Australia drew first blood in the Women’s Ashes with a 89-run victory over England in the one-off Test at Trent Bridge on Monday.
Resuming on 116 for five in pursuit of 268 on a final day where Trent Bridge threw open its gates free of charge, England subsided to 178 all out inside 90 minutes despite a defiant 54 from Danni Wyatt.
Wily off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner’s eight for 66 saw her walk away with a 12-wicket match haul as Australia claimed an 89-run victory to collect four all-important points ahead of the ODIs and T20s.
If England are to retrieve the urn for the first time since 2015 they will have to prevail in five of the six white-ball contests against the ODI and T20 world champions, with two points per win on offer.
England were able to land some blows on their all-conquering opponents with Tammy Beaumont recording her nation’s first Test double hundred and Sophie Ecclestone recording five-fors in each innings.
But the decisive period came in a hectic 29 balls on the penultimate evening as England stumbled from 55 for none to 73 for four, with Gardner snaring Beaumont, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight.
Ecclestone was adamant there was belief England could do the unlikely on a sunny but blustery morning on a wearing pitch although the signs were there when their first runs came via byes after Gardner just beat Wyatt’s outside edge with a straighter delivery that went through Alyssa Healy’s legs.
Test debutant Wyatt expertly climbed into a drive off Tahlia McGrath’s seam but Gardner made the breakthrough by tossing one up wider to nightwatcher Kate Cross, who threw the bat and edged behind.
Amy Jones was beaten on the outside edge first ball and had 13 nervy dots before she got off the mark by flaying over extra-cover after Gardner had over-pitched.
But two deliveries later, Jones injudiciously advanced to the spinner and missed. While Healy, who has been nursing fractures to her left index and right ring fingers in this match, failed to gather cleanly, the Australia captain was able to whip off the bails before Jones got back over the line.
Gardner operated in tandem with a seamer at the other end and continued to cause problems, with Ecclestone inside edging a sweep perilously close to her stumps in the over where Wyatt reached her half-century as England brought the target down to double digits.
But in Gardner’s next over, Ecclestone missed a flick off her pads and was given lbw, a decision that was upheld on review, as the Australian celebrated 10 wickets for the match.
The end came with two wickets in three overs as Gardner claimed the best match figures by an Australian and the second best of all-time as Lauren Filer’s England debut ended with her stumps rearranged after playing down the wrong line to Gardner, who then had Wyatt after she missed a sweep.
Wyatt reviewed the decision – more in hope than expectation – but three reds confirmed the worst as Gardner, who took all five wickets on Monday morning, and Australia celebrated a hard-fought win.
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