(Cricket news) At Trent Bridge, Sophie Ecclestone’s second five-wicket haul gave her ten for the game. However, Australia roared back thanks to their game-changer, Ashleigh Gardner, who took three crucial wickets on the fourth evening to turn the Women’s Ashes Test around.

England had to beat their own record for the highest fourth-innings score of 245 for 9 during last year’s draw with Australia in Canberra after they were given a target of 268. This meant going beyond Australia’s 198 for 3 in the 2011 Ashes and the highest successful run chase in Women’s Test history.

Their hopes were dashed when Gardner, Australia’s off-spinning all-rounder, got rid of England’s first-innings double-centurion Tammy Beaumont for 22 and removed Nat Sciver-Brunt to a mistimed pull either side of Tahlia McGrath’s lbw dismissal of Emma Lamb. Gardner had earlier predicted on the third evening that the tourists could use a pitch showing some cracks to their advantage on day five.

Ashleigh Gardner then successfully got three wickets for nine runs in the span of 17 balls, trapping Heather Knight lbw as England struggled to 73 for 4. Just as Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley were beginning to stabilise the situation for England, Dunkley was caught behind by Kim Garth, and by the time the game was over, England still needed 152 runs with five wickets remaining.

Following partnerships of 99 runs between openers Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield and 50 runs between Mooney and Ellyse Perry, the opposition built a 267-run lead before Alyssa Healy found some good fortune and timely form to put on 59 runs for the eighth wicket with Alana King. England had missed six opportunities to defeat their opponents. Because of Ecclestone’s 5 for 63, which gave her match statistics of 10 for 192, Australia fell from 149 for 1 to 257 all out in their second innings with less damage as a result.

Sophie Ecclestone’s tireless labour during Australia’s first innings, when she bowled 46.2 overs 28 of them consecutively for 5 for 129 her first five-for haul in Tests made her accomplishment all the more impressive. This total was achieved in 30.5 fewer overs than England’s next hardest worker, seamer Kate Cross, who bowled 17 of them. Ecclestone served as the only frontline spinner for the hosts, as part-time spinners Knight and Sophia Dunkley each bowled just two overs in the first innings of Australia’s second innings. 

When Phoebe Litchfield struck a delivery from Ecclestone to Cross, who couldn’t hold on at cover, she had only added one to her overnight score of 41. But Cross was grinning once more when, in her first Test, she removed Litchfield for the second time with a delivery that swung back sharply from a decent length and slammed into the top of the off stump, four runs short of a half-century.

When Sciver-Brunt entered the attack after bowling just five overs in Australia’s first innings due to a knee injury, Beth Mooney had just reached her fifty when she swept Sophie Ecclestone to the boundary. She was still alive at 55 when Sciver-Brunt failed to hold a solidly hit return catch on her follow-through.

When Lauren Filer, a teenage fast, got Perry out chopping on to a short ball and then delivered another, fuller one that seemed in again to beat McGrath’s flick and ricochet off the front pad to peg back off stump, the situation had been flipped back in England’s favour.

Lauren Filer’s pace and movement kept the Australians on their toes, but it was left-arm spinner Ecclestone’s use of a variety of speeds that ended Jess Jonassen’s innings. A faster ball was too full for her attempted slog sweep and went low under the bat into the stumps. Ecclestone, the top-ranked bowler in both white-ball forms, removed Jonassen for the second time in this game.

After scoring an undefeated century from No. 8 in the first innings, Annabel Sutherland was moved up to No. 6. This time, she received a life when she swept Ecclestone low and hard to square leg, where Wyatt blew the chance. Ecclestone eventually got one to turn in far, and Mooney edged onto the leg stump to fall for 85. 

The tension increased when Gardner left the pitch before Healy, who was facing the possibility of a double pair in Ashes Tests. It threatened to explode when Cross had Gardner pouched at the second slip on the third ball she faced. Then, Cross shot a ball that appeared to have just missed Healy’s bat by a hair’s breadth before striking the bottom of Amy Jones’ gloves. However, Ultra-Edge revealed that Healy had a feather to it, and another, albeit difficult, opportunity had passed England by.

Before getting off the mark, Alyssa Healy needed to face four more balls, bisecting slip, and gully. After that, she appeared to gradually become more comfortable with her bat, as evidenced by her spectacular off-drive that took Filer’s fuller ball down the ground for four runs. Australia had lost four wickets for 20 runs in the span of 33 balls when Wyatt made up for her previous error by scooping Ecclestone to her at square leg. 

When Alana King attempted evasive action, Lauren Filer was able to take advantage of one of the gaps Gardner had indicated by getting one to spit up into her back. Later, King edged Lauren Bell to slip after Healy brought up her fifty with a single towards cover.

Alyssa Healy was dismissed when Sophie Ecclestone spooned a full toss straight to her and Healey gave a simple catch to midwicket. Later Ecclestone completed her five-for by lbw-ing Darcie Brown for a third-ball duck. Since Australia’s victory over England at Canterbury in 2015, there haven’t been any results in a Women’s Test, but this game is about to end a streak of six ties.

Also read: Sri Lanka beat Ireland by 133 runs in World Cup qualifiers

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Australia, England, Phoebe Litchfield, Alyssa Healey, Alana King, Lauren Filler, Sophie Ecclestone,