Tactical naivety, poor batting and skilled bowling combined to cost England on the second day of the Ashes Test at Canterbury.
After their early-morning joy at dismissing Jess Jonassen one run short of a debut century, England’s batting stagnated and then slumped as the hosts were left with a first-innings deficit of 106.
After adding six runs in a delayed morning session Jonassen played across the line to Katherine Brunt and was pinned lbw. She had to drag herself from the crease as she became only the third female cricketer to make 99 in a Test.
With only half an hour’s play possible in the morning – it is forbidden to interfere with the sacred act of lunch at 1pm – Australia declared to leave England to face one over. It was a gem from Ellyse Perry, her first delivery of the match a beauty that jagged away from Heather Knight’s forward push. England lunched uneasily at four for no wicket.
Perry and Megan Schutt made a pleasing combination. Perry is rhythmical, baby steps turning into a gallop as she releases the ball with a smooth action. Schutt is more robust, with a pumping run-up that allows her to take the pace off the ball in contrast to Perry’s quicker bowling.
The post-lunch session belonged to Perry. The ball to dismiss Lauren Winfield was of decent length and kept on rising. Winfield, playing forward defensively, realised too late that the ball was creeping up on her. It kissed the surface of the bat and was easily caught by the wicketkeeper, Alyssa Healy, niece of Ian.
If Australia were pleased, by the next delivery they were jubilant. Sarah Taylor played across the line to a quick, full ball from Perry. Taylor’s trigger movement starts so far across her stumps that, if the ball comes back into her, she has nowhere to go. Charlotte Edwards saw off the hat-trick ball but it was defended awkwardly. England were in a mess.
Edwards, who has scored more Test runs against Australia than any other England player, drove beautifully. A half-volley from Schutt disappeared through the covers; a leg-side delivery was flicked disdainfully off the pads. Knight was a good foil, preferring to dig in. She was, however, unable to resist a Sarah Coyte delivery outside off-stump. With the pace off, and Knight driving forward, it took the outside edge and Meg Lanning’s diving effort at slip ended her innings.
Edwards’ resistance likewise did not last. A swinging off-cutter from Schutt cut back in off the pitch to hit the top of off-stump. It was a perfect delivery; a full line, with just enough late movement to beat Edwards’ forward defensive. “I thought it was caught behind, which was a bit embarrassing,” said Schutt after the game. “I think she was a bit unlucky it jagged back a bit more than the others.”
Australia gave England nothing, with Lanning rotating Schutt, Coyte, Perry and Holly Ferling in four-over spells, never allowing the batsmen to settle. It was only when she brought Jonassen on, who bowled loosely for one over, that England found the boundary.
Perry struck again after tea, dismissing Lydia Greenway, who had battled through the afternoon, and she was hard done by – given leg-before to a ball that pitched outside the line and was still outside the line when it struck her front pad. It was a poor decision.
There followed a period of attritional cricket, bolstered by some good Australian captaincy and poor English tactics. Australia bowled well but England let 34 maidens pile up. For all the talk of positive cricket, they failed to rotate the strike and constantly picked out the fielders. There may be an element of thinking that Test cricket should be played one way – slowly – and getting stuck in that mind-set.
“A combination of our bowling and tight lines really restricted them,” Schutt said. “At times they played a slow Test match game. We knew they were capable of playing that sort of game so we just needed to keep going with our plans.”
When the wickets did come, they came quickly. Natalie Sciver looked to receive another harsh leg-before decision. Georgia Elwiss was clean-bowled by Jonassen and Laura Marsh could only tamely fend Schutt through to the keeper. Brunt, maybe in anger rather than any tactical decision, played some of the best shots of the day as she made the highest score in England’s innings – 39. Her cameo was halted when she was bowled by Coyte, ending England’s highest partnership of 37 – of which Shrubsole scored precisely nought. Her innings came to a fitting end, a 47-ball duck as she was leg-before to Schutt.
