Summary

  • Australia retain Women's Ashes at earliest opportunity - report

  • England's last seven wickets fall for just 45 runs

  • Dunkley's 59 off 30 balls gives England brief hope

  • Australia pile up 198-7

  • Mooney hits 75 off 51 after being dropped on 16

  • First of three T20s, Sydney

Live Reporting

by Timothy Abraham & Mike Peter

  1. How's stat?!

    Kieran Parmley
    Cricviz analyst

    This is the earliest Nat Sciver-Brunt has come to the crease for England in the last two years in T20Is and also only the 11th time she's come to the crease inside the opening two overs in her T20I career - in slightly promising news for England she's passed fifty in five of the 10 previous innings when doing so.

  2. Eng 26-2

    Nat Sciver-Brunt clinically punishes Megan Schutt on the leg side in a profitable over for England.

    Schutt strays on to the pads off Sciver-Brunt and the England batter shovels it four through square leg.

    Schutt drops it a little shorter a couple of balls later, but the it sits up and Sciver-Brunt pulls it through mid-wicket before caressing a leg glance behind square for another boundary.

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    Andrew Watson: As Ned Flanders would say... we are done diddly done diddly done for.

  4. Henry Moeran
    Test Match Special commentator

    The lack of footwork seems to be an issue for England and has resulted in these two early wickets.

    Nat Sciver-Brunt is going to have to play the innings of her life here.

  5. Eng 12-2

    Nat Sciver-Brunt, upon whom so much will depend here, opens her account with a somewhat fortuitous leading edge which disappears through third.

    England's premier batter opens the face with a lot more conviction to pick up another four of Kim Garth at the end of the over.

  6. Michelle Goszko
    Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

    GarthGetty Images

    It was a gentle prod forward from Danni Wyatt-Hodge. She didn't get her footwork right and just poked her bat out to chip the ball nicely.

    A disaster here for England. Even before we started they were going to need something special. Now they need something extraordinary.

  7. wicket

    WICKET

    Wyatt-Hodge c Litchfied b Garth 0 (4-2)

    Both England openers out without scoring.

    Danni Wyatt-Hodge tentatively prods at one which swings away from Kim Garth and she nicks the ball into the hands of Phoebe Litchfield at first slip.

    An uphill struggle for England from here.

    Both England openers out without scoring as Wyatt-Hodge nicks the ball into the hands of Litchfield

  8. Eng 4-1

    Sophia Dunkley is the new batter for England and she's off the mark with a rather uncontrolled whip to the leg side off Megan Schutt for four through mid-wicket. It goes in the air, but with the fielding restrictions it's safe.

  9. Michelle Goszko
    Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

    SchuttGetty Images

    A poor start from England. Maia Bouchier actually struck the ball okay, it made a good sound off her bat. But she managed to pick out the one fielder on the boundary.

    An awful start really.

  10. wicket

    WICKET

    Bouchier c Wareham b Schutt 0 (Eng 0-1)

    Disastrous start for England as Maia Bouchier holes out and continues her lean run of scores.

    The England opener defends her first ball from Megan Schutt but a bottom-handed heave to one which kept a little low and she cannot get the distance on it.

    Georgia Wareham dashes in from deep square and takes a fine catch.

    'Disastrous start' as Bouchier is caught out with second ball

  11. Right, the players are out in the middle at the SCG

    Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt-Hodge will open for England.

    Megan Schutt has the ball in hand for Australia.

  12. How's stat?!

    Kieran Parmley
    Cricviz analyst

    England have only been set a target of more than 195 three times previously, winning once and losing twice. Their one win came against India at the Wankhede Stadium in the 2018 Tri-Series, with the two losses both coming against Australia, one in the aforementioned 2018 Tri-Series and the other at Chelmsford in the 2019 Ashes.

  13. I jest, of course.

    A lot of pressure on England's top order to get them within striking distance. They do not bat anywhere near as deep as the Aussies.

  14. Nigeria beat New Zealand at the Women's U19 World Cup a little earlier, so, you know, shocks between two sides where there might be a gulf in class on paper can happen.

  15. Henry Moeran
    Test Match Special commentator

    England's fielding errors allow Australia off the hook

    England will need the joint second-highest successful chase in Women’s T20 international history tonight to stay in the Women’s Ashes. 199 is a mountain of runs.

  16. Alex Hartley
    Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    It is unusual for Australia to lose that many wickets in a T20, but it's not worrying because they kept their run-rate so high. They were going at just less than 10 runs an over.

    Normally losing wickets would slow them down, but it didn't stop their momentum at all.

  17. Thanks, Mike.

    That is Australia's third highest T20 international score against England and their best against their historic rivals on home soil.

    Do Heather Knight's side have any hope here?

  18. CricViz isn't giving England much of a chance...

    I'm going to hand you over to Timothy Abraham to see if the tourists can defy the data and keep their Ashes alive.

    CricvizCricviz

  19. Aus 198-7

    Full from Lauren Bell to finish the innings, Wareham gets the ball into the leg side and the Australia batters run two.

    They finish just short of the 200, but they'll be happy with that score, I reckon.

    Meanwhile Bell closes on figures of 2-39.

  20. Aus 196-7

    Through the hands of Heather Knight!

    Wareham has four off the bat as the England skipper can't field the ball at mid-off, seeing it run away to the ropes.