
wicketkeeper who has passed every fitness test with flying colours, got promoted up the
order and opened the batting instead of Mooney. Allrounder Tahlia McGrath was brought in to provide an extra seam
option for the XI, and Amanda-Jade Wellington, a South Australian leg-spinner,
ended up replacing Beams for the game.
Rachael Haynes, captain for the team, won
the coin toss, and she elected to bowl. The field was unrecognisable thanks to
the billabong of only 24 hours earlier, after non stop heavy rain flooded the
whole outfield area. The ground staff had been at work from 6pm on Saturday
night to 4:30am on Sunday getting the field ready for play, and their
remarkable effort was not lost on the sold-out crowd, who made their
appreciation clear.
Ellyse Perry and Megan Schutt managed to
find swing with the new balls, but there were no early wickets. That is, until
Tammy Beaumont went onto chip Australia’s star allrounder to mid-off in the
tenth over.
A partnership 56 between Sarah Taylor and
Lauren Winfield lasted all of 175 balls, but then the hosts struck again, with
the team getting involved in a mix up and Winfield running out for 48
team-high.
Middle-order resistance was given in the
forms of Nat Sciver, Fran Wilson, and Taylor, but the slow bowlers from the
Australian team and elite fielding quickly took control. They suffocated the
British batters, and these collapsed completely at 5-31.
Wellington found stunning turn on the dry
surface and managed to regularly beat the bat although she failed to snag a
wicket. The off-spin of Gardner managed to bag three wickets from nine overs,
and the rest, as they say, is history!
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