Twitter Reactions: Ruthless Beth Mooney helps Australia win classic thriller at Edgbaston in opening T20I

Australia defeated England by four wickets in the 1st T20I of Women's Ashes 2023.

By Koustav Sengupta

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3 Min Read

Beth Moneey
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Beth Moneey. (Photo Source: Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

After losing the one-off Ashes Test, England were desperate to make a comeback in the T20I series against the current champions. However, Australia once again managed to get over the line, courtesy of phenomenal innings by Beth Mooney. Even when the middle order was struggling to get going and the win was going out of Australia’s hands, Mooney kept calm and delivered a special knock to help the visiting team win by four wickets.

Notably, batting first, Sophia Dunkley gave England a perfect start. The 24-year-old hit 56 runs off 49 deliveries but no other cricketer could support her well in the middle. Danielle Wyatt, Alice Capsey, and Nat Sciver-Brunt couldn’t make any sort of impact as, despite Dunkley’s half-century, Australia were in the driver’s seat.

However, skipper Heather Knight and stumper-batter Amy Jones built a strong partnership as the home team posted 153 runs on board after 20 overs. Notably, England were 10-15 runs short in the end as Edgbaston has proved to be a batter’s paradise in recent times. Meanwhile, Jess Jonassen once again impressed with the ball as the 30-year-old picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 6.25 while Megan Schutt picked up two wickets.

When it came to the chase, Lauren Bell picked up the wicket of dangerous Alyssa Healy in the powerplay, and that gave England some morale boost. However, nothing went in their favour after that. Mooney went on to build a fantastic partnership with Tahlia McGrath (40 runs off 29 deliveries) and later Ashleigh Gardner’s quick cameo of 31 runs off 23 deliveries helped Australia move an inch closer to victory.

However, like most other T20 matches, there were some twists in this one as well. England bowlers made a strong comeback towards the fag end of the match by picking up the wickets of Gardner, Grace Harris, Ellyse Perry, and Annabel Sutherland in quick succession. Thus, Australia were under massive pressure at one point but that didn’t affect their chances as the Alyssa Healy-led side eventually won the match by four wickets and took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Here's how Twitter reacted to the game

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Women's Ashes 2023Australia WomenEngland WomenBeth MooneyJess JonassenSophia Dunkley