Thanks for your company during the first day of the one-off Test match between England and Australia.

It's been another tough day of Women's Ashes cricket from an England perspective as Alana King ripped through the tourists batting again.

Ffion Wynne has filed her interpretation of proceedings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Make sure you read her match report.

You can also scroll down to watch all the video highlights and end-of-day reaction.

We will, of course, be back tomorrow in the wee small hours at 03:00 GMT for live text commentary, and ball-by-ball coverage from the Test Match Special team, on day two.

Between now and then here's a few more cricket stories for you to read:

• Fans fill stadium for Kohli's first Ranji Trophy match in 12 years
• 'Never say never' - Mott on coaching England women
• Afghan cricketers play first match since fleeing Taliban
• Landmark Hundred sales move step closer

Image source, Getty Images

England seamer Lauren Bell: "It was up and down as Test cricket is. We dug pretty deep to get a total and had a lot of energy. As a seam bowler, it's a nice surface to bowl on. It’s got a lot of lateral movement so we’ll just have to play with that.

"Test match cricket is special, it feels quite separate from the rest of the series. You’re playing a Test match at MCG, it’s exciting, everyone gets excited about it. Our focus was on this, we parked the rest of the series. With the pink ball, it’s definitely learning on the job but it’s fun. Kate Cross brings that consistency and trust, I've had to step into those shoes but I love when Heather gives me those opportunities. Personally, I've got a lot out of the series but we’ll see how the rest goes.

"As a team we’ll reflect but personally, I can take a bit of confidence from how the past few games have gone. I feel pretty confident of where I’m at. It’s amazing to play at the MCG. As a cricketer you try to take in all these things. It’s cool you’ve just got to embrace it and enjoy it. We can definitely get a result, a few early wickets tomorrow, we’ll see how it plays out. Australia showed us how to bowl on this pitch but we’ll see how it plays out tomorrow."

Georgia Elwiss
England all-rounder on TNT Sports

Alana King has got a lovely action, she puts a lot of revolutions on the ball. I know she idolised Shane Warne growing up and it's really fitting for her that she's on her home ground and has been able to make the ball talk.

She's a fantastic bowler and she sets brilliant plans to different batters as well. We saw how she set up Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge. She knows exactly the ball that she's trying to bowl.

Once she got into her groove, it looked like she was going to get a wicket every single ball she bowled. The skill level and the control she had, particularly for a leg-spinner, is unbelievable.

Image source, Getty Images

Australia bowler player Darcie Brown: "It was a really positive day for us. It’s always nice to bowl them out on the first day and have a bat. We’ve only lost one wicket which puts us in a good position for tomorrow.

"It was good fun, anytime we get to play Test matches it's fun, to get a few overs in is nice for us bowlers. In my limited experience, it didn't swing as much as I thought it would, in these conditions as well. It was a challenge in the end when it didn't do much but it was fun.

"I think the ball got softer but it's hard to tell when our spinners are getting wickets. Something we spoke about was it getting softer. We tried to keep it off the ground because of the dew. I'm not a good pitch assessor but it had good bounce. It was interesting to bowl on.

"We like to try out a few things that we don't get to in T20s and ODIs. It's nice to get out there, try things and see what happens. It's super special to play here [at the MCG]. Only a few girls had played BBL here before. It’s pretty special, there's a good turnout and lots of family and friends here which makes it even better."

England batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge, speaking to TNT Sports: "It was really tough. It was one of those pitches where you really had to grind for your runs.

"[Alana King] was absolutely ragging it on day one as well so it is what it is. It's what's happen over this whole Ashes series. We would have liked maybe another 50 runs there.

"We've got to bring the energy and bowl really well and hopefully get a few early wickets tomorrow."

On the pitch: "It's quite furry. Anything top of the stumps is quite tough. Anything really full was really nice, you could get your hands through.

"But if you bowl top of the stumps, it's really difficult to get the ball away. So it's about being proactive and hitting the bad ball."

On Sophie Ecclestone: "She's going to be key. She's been exceptional for us over the years. Hopefully she can bowl exceptionally well tomorrow as well."

England did manage to take one wicket in the evening session, when Lauren Bell had debutante Georgia Voll caught by wicketkeeper Amy Jones.

Australia recovered from 19-1 to reach 56-1 at the close and would appear well positioned to resume on day two in favourable conditions during the daytime.

Steven Finn
Former England fast bowler on TNT Sports

Alana King has been devastating all the way through this series. It's a mixture of drift and spin that has done it for her.

Drifting in, turning away - they're almost unplayable deliveries. Shane Warne-esque.

I think she even bowled from the Shane Warne End today so quite fitting that she was getting the ball to rip and spit so much.

King was brave, she kept looping it up. A fantastic spell of bowling, mixing up her pace, mixing up her drift.

Srinivas Vijaykumar
Cricviz analyst

Alana King in the previous two Ashes series had a total of 10 wickets in nine matches. In this Ashes series, she's almost doubled her tally wickets with another innings left to play.

Alana King in Women's Ashes 2025 (in Australia):

• 18 wickets in seven matches
• 11.3 average
• 3.68 economy rate
• 18.4 strike rate

In Women's Ashes 2023 (in England)

• Four wickets in three matches
• 41.8 average
• 4.91 economy rate
• 51.0 strike rate

In Women's Ashes 2022 (in Australia)

• Six wickets in six matches
• 31.3 average
• 3.17 economy rate
• 59.1 strike rate

Steven Finn
Former England fast bowler on TNT Sports

Alana King bowled brilliantly, she controlled the scoring rate, she was playful with the way she used her drift and her flight in order to get those four England wickets.

She deserved five.

A few of England's dismissals were soft, to put it mildly. Sophie Ecclestone and Amy Jones were perhaps the most culpable of giving their wickets away cheaply.

Leg-spinner Alana King finished with an impressive 4-45 from 23 overs while Ash Gardner claimed 1-30.

England would have hoped for more than 170 in their first innings.

Michelle Goszko
Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

I thought Nat Sciver-Brunt was the best batter for England today.

Nat Sciver-Brunt was the one England batter to really defy the Aussies, albeit with a bit of luck along the way, as she top scored with 51.

She eventually fell to Alana King.

A quick recap of what's happened on day one of this one-off Women's Ashes Test then...

England lost the toss and were asked to bat first by Alyssa Healy.

Australia's seamers, and Kim Garth and Darcie Brown did the early damage at the top of the order before their spinners took charge.

Michelle Goszko
Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

England have had a tough day. You would have thought it would've been easier to bat here in the afternoon.

We'll have some reaction from whatever talking heads emerge at the MCG, plus a recap of what's happened so stick with us.

Georgia Elwiss
England all-rounder on TNT Sports

It's about a lack of confidence and a lack of belief in their own ability with the bat.

England have struggled again today.

Ryana MacDonald-Gay is wide and full to Annabel Sutherland with the penultimate ball of the day and the Australia all-rounder drives it through the covers for four.

Sutherland then blocks out to ensure Australia head to stumps 114 runs in arrears to England's 170 all out.

Can Ryana MacDonald-Gay winkle out a wicket here?

Annabel Sutherland skims her first ball through mid-wicket for three before Phoebe Litchfield works one off her pads for a single.

Michelle Goszko
Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

Phoebe Litchfield has been very watchful here. She didn't do great in the other formats but she's got no dot ball or scoreboard pressure.

The seagulls are sent scattering once more when Phoebe Litchfield biffs the final ball of Sophie Ecclestone's over for four down the ground.

We'll have enough time for one more over.