Tahlia McGrath: Australia all-rounder makes her mark in Ashes opener
- Published
Tahlia McGrath bowled set batters Nat Sciver and Danni Wyatt within three balls to check England's progress
Cricket fans of a certain age will remember what it was like to see the headline 'McGrath stars against England' on an Ashes missive.
This time, however, it wasn't legendary fast bowler Glenn doing the damage but his namesake Tahlia, a 26-year-old from Adelaide.
Tahlia - who is no relation to Glenn - is more of an all-rounder, but she showed a similar ability to crush England's cricketers in the first T20 of the multi-format Women's Ashes series on Thursday.
With England racing along at 141-1 after 15 overs, McGrath was summoned back into the hosts' bowling attack.
Her third ball, a full yorker, cleaned up Nat Sciver for 32. Two deliveries later, a near-identical ball did for Danni Wyatt on 70.
The two wickets checked England's progress, keeping a total that was threatening to creep up to 180 to 169-4.
However, it was with the bat where McGrath really shone. Coming in with Australia 26-1, she swung and swung hard, dispatching England's ragged bowlers for 13 fours and one six on her way to an unbeaten 91 off just 49 balls.
England opener Tammy Beaumont, who spent much of McGrath's innings fetching the ball from the boundary, was full of praise.
"I know T-Mac from playing at the Adelaide Strikers [in the WBBL] and I just said to her that's one of the best innings I've ever seen," Beaumont said.
"Fair play to her and to Australia. They played really well."
It was fitting that as one Australia all-rounder flayed England to all parts, another, their chief destroyer in the past, watched on from the bench.
There was some surprise when the talismanic Ellyse Perry was dropped for the Ashes opener. Perry has been a mainstay of the T20 team since 2008 but her impact as a bowler has faded in recent years and Australia have quicker, more aggressive batters waiting in the wings.
McGrath was often compared to Perry as a teenager because of her all-round skills. She made her international debut in 2017 in the Ashes and performed well, but knew she had to take a further step to become a mainstay.
After not playing a match on Australia's tour of New Zealand last year, McGrath returned home and began a leadership course, external with legendary former cricketer Belinda Clark.
She told the Cricket Australia website that Clark's mentorship helped her step out of her shell. That led to her captaining Adelaide Strikers in the recent WBBL and taking them through to the final.
Before that, she was named player of the series for Australia after the multi-format series against India, which the hosts won 11-5.
Despite that, she admitted after the win over England she was not sure she was going to play.
"There are lots of quality players sitting on the sidelines and I wasn't even sure if I was going to be given the nod tonight and play," she said.
"When you get your opportunity, you've got to make the most of it because there are so many waiting to have a go.
"I got to bat at three today and I sort of had to take it with both hands."
And take it with both hands she did.
She attacked from the off on a wicket that seemed difficult to start on. She hit her first boundary from her fifth ball, a late cut off Katherine Brunt that went racing away to the ropes.
Leg-spinner Sarah Glenn, second in the world in the T20 bowling rankings, came in for particularly harsh treatment. McGrath smashed the 10 balls she faced from her for 26 runs, including back-to-back fours as Australia pressed home their advantage.
McGrath does not have an average in T20 internationals since she is yet to be dismissed in four innings.
Were she to be dismissed without scoring in the next match of the series, her average will still be a staggering 177.
For context, the next best of the big nations is Karen Rolton's 50.62. Rolton, incidentally, is also from Adelaide.
When asked how to get her out, McGrath laughed and said: "I'm susceptible to full tosses and balls which are short and out wide...
"I'm rubbish out wide. I can't believe I've said that out loud, but those are my weaknesses!"
So now England know how to get her out, can they?
"There's two games left. I'm sure we might give her an average," said Beaumont, before pausing: "A pretty high one!"
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