England still have a hold on the women’s Ashes. They retained their unbeaten record at a venue they know as Fortress Chelmsford, ending Australia’s sequence of 16 successive victories in 20-over cricket on a chilly, autumnal evening when Sarah Taylor gradually reasserted her undoubted quality.
Having perished for two ducks in the Test match at Canterbury, Taylor added a 42-ball half-century to an impeccable performance as England’s wicketkeeper standing up to spin and pace alike.
This having been confirmed earlier in the day as a signing by Adelaide Strikers for the inaugural women’s Big Bash this winter.
England must win all three Twenty20 internationals to retain the equivalent of the urn under the points structure for the series. They well and truly put the turgid batting of the Test behind them, and must draw confidence for the next game at Hove tomorrow.
Australia have dominated in the format. They beat England with nearly five overs to spare in the World Twenty20 final in Bangladesh last year, their third title in a row. So defeat with 15 balls to spare was unexpectedly and gloriously emphatic. A crowd of 3,450, including many children on a school holiday treat, defied the cold with their enthusiasm.
Advertisement
Nothing highlighted the difference between the teams as starkly as the fielding. Australia dropped Charlotte Edwards on 19 and Taylor on 34. In contrast, England, who scurried runs themselves, claimed three wickets with run-outs including direct hits by Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt. Edwards and Taylor added 77 for the second wicket in 68 balls. Edwards drove stylishly, while Taylor’s ramp against the pace of Ellyse Perry was audacious. The pair failed to score from only 15 balls together and adroit strike rotation proved a feature of the innings, at least until Natalie Sciver and Brunt took a more direct approach as the end drew nigh.
Having outhit England in the past, Australia were restricted to only one six and eight fours this time. The ball swung, the odd one held up on the surface, and the attack from Brunt with the new ball onwards offered little width.
Danielle Hazell continued to give control on her recall, although she was fortunate when Meg Lanning thrashed a full toss to deep mid-wicket.
No luck, though, about the first-ball yorker from Sciver that bowled Perry, or the way that England tightened the screw in the final third.