The two unbeaten sides met this afternoon, in a trial run before the semi-finals. In Healy’s absence with a fetlock strain McGrath won the toss and sent England in. After eight overs the score was 0/55. Schutt and Garth could not maintain their line and length – arguably trying for swing where none was available – and Beaumont and Jones cashed in. With the arrival of Sutherland the innings appeared to grind to a halt. Jones was clean-bowled by a Sutherland special and for a long while nothing much happened. Knight came and went, trapped leg before by Molineux’ quicker ball. But it was the advent of King which changed the game. She bowled her ten overs for 1/20. With no boundaries at all, and little attempt thereto. Once Sciver-Brunt decided to charge the leg-spinner and whacked it to Sutherland at deep mid-off. Thereafter King attacked the stumps, and England played her as though she was an exploding piano.
The struggles of England’s middle order have been extensively discussed in the media. Why Dani Wyatt-Hodge isn’t playing is indeed a mystery. Tammy Beaumont alone played with any fluency. Her 78 from 105 had been a welcome return to form for the pocket rocket opener; but when she hit a catch to Voll from Sutherland the innings becalmed once more. Dunkley’s attempts to get the ball off the square were piteous to behold. Finally she charged down the wicket to Gardner – something which is rarely advisable – and Mooney had time to boil a kettle before removing the bails. Dunkley’s 22 had chewed up 48 deliveries. In the 40th over her vigil came to an end, with England at 6/166 and in dire need of inspiration. They got it from Alice Capsey and Charlie Dean, who managed a stand of 61 from 52 balls by picking up singles and whacking boundaries when available. England finished on 9/244, which looked at least 40 short.
Bell began the fightback with a superb away-swinger to Litchfield which took the off-stump. Voll then attempted an ambitious slog-sweep to Smith and played on; although the choreography owed more perhaps to Olympic diving than strokeplay. When Perry hit a leading edge back to Smith, Australia was suddenly 3/24 and in a whole universe of trouble. Sutherland at no.5 has not troubled the scorers thus far in the tournament. Tonight was a spendid opportunity to rectify the omission. She hit a couple of boundaries and settled down to her work. She lost Mooney at 68, brilliantly caught by Sciver-Brunt off Ecclestone, and English hopes rose again.
And, as the evening progressed, a sense of fatalism crept in. Gardner prefers to play back to the spinners; while Sutherland prefers to advance out of her crease and go downtown. But they varied their work sufficiently so that the bowlers could not predict their footwork in advance. The fifty partnership arrived, then the hundred; and thereafter Gardner began to express herself more forcibly. She passed fifty at a run a ball, and proceeded to her century in just 22 more deliveries. She then played out the rest of the over, giving Sutherland a chance to make a hundred of her own. The attempted six skied to Knight at long-off, who put down a difficult running catch. The next ball she could manage only a single, and Gardner finished the contest with another driven boundary.
Crisis? What crisis? the pair appeared to be saying. They put on 180 for the fifth wicket, unbeaten, in 148 balls. They won in a canter with almost ten overs to spare, and without Healy, who was coming off successive centuries. They did have slightly the better of conditions, to be sure. Yet the gulf which separates Australia from the field is opening up again. South Africa awaits on Saturday night; but already they cannot finish lower than second. And England have some hard thinking to do.