Australia moves closer to winning the Ashes Test against England with the score at 116/5 and a target of 268

With Australia leading heading into the decisive day of the one-off match at Trent Bridge, England was in trouble at 116-5 at stumps on day four of the women’s Ashes Test, chasing a goal of 268.

The middle order of Australia’s second innings faltered, and England’s opening duo started the chase with a strong 55-run partnership. The beginning offered the home crowd optimism for a triumph up until spinner Ashleigh Gardner claimed three wickets.

The first victim was Tammy Beaumont, who had scored 208 runs in the first innings. She was out on Gardner’s first delivery when she nicked to first slip.

Gardner told Sky Sports, “I’ll take it. Tammy made 200 yesterday, so it was a fortunate ball to get her.

Because I’m sure they came out fairly confident after bowling us out, bowling in partnerships was just as crucial to putting pressure back on England.

England’s top three wickets came inside a period of 11 runs when Tahlia McGrath, a medium pacer, joined the action to eliminate opener Emma Lamb and Nat Sciver-Brunt was caught off Gardner.

Following Lamb, Heather Knight was the second English batter to be ejected lbw, and neither was successful in having the Decision Review System (DRS) reverse the umpire’s ruling.

Then, with a cautious 37-run partnership, Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley balanced the ship. But when she caught Dunkley behind the neck on an outswinger, Kim Garth took her maiden test wicket.

At stumps, England needed 152 runs to win and Wyatt and Kate Cross were on the field.

ALMOST FIVE ECCLESTONES

After their openers survived 19 overs on Saturday, Australia had earlier begun on 82-0; but, Phoebe Litchfield (46) was the first to fall after misreading an inswinger from Cross and missing the ball, which nipped back in and struck her off stump.

Ellyse Perry, a 25-year-old all-rounder, did not fare much better when she took Lauren Filer’s delivery.

Alyssa Healy, the captain, contributed with a fifty but was out when she chipped a full delivery to midwicket for a catch. Spinner Sophie Ecclestone removed the dangerous Beth Mooney, another player who continued to play and was eventually out for 86.

Prior to Ecclestone taking the last wicket moments before the new ball was scheduled for her second five-wicket haul of the game, Cross and Filer both grabbed two wickets as Australia was bowled for 257.

We definitely didn’t bat as well as we might have in our second inning, but you can see in this last inning how difficult batting can be. Some are rolling, while others are whirling, Gardner continued.

“We discussed over tea how important Alyssa Healy’s runs were and how it took the monkey off her shoulders. She took matters into her own hands and led from the front, she continued.