Tammy Beaumont continued her excellent smashing form on Day 3 of the Women’s Ashes 2023 one-off Test by effortlessly scoring runs for her team in the second innings. In addition, despite losing wickets at regular intervals, she stayed steady on the crease.
The opener chalked up her maiden double-century quickly following the tea break, hitting 27 boundaries. With this, Beaumont became the first Englishwoman in Women’s Ashes history to shatter a double ton. England scored 463 runs, falling only 10 shy of Australia’s 473, thanks to a brilliant effort by the opener.
After England were all out for 463 in the ongoing Test of the Women’s Ashes 2023, she went out to an exhorting ovation and fist-bumps from teenage fans near the Trent Bridge pavilion, giving Australia a 10-run lead in the first innings. England had 19 overs to break down Australia’s batting order, but openers Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield gripped firm to help Australia reach 82-0 at the stumps.
Resuming on 218-2, England almost lost Nat Sciver-Brunt to the first ball of the day but later Brunt reached her half-century, and Ashleigh Gardner’s spin induced an edge, and Alyssa Healy grabbed the catch behind the stumps to dismiss her for 78.
READ MORE: Ashes 2023: “I’m Happy To Bat Wherever I Fit In” – Beth Mooney
Tammy started unbeaten on 100 on the third morning at Trent Bridge, having rushed for a second run late the previous evening to bring up her maiden Test century. England were still 255 runs behind, but after a cautious start, she and Sciver-Brunt began chipping away at the shortfall with a boundary-rich opening session.
Darcie Brown had Sciver-Brunt out LBW for 41 with the opening ball of the day of Women’s Ashes 2023 one-off Test before England effectively reviewed, with replays revealing the ball was missing the leg stump. Australia only gave up one run in the opening three overs of the day, but Beaumont struck three fours in one Brown over, wonderfully timed beyond mid-off, soothed through the slips cordon, and then dragged through wide mid-on.
Sciver-Brunt reached fifty by perfectly timing a Brown ball to the boundary via the deep backward point, and she added three more off Sutherland on either side of the pitch.
Surprisingly, knowing that Gardner and Alana King had given England some trouble late in the second evening after Australia’s seamers were battling all Friday, captain Alyssa Healy waited until well into the second hour to reintroduce her slow bowlers.
Gardner’s eighth ball of the morning was a faster, flatter delivery outside off stump that caught Sciver-Brunt’s outside edge as she stumbled back to cut, wrongly assessing the length and fluttering to Healy behind the stumps.
Tammy Beaumont sat back in her crease, effortlessly threading the ball through gully and second slip, and with that achieved England Women’s highest Test score. It was her 26th boundary of a near-limitless inning, breaking Betty Snowball’s 88-year-old record of 189 against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1935. But Beaumont wasn’t finished.
Beaumont continued to assault before Danni Wyatt, making her debut, came six short of a half-century when she pinched Brown to the second slip. Australia deployed eight different bowlers, and Beaumont, 32, nearly threw away her wicket when she was on 199, aiming for a non-existent run before being sent back by Sophie Ecclestone, offering her teammate a contrite smile and a thumbs-up in response.
She recuperated her composure and whacked the following ball off her hip to fine leg to become the eighth woman to register a test double century, closing down on former Pakistani Kiran Baluch’s record of 242. Tahlia McGrath of Australia bowled Ecclestone, Kate Cross, and Lauren Filer in quick succession, while Gardner bowled Beaumont.
England were 288 for 3 at the time of the Women’s Ashes 2023 one-off Test, but leg-spinner King was producing some spectacular turns as lunch approached. Sophia Dunkley took 18 balls to get going and was not out on 7 as England headed into the break having gained 90 runs for the loss of only one wicket.
READ MORE: Women’s Ashes 2023: LIVE Streaming, When And Where To Watch, Full Squads, Fixture – All You Need To Know
Australia waited for the second new ball and got their payoff when Gardner struck again, Dunkley hitting over the line to a ball that squeaked into off stump to be out for 9 off 51 balls.
Beaumont had made it through the previous evening after striking a King delivery with her boot and been denied the catch at short leg. Beaumont was called LBW on 152 today after being smacked on the pad while attempting to sweep King, but she appealed and was vindicated when replays revealed that the ball had pitched substantially outside leg stump.
Meanwhile, McGrath had dismissed Sophie Ecclestone LBW with a gem that nipped back and crashed into off stump, bowled Kate Cross for a second-ball duck with a gem that clipped back and crashed into off stump, and had Lauren Filer caught behind attempting to hit at one that moved away sharply on her.
Nevertheless, Ashleigh Gardner finished the innings with a four-wicket haul that culminated in the coveted scalp of Beaumont. Tahlia McGrath took three wickets, while Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, and Darcie Brown each took one.
The Aussies got off to a strong start with a 10-run lead, as the initial duo of Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield struck the ground running to have a good lead at the end of the day’s play. Mooney and Litchfield maintained the Australian innings steady by maintaining a run rate of over 4.50 for the vast part of the innings.
By stumps, Australia had extended their lead to 92 in the Women’s Ashes 2023 one-off Test on a batting-friendly pitch, with openers Phoebe Litchfield and Beth Mooney unscathed on 41 and 33, respectively. While Mooney hit five boundaries in her unbroken 33-run innings, debutant Litchfield hit seven boundaries in 41 runs off 55 balls.
Women’s Ashes 2023 One-off Test Brief scores:
Australia 473 (Annabel Sutherland 137*, Elysse Perry 99; Sophie Ecclestone 5-129) & 82/0 (Phoebe Litchfield 41*) lead England 463 (Tammy Beaumont 208, Nat Sciver-Brunt 78; Ash Gardner 4-99, Tahlia McGrath 3-24) by 92 runs.
Click Here to get the latest news related to women’s cricket. You can also check about Match predictions here. like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
