Australia lead 8-4 in Women's Ashes with four points still to play for...
Friday 28 August 2015 14:53, UK
England Women fought their way back into the Ashes series with a seven-wicket win over Australia Women in the first T20 international at Chelmsford.
Displaying high intensity and energy in the field – the kind of which has been lacking in their recent ODI and Test defeats – England restricted Australia to just 122-8 from their 20 overs, picking up three run-outs.
Sarah Taylor hit 50 from just 43 balls and England's captain Charlotte Edwards 39 from 42 as the pair put on 77 for the second wicket to help England on the way to an impressive win inside 18 overs.
In the multi-format Women's Ashes, Australia still lead by eight points to four, after winning the ODI series 2-1 (two points each), and the solitary Test match (worth four points), but England can level the series and retain the Ashes with wins in the final two T20's, starting in Hove on Friday.
Edwards won the toss and chose to bowl first in front of a capacity crowd at Chelmsford, a ground which the side has never lost at.
After an early breakthrough, with Anya Shrubsole (1-15) picking up the wicket of Elyse Villani caught and bowled in the second over, Ellyse Perry (30) and Meg Lanning (28) rebuilt the tourists' innings.
England stayed energetic in the field and were handsomely rewarded as wickets started to come, the first of which was Australia's captain Lanning who fell to the returning off-spinner Danielle Hazell (1-21).
Natalie Sciver (2-18) then bowled Perry and picked up the wicket of Jess Jonassen (15) to reduce the visitors to 84-4 after 15 overs.
With Australia gambling with some risky running as they desperately searched for a big score in the final five overs, a sharp England struck with three run-outs, Shrubsole and Greenway seizing on some opportunities in the outfield, and Katherine Brunt doing some great work off her own bowling.
Set 123 to win, the home side lost an early wicket as Lauren Winfield fell to Perry for just one, but Edwards and Taylor – desperately short of runs so far this series – weren't fazed and set the platform for England's win with their partnership.
Edwards departed in the 14th over to a very tight stumping call off Erin Osborne (2-22) which was referred to the third umpire but Taylor kept going and went through to her 12th T20I fifty before falling the very next ball, also to a stumping by Alyssa Healy off Osborne.
Some quickfire cameos from Natalie Sciver (20 off 10) and Katherine Brunt (13 off seven) saw England comfortably home though with 2.3 overs to spare.
Don't miss the next T20 International in the Women's Ashes series, live on Sky Sports Ashes HD from 6.55pm on Friday.
