Tammy Beaumont (100no) is just the second England woman to score a hundred in all three formats; Annabel Sutherland (137no) hits maiden ton as Australia post 473 in first innings; watch day three at Trent Bridge on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am
Saturday 24 June 2023 09:33, UK
Tammy Beaumont struck a magnificent maiden Test century to lead England's batting efforts as they look to reel in Australia's sizeable first-innings score of 473 in the Women's Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.
Beaumont becomes just the second England woman to hit a hundred in all three formats after Heather Knight, and though the opener showcased her supreme talents throughout, she also benefited from the odd slice of luck - none more so than when she was on 61 and Australia failed to detect and review an edge through to short leg off leg-spinner Alana King.
Beaumont cashed in following the reprieve, striking 16 boundaries on her way to a blistering 152-ball hundred, brought up in the penultimate over in the day.
She shared in a 115-run partnership for the second wicket with Knight (57) and powered on, with the support of Nat Sciver-Brunt (41no), after the England skipper fell to Ashleigh Gardner (1-47). England closed the day on 218-2, still trailing by 255 runs.
Annabel Sutherland (137no) was the star of the show from an Australian point of view, the all-rounder hitting a magnificent maiden century as she, with the help of the tail, added 145 to the tourists' overnight tally of 328-7.
Sophie Ecclestone (5-129) took two of the three wickets to fall for England to claim a first Test five-for, as well as a first in in any format against Australia.
Sutherland (1-28) too provided Australia's opening breakthrough with the ball, tempting Emma Lamb (10) into the drive as the opener nicked off to second slip, but Beaumont's brilliance has given cause for England optimism heading into day three.
This one-off Test match opens the 2023 multi-format Women's Ashes series. Four points are awarded to the winner, with two for a draw. Three T20 internationals and three ODIs follow, where two points are on offer for each win and one for a tie or no result.
England, starting the second morning needing just three wickets to begin batting, will have been hoping for early inroads but were guilty of letting Australia off the hook.
Debutant Lauren Filer - who had so impressed on the opening day - and Ecclestone were overlooked initially for the combo of opening pair Lauren Bell and Kate Cross.
The move did not have the desired effect and by the time Filer and Ecclestone were introduced, Sutherland and King had their eyes in after a flurry of boundaries.
Ecclestone nearly pinned King lbw immediately, but with the umpire's decision going against England on the field, their review proved unsuccessful despite the ball being shown to clip leg stump.
It mattered little in the end, as Bell (2-91) returned to bowl King (21) without her adding further to her score, ending the 47-run partnership.
Sutherland continued on at the other end, cruising through to her century. As Australia's score ticked beyond 400, she brought up the milestone with the first of three fours crunched in the same over off Filer.
Sutherland dominated a 95-run partnership with Kim Garth (22) either side of the lunch interval to further deflate England, but again it was Ecclestone who lit a spark under the home side.
She first claimed Garth lbw, undone by the arm ball, before adding Darcie Brown (5), impressively caught and bowled - either side of being smashed for six by Sutherland - to wrap up the innings and clinch her five-for.
Despite Australia's imposing first-innings score, England were positive in response, even after the loss of Lamb to end the 10th over.
In addition to Beaumont's undetected edge to short leg, she enjoyed an earlier stroke of good fortune when on four, Phoebe Litchfield unable to claw in an admittedly difficult chance off an edge off Brown.
Gardner again found the opener's outside edge late on, with Beaumont on 88, but Jess Jonassen this time was unsuccessful with her diving effort from first slip. Sciver-Brunt too offered up a very difficult caught-and-bowled chance for Garth when on seven.
The pair otherwise looked in imperious touch, with their unbroken 67-run partnership using up just 12.4 overs as Australia's tiring bowlers flagged late in the day.
England batter Tammy Beaumont on her first innings century:
"There were probably moments where I thought I wasn't going to face enough balls to get there but it put the team in a good position.
"If we go on to win this Test match then it would be right up there. It's great to tick it off and as a kid, I dreamt of scoring an Ashes Test hundred. But as I've gone on, it's contributing to the team.
"If you apply yourself as a batter there's definitely runs out there to be had and so far our batters have pretty much looked at ease.
"Heather said to me when I came into the changing room 'welcome to the club' - I didn't realise she meant the all three formats one, I thought she just meant an Ashes hundred.
"It's always good to look back at personal milestones and nice to tick that one off - something that I thought probably might evade me as I'm coming to the later half of my career."
Former England captain Charlotte Edwards on Tammy Beaumont:
"She's batted brilliantly. She comes into this Test off the back of a 200 in a warm-up game and you can tell when Tammy's on. I know I can, because I've seen her.
"She looks confident at the moment, she looks like she's got a real presence at the crease and I think she's shown that today.
"These are the games that she lives for, a big game against Australia, and she's really stepping up. England are in a decent position."
Watch day three of the Women's Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday, with coverage starting at 10.15am and play getting under way from 11am.
