Summary

  • Australia reach 56-1 after tricky session under lights - report

  • England bowled out for 170

  • Sciver-Brunt (51) only batter to resist dominant hosts

  • King stars with the ball (4-45)

  • Brown (2-47) impresses with pace

  • One-off Test, Melbourne, day one of four

Live Reporting

by Timothy Abraham & Sam Drury

  1. Sarah Elliott
    Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

    Kim Garth has just got a knack of being able to come on and take wickets. Good decision not to review.

  2. wicket

    WICKET

    Knight lbw b Garth 25 (Eng 47-3)

    Plumb.

    Kim Garth got the ball swinging in this over, both ways as well to really challenge Heather Knight.

    The England skipper can't be sure which way the ball is going to go but this one just holds its line.

    Very full and Knight is trapped bang in front. No review and she just trudges off.

    England captain Knight out lbw

  3. Steven Finn
    Former England fast bowler on TNT Sports

    Nat Sciver-Brunt is playing with soft hands and showing someone like Maia Bouchier, who pushed at the ball, that you can let it come to you and it dies off that outside edge.

    Australia as you would expect have been excellent, disciplined and put England under pressure. It's up to Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt, their two senior players, to marshal this next hour.

  4. Sarah Elliott
    Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

    I'm excited to see what Annabel Sutherland will bring in this Test. It's great to see the ball in her hands early.

  5. Eng 45-2

    KnightGetty Images

    After seeing a couple of edges fail to carry to the slips, Alyssa Healy brings in two catchers in front of square.

    Neither are called into action in this Annabel Sutherland over as Heather Knight pushes into the covers for England's first run since drinks.

  6. Sarah Elliott
    Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

    It's such a big mental challenge for Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight out there. They're both so experienced and have such high Test averages but it's the mental shift to pink ball format and the pressure that England are under that is hard.

  7. Eng 44-2

    MCGGetty Images

    Kim Garth returns after drinks. A change of ends for the Aussie seamer.

    No change in the quality of the bowling, though. A maiden as Garth repeatedly finds a good line and length to Nat Sciver-Brunt.

  8. Georgia Elwiss
    England all-rounder on TNT Sports

    It's been a great morning session. Australia will be the happier with the two wickets. It's been quite lively with some lateral movement. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight have had to weather the storm but have thrown a few punches back latterly. They need to keep that partnership going.

  9. Sarah Elliott
    Ex-Australia batter on BBC Sounds

    I think Australia will be pleased with their position. They won the toss, elected to field and it's paid off.

    This is a key partnership for England, they look pretty settled. It will be key for Australia to break it.

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

    We want more Test cricket, it's the pinnacle of the game.

  11. How's stat?!

    Srinivas Vijaykumar
    Cricviz analyst

    Nat Sciver-Brunt goes past 1,000 runs in women's Internationals in Australia. She becomes the third English batter with 1,000+ runs in Australia across all formats.

    Most runs for England in women's internationals in Australia:

    • Heather Knight - 1,437
    • Charlotte Edwards - 1,346
    • Nat Sciver-Brunt - 1,008

  12. Eng 44-2

    Sciver-Brunt 10, Knight 22

    There is definitely a bit of movement there off the seam for Annabel Sutherland.

    She finds the edge again later in the over, this time of Nat Sciver-Brunt, but this time the ball drops short of second slip.

    Sciver-Brunt proceeds to thump a drive through mid-off for four before getting three through the same region to end the over.

    Time for drinks.

  13. dropped catch

    Knight dropped on 19

    Eng 34-2

    Tough - but it's a chance!

    Annabel Sutherland finds the edge of Heather Knight's bat but the England captain plays with soft hands.

    That means the ball only just carries as Beth Mooney dives to her right, in front of first slip.

    The keeper had to go for it, it wasn't carrying to slip, gets a glove to it but can't hold on.

  14. How's stat?!

    Srinivas Vijaykumar
    Cricviz analyst

    England will have all their hopes on this experienced pair batting in the middle now. Since they started batting together in 2014, Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt have scored 3,316 runs in 97 innings in women's internationals at an average of 40.4

    In the same timeline (since the start of 2014) only two other pairs have scored more runs than this English pair - Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma (4,360), Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine (4,076).

  15. Eng 34-2

    Sciver-Brunt 3, Knight 19

    Slightly overpitched by Darcie Brown and Heather Knight unfurls a gorgeous cover drive.

    No stopping that, four runs to the England skipper.

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

    It just didn't look quite right, that one looked like it was angled down and it was. Heather Knight has a sigh of relief.

  17. Not out

    Eng 29-2

    Alex Hartley gets it exactly right.

    No bat but just angling down leg. That's how it looked in real time.

    Ball-tracking shows it would have just clipped leg but that's not enough to overturn the on-field decision. Heather Knight survives.

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

    There's no bat involved, for me it will be umpire's call.

  19. Australia review

    Eng 29-2

    Full ball from Darcie Brown and Heather Knight is rapped on the pad.

    Given not out but Australia send it upstairs.

    Big moment...

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

    Nat Sciver-Brunt looks solid out there at the moment. She's not scoring a lot but we've got four days to get through, she's just getting in line with the ball really nicely.