England’s batting misfired again as they were bowled out for 170 in the Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG. In reply, Australia reached 56-1 at the close, having seen-off the night-terrors of the pink ball under lights.

England (170) v Australia (56-1) #Ashes 🏏

— CRICKETher (@crickether.com) 2025-01-30T11:04:06.561Z

If Alyssa Healy’s plan upon winning the toss and inserting England was to force them to face a swinging pink ball in the final session, it didn’t quite work out as she’d have imagined. England were sufficiently abject as to be bowled out with more than 20 overs remaining in the day’s play; but the visitors could only take the one wicket before the close, as Georgia Voll edged a drive off Lauren Bell straight in the direction of Sophie Ecclestone at 1st slip.

There then followed a round of the classic “Fortunately/ Unfortunately” game for the Aussie debutante. Fortunately for Voll, Ecclestone is a terrible slip fielder so she seemed odds-on to survive; but unfortunately for Voll, Amy Jones stepped across to take the catch before it got to Ecclestone, and she had to depart with a slightly disappointing 12 to her name; though that 12 did include 2 boundaries – more than Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier and Amy Jones put together.

Voll was replaced in the middle by Annabel Sutherland, who looked by far the most comfortable of the 14 batters who took to the crease at The ‘G today, striking four 4s in her 24 not out – the same number as Nat Sciver-Brunt had managed scoring her 51 for England. The pink ball has a reputation for being something between unpredictable and unplayable in men’s Tests under lights in Australia; but this obviously isn’t exactly the same ball, and it certainly wasn’t singing Land of Hope and Glory out there towards the close.

Having already decided to bring in Sophia Dunkley as an extra batter for this Test, England were left with one call to make in terms of selection: the off-spin of Charlie Dean or the seam of Ryana MacDonald-Gay? At about the same time as England were finalising that decision, the MCG’s curator (or ‘groundskeeper’ if you are English) was speaking at a dinner organised by the Melbourne Cricket Club to celebrate the first women’s Test here since 1949. He spilled a couple of interesting titbits: that they had left an extra 2mm of grass on the pitch, to help “protect” the pink ball; and that they had prepared a wicket which they hoped would offer something “interesting” for the spinners as the game progressed. So obviously England picked the seamer and left the spinner on the bench.

Then to prove the point, Alana King ploughed-up England’s middle order, taking the wickets of Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophie Ecclestone. The narrative demanded that King take the final wicket she’d need to make it onto the honours board in the members stand here; but the narrative can’t always get what it wants, and despite King having opportunities when bowling at England’s tail, she was almost too good for them, as the ball spun past edges until a run out finally closed the innings.

None of England’s batters had looked especially comfortable out there. Heather Knight and Sophia Dunkley both showed glimpses of quality, but rather more glimpses of vulnerability, and both were dismissed in the 20s; as was Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who fell to a brilliant catch by Phoebe Litchfield at silly (or not so silly, it turned out) point. (Throughout, Australia set aggressive fields and fielded aggressively – part of the reason England found it so difficult to score boundaries.)

Nat Sciver-Brunt ground out her half-century, and was wheeled-out by England for the press, but seemed totally deflated. England haven’t lost this Test match yet – as West Indies men just showed against Pakistan, there’s almost always a way back, however improbable it seems. But England’s body-language says they don’t believe they can turn this around, so they probably can’t.

And this despite playing arguably against 10 women after Australia’s management succumbed to a very un-Australian degree of sentimentality and selected a clearly not 100% Alyssa Healy in their XI. Healy fielded almost the entire innings at 1st slip, presumably so she wouldn’t need to do any running, and she’ll bat hidden somewhere down the order. England could even find themselves literally playing against 10, if Ellyse Perry is unable to take to the park tomorrow, having injured her hip in the field – though the word is she’s likely to be ok.

But it really feels right now as if England would lose to Alana King if she just played them on her own. She’ll have another opportunity to get her name on that honours board this weekend, almost certainly the last chance of her career, and every Australian… and at least one Englishman… will be rooting for her to do it.