In a thrilling encounter at Edgbaston, Beth Mooney guided the Australian women’s cricket team to a dramatic T20 victory against England.
The T20 world champions faced a formidable challenge as England came tantalizingly close to defeating them, only for Australia to chase down the target of 154 with just one ball to spare.
As the match approached its nail-biting climax, England captain Heather Knight entrusted Sophie Ecclestone, considered the best bowler in the world, with the final over. Australia required five runs from it. Annabel Sutherland started the over by driving the first ball for four, but Ecclestone quickly recovered, saving the single with a diving effort. However, Sutherland’s subsequent shot resulted in a tricky high catch taken by Amy Jones.
The tension mounted as Georgia Wareham punched the next ball through cover, and alongside Beth Mooney, who remained unbeaten on 61, they ran hard to secure the winning single. Despite feeling like underdogs throughout the series, the Australian team’s victory provided a sense that the gap between the two sides is narrowing, as expressed by Jones.
The electrifying match captivated the crowd, surpassing attendance figures from the Commonwealth Games held the previous summer. Australia appeared in control, needing 24 runs from the final 19 balls with Mooney and Ash Gardner at the crease.
However, a sudden twist of fate saw Gardner edging the ball to Jones off Ecclestone’s bowling, followed by Grace Harris getting bowled by Sarah Glenn on the first ball she faced. Mooney valiantly continued chipping away, but Lauren Bell’s perfectly executed back-of-the-hand slower ball dismissed Ellyse Perry, setting the stage for a tense final over in which England came agonizingly close to toppling Australia from their winning position.
Earlier in the match, despite a resilient half-century from Sophia Dunkley off 42 balls, England found themselves in trouble at 118 for seven in the 18th over. However, a remarkable late-order cameo from Amy Jones, who scored an unbeaten 40 off 21 balls, breathed life into the innings and propelled England to a competitive total.
Australia’s fielding performance was uncharacteristically clumsy, with missed opportunities and dropped catches. Jess Jonassen’s failure to run out Jones and Wareham’s drop at deep midwicket allowed Jones to capitalize and deliver crucial runs. Jones herself labelled her innings as one of her best for England, expressing confidence and a desire to play that way in every game.
The match featured a slow start for England in the powerplay, with only four boundaries scored, three of them by Dunkley. Early wickets further hampered the hosts, with Danni Wyatt losing her off-stump to Megan Schutt and Nat Sciver-Brunt caught at deep midwicket off Jonassen’s bowling in the eighth over. Debutant Alice Capsey faced a warm welcome from the crowd, but her stay at the crease was cut short when Darcie Brown ran her out with a direct hit.
After a fifty partnership between Knight and Dunkley, both fell in quick succession, leaving debutant Dani Gibson to face Schutt’s hat-trick ball. Gibson survived but was dismissed shortly after, sending a leading edge to extra cover. Ecclestone’s subsequent dismissal left Jonassen on a hat-trick momentarily, adding to the drama before Jones rescued England.
The upcoming T20 match at the Oval on Wednesday holds significant importance for England, as they now must win all five remaining matches in the series if they are to reclaim the Ashes.