Cliff Notes – Gaur, Scrivens, Scholfield star as England Women A win series opener in Australia
- England Women A secured a three-wicket victory over Australia A in their first T20I, marking a successful start to their multi-format tour after the senior squad’s seven-match losing streak.
- Mahika Gaur excelled with the ball, taking 2 for 10, while a crucial 63-run partnership between Paige Scholfield and Grace Scrivens laid the foundation for England’s chase.
- The match highlighted the importance of the tour for the England Women’s team following recent coaching changes and player withdrawals, with Bess Heath’s composed finish sealing the win.
Gaur, Scrivens, Scholfield star as England Women A win series opener in Australia
England Women A 119 for 7 (Scholfield 36, Scrivens 35) beat Australia Women A 117 for 6 (Gaur 2-10) by three wickets
England Women A succeeded at the first attempt where the senior squad had failed in seven matches out of seven, as they opened their multi-format tour of Australia with a three-wicket victory over Australia A in the first T20I at Hurstville Oval in Sydney.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, England restricted their counterparts to 117 for 6 in their 20 overs, with Mahika Gaur, the tall left-arm seamer, proving especially unplayable as she returned figures of 2 for 10 in four overs. Gaur’s opening delivery of the match trapped Tahlia Wilson lbw for 0, as Australia slipped to 43 for 4 in the first ten overs.
Georgia Davis chipped in with 2 for 16 in three overs of offspin, while Mady Villiers and Emma Jones were also in the wickets as Australia A struggled to build any significant partnerships. The best was a stand of 49 in eight overs for the fifth wicket between Maddy Penna, who top-scored with 27, and Rhys McKenna (25), before Davis dismissed both in the space of five balls.
In reply, England’s chase was controlled by a second-wicket stand of 63 between Grace Scrivens, who was captaining the side at the age of 21 and made 35 from 38 balls, and Paige Scholfield, who top-scored with 36 from 29.
Between them, they carried England into the ascendency at 80 for 1 in the 12th over, before Australia hit back to set up a tense finish. Lauren Cheatle dismissed both in consecutive overs, before Freya Kemp, Villiers and Jones all departed cheaply. But Bess Heath held her nerve with 18 not out, to seal victory with five balls to spare.
The tour has taken on heightened importance for the England Women’s set-up, in the wake of the twin sackings of head coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight last weekend. The new-look A-team squad contained just four players who were part of the Ashes squad that suffered a 16-0 points whitewash in January and February.
Scrivens, who led Sunrisers to victory in last year’s final staging of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and will be captaining Essex this season, was last week named as captain for the T20I leg of this tour, with Durham’s Hollie Armitage set to lead the forthcoming 50-over series.
Following last week’s confirmation of a stress fracture for Dani Gibson, the squad has suffered another setback with Bryony Smith ruled out of the tour due to illness.
The Surrey captain, who was originally selected in the white-ball squads, did not travel with the core group and following medical investigations in the UK, a decision between ECB and Surrey medical teams was made for Smith to withdraw from the tour to continue her recovery ahead of the new domestic season.
No replacement will be named.