Tammy Beaumont broke an 88-year record for the highest Test score by an England woman as her 195 not out gave Heather Knight’s side real hope of a first-innings lead against Australia.
Betty Snowball’s 189 against New Zealand in February 1935 was the previous benchmark but Beaumont made history by overtaking the record shortly before tea on day three of the lone Women’s Ashes Test.
She requires just five more for a historic double hundred – a week on from making 201 against Australia A in a warm-up – as England ended the session on 428 for six – their highest ever score against Australia – in reply to 473 all out at Trent Bridge.
Beaumont, who successfully overturned an lbw decision given against her on 152, put on 72 with Test debutant Danni Wyatt (44) on Saturday afternoon as Australia huffed and puffed in the field, rotating their eight bowlers but struggling to create consistent wicket-taking chances on a flat pitch.
There was a hint of turn on offer so it was a surprise Australia waited more than an hour to introduce their spinners, after Beaumont and Natalie Sciver-Brunt (78) had made hay, extending their stand to 137 from just 187 balls as they resumed their innings with England on 218 for two.
Sciver-Brunt might have been dismissed without adding to her overnight 41 after missing a flick and being rapped on the front pad by Darcie Brown but England’s star all-rounder reviewed the lbw decision and was vindicated as Hawk-Eye showed the ball would have gone on to drift past leg stump.
It was a nervy start from Sciver-Brunt, who also edged Kim Garth just out of the reach of the slips on 42 but Beaumont settled by driving, steering then pulling Brown for three fours in an over.
Sciver-Brunt was soon into her stride with three successive fours off Annabel Sutherland after going past 50. With Australia’s seamers struggling to exert control, it was a surprise the tourists waited 75 minutes to turn to spin – and their folly was exposed as Gardner struck with her ninth ball.
Backing away for an attempted cut, Sciver-Brunt, who showed no sign of a minor knee injury which restricted her to bowling just five overs in Australia’s innings, got a thick edge to a flatter delivery and Alyssa Healy held on.
Sophia Dunkley was bogged down by Australia’s spinners either side of lunch and was eventually put out of her misery after missing a heave across the line to Gardner and losing her off stump.
Gardner especially was challenging both edges as she and Alana King tried to stifle England. Leg-spinner King thought she had snaffled Beaumont, who was given lbw on 152 after missing a full-blooded sweep but vindicated by a review as Hawk-Eye showed the ball pitched fractionally outside leg stump.
Wyatt fulfilled her brief with an adventurous innings as both she and Beaumont used their feet expertly against Australia’s spinners. Drawing on her significant white-ball experience, Wyatt had a sparkling cameo which led to Australia belatedly taking the new ball in the 100th over.
Her favoured cut shot was fed but she then hung her bat out once too often and edged to a diving Jess Jonassen while England were six down after passing 400 when Amy Jones limply miscued to mid-on.
But Beaumont moved to within one run of Snowball by tickling Ellyse Perry off her hips for four before setting a new record with a late cut off Sutherland that bisected second slip and gully for her 26th four.
Cricket West Indies to reveal squad for ICC T20 World Cup Friday, May 3
Cricket West Indies (CWI) is gearing up to unveil its squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup during a highly anticipated live press conference in Barbados on Friday, May 3. The event will feature CWI's Lead Selector, the Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes, and Head Coach Daren Sammy alongside CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave.
In a statement, Johnny Grave expressed the organization's excitement about the impending announcement and highlighted the decision to host a live press conference as a means to directly engage with fans and media.
"Emphasizing the significance of this moment, we chose to host a live press conference to engage with fans and media directly. We also requested permission from the ICC to align our announcement with this event," said Johnny Grave.
The announcement comes amidst increasing excitement as local box offices across the region open on Thursday, May 2, allowing fans to secure their tickets for the tournament. Additionally, CWI will be releasing the official tournament song on the same day, further adding to the anticipation building around the event.
"Excitement is mounting as local box offices open across the region on Thursday, May 2, and we are equally thrilled to release the official tournament song on the same day. Anticipation is building, and we can't wait to share this journey with cricket enthusiasts worldwide," Grave added.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to commence on June 1, will be co-hosted in the Caribbean and the United States, culminating with the finals scheduled to take place in Barbados. With preparations in full swing, CWI's squad announcement promises to be a significant moment in the lead-up to this highly anticipated global cricketing event. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the squad and the exciting journey ahead for Cricket West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup.
IPL: Punjab Kings spinners frustrate CSK in routine win
Punjab Kings eased to back-to-back wins in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, their spinners doing the damage as they claimed a seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings.
The Kings chased down an IPL-record of 262 with eight balls to spare to beat Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, but they didn't need anywhere near that level of big hitting to clinch their first set of consecutive victories this year.
Spinners Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar made it a far more comfortable outing for Punjab, finishing with two wickets apiece and giving up just 33 runs between them through eight overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad did his best to keep CSK in it with his 62 off 48 balls, but they always looked unlikely to defend a middling score of 162, particularly when Deepak Chahar pulled up two deliveries into the Punjab innings and walked gingerly from the field.
Richard Gleeson dismissed Prabhsimran Singh for 13 on his IPL debut, but that was as good as it got for Chennai as Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 25) steadily ate away at their score.
The Super Kings' outing was summed up by Sam Curran's wayward drive spinning away from Shivam Dube at the boundary for a four late on, and Punjab wrapped up their most comfortable win of the season with 13 balls to spare.
Data Debrief: Kings maintain Chennai hoodoo
The Kings' upturn may have come a little too late to give them a genuine shot at the play-offs, but for Chennai, it was a case of more frustration against their bogey team.
Punjab have now won their last five matches against the Super Kings, who have seen their title defence stall with a run of three defeats in four outings.
Marsh named captain in Australia's T20 World Cup squad as Smith and Fraser-McGurk miss out
Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia at next month's T20 World Cup, but Steve Smith and Jake Fraser-McGurk have been left out of the 15-man squad.
Marsh, who has shared the duties on an interim basis since Aaron Finch's retirement, was named the Baggy Greens' permanent T20 skipper on Wednesday.
Test captain Pat Cummins, fast bowler Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell have also been named in the squad, which features 11 of the players that were part of the team that won this tournament in 2021.
However, there is no place for former skipper Smith following a difficult spell of form, while Fraser-McGurk is also absent despite his impressive form in the Indian Premier League.
"This is an experienced squad with extensive World Cup experience that offers a variety of structures and covers the scenarios the panel believes will factor in the West Indies with the unique nature of the venues and our opponents," selection chief George Bailey said.
"Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk who is yet to play T20 International cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly.
"Being constrained to a squad of 15 for World Cups is always a challenge given the different scenarios and options we’d like to cover.
"Ultimately, the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign."
"It's been an immense privilege to play for my country and now an even greater honour to lead the squad to a World Cup," Marsh added.
"We have had some strong success in recent times, and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament."
Australia will begin their tournament against Oman on June 5, while they will also play England, Scotland and Namibia in Group B.
Australia's provisional squad:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
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