Twitter Reactions: Danni Wyatt, Sarah Glenn shine as England clinch first two points to keep Ashes hopes alive

A magnificent batting display by Danni Wyatt followed by brilliance by the bowlers helped England open their account in the ongoing Women’s Ashes 2023 series. Having lost the only Test and the first T20I, the hosts had been trailing by 0-6 in the series, but they managed to make a brilliant comeback in the second T20I and kept their hopes to win the Ashes alive.

The game started with Australia winning the toss and putting the hosts to bat. England got off to a terrific start as openers Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley formed a brilliant 57-run partnership before the latter was dismissed by Darcie Brown. The duo sailed through the powerplay, but a juggling catch by Tahlia McGrath over short cover in the seventh saw Dunkley returning to the pavilion.

Nat Sciver-Brunt joined Wyatt on the field as the two took the game forward and at the end of 10 overs, England stood comfortably at 87/1. When they were closing in on a 50-run stand, Ashleigh Gardner dismissed Sciver, thereby giving her side a crucial breakthrough. Even after picking up a wicket, Gardner ended up conceding 13 runs in the over, thanks to well-placed boundaries by the batters.

Alice Capsey failed to get going this time again as Annabel Sutherland got the third wicket for the visitors. Skipper Heather Knight, who was playing her 100th T20I, was dismissed for a golden duck as Sutherland struck again to get on a hat-trick. Wickets kept falling as England saw a batting-order collapse, but Wyatt played a brilliant knock and got her 12th half-century in the format.

England bounced back in the game in the 16th over, when Wyatt hit Megan Schutt for four boundaries, and the hosts bagged 25 runs off the over. Her innings came to an end when she fell prey to Sutherland's short-ball ploy after hitting her for a four on a similar delivery. Wyatt finished with a score of 76 off 46 as her knock included a whopping 13 fours.

Sarah Glenn and Sophie Ecclestone kept the momentum going, and the latter went berserk in the penultimate over as she hit McGrath for two fours and a six after Glenn had managed to hit a couple of boundaries in the previous over. Ecclestone's cameo of a 12-ball 23 helped England finish with 186 runs, thereby setting up a competitive target for the visitors to chase.

Australia’s start to the chase was magnificent, as openers Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney added 59 runs for the first wicket before the skipper walked off, scoring a 19-ball 37. Following Healy’s dismissal in the seventh over, the England bowlers managed to pick one wicket each in the eighth, ninth and tenth over as their top-order collapsed quickly.

All-rounders Ellyse Perry and Grace Harris struggled to form a partnership, and the latter perished quickly. Perry was brilliant with the bat, as she remained unbeaten to take the game till the final over. Her unbeaten 27-ball 51 went in vain as even after hitting two consecutive sixes off the last two deliveries of the game, Australia fell short of three runs as England clinched a thrilling victory.

Here's how Twitter reacted: