Women's Ashes 2024-25, Only Test, Day 1 Review: King spins a web around England to put Australia in control

Australia Women kicked off their historic only Test against England Women at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 30. The game began with the hosts winning the toss and electing to field first.

Right from the get-go, the Australian bowlers put English batters on the backfoot as the openers Tammy Beaumont (8 off 15) and Maia Bouchier (2 off 3) perished early.  Skipper Heather Knight came in to bat after Bouchier was dismissed and partnered up with Nat Sciver-Brunt as the duo tried to stabilise the innings. However, Knight departed for 25 as she was pinned lbw by Kim Garth. 

Brunt continued her onslaught along with Sophia Dunkley (21 off 71) and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (22 off 46) and brought up her half-century.

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King's four-fer puts Australia in command

However, after the trio departed to Alana King's spin, the rest of the English batters could not build on the innings and lost the remaining wickets in quick succession, with only Ryana MacDonald-Gay showing some fight with an unbeaten 15 off 66 lower down the order.

The visitors were eventually bundled out for 170 runs in 71.4 overs as King bagged a four-for while Garth and Darcie Brown chipped in with two each. 

In reply, the hosts did not get the start they would have wanted, losing opener Georgia Voll for just 12 runs as Lauren Bell struck in the seventh over. After the dismissal, Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland made sure that no more wickets fell and played their shots cautiously. 

The duo took the score to the fifty-run mark by the end of the day as Litchfield remained unbeaten on 20, and Sutherland stood unbeaten at 24, with Australia ending the day at 56/1, having reduced the deficit to 114 runs.