Ellyse Perry was a familiar thorn in England’s side as she offset an eye-catching debut from Lauren Filer on the opening day of the lone Test which started the multi-format Women’s Ashes series.

Perry was given lbw on 10 to Filer’s first delivery in international cricket but the Australia linchpin was reprieved on review as replays showed the ball caught an inside edge before thudding into the pads.

While Filer had her maiden international wicket when Beth Mooney edged to gully on 33, Perry’s unbeaten 82 carried Australia to 213 for three before a rain shower led to an early tea being taken.

Perry, who made 116 and 76 not out in the 2019 Test between the sides at Taunton, put on 119 with Tahlia McGrath in a largely frustrating afternoon session at Trent Bridge for the hosts.

Sophie Ecclestone, the top-ranked bowler in the world, castled McGrath for a Test-best 61 after finding just enough turn off the pitch but Perry was assured after a nervy start against Filer.

Heather Knight had promised to “entertain and inspire” and set attacking fields throughout after losing the toss – although the England captain insisted she would have bowled on a green-tinged pitch.

Kate Cross was entrusted with the first delivery at the outset of just the second five-day Women’s Test and served up a no-ball in a wayward opening over which yielded nine runs.

There was early sideways movement for her and Lauren Bell but Phoebe Litchfield justified her inclusion with a series of elegant drives on her Test debut.

While Mooney was given a let-off on nine after Cross failed to hang on to a one-handed return catch, Litchfield made two errors later in the over, first padding up to a delivery that straightened then failing to review the lbw as DRS showed the Dukes ball would have whizzed past off-stump.

The cagey Mooney was put down again on 19 when Test debutant Danni Wyatt spilled a diving catch at gully after Cross had drawn the edge while Perry greeted Ecclestone into the attack by clubbing a full and wide delivery for four.

But Perry seemed set for a low score when Filer, held back until the 18th over, used her extra pace to breach the defences of the number three batter but DRS detected a thick inside edge on to the pads.

Perry then played and missed at Filer’s second ball and edged the third short of the slips but the England seamer was belatedly in the wickets column when Mooney’s back-foot punch took the edge and carried to Cross at gully.

Perry, though, showed her full range either side of the lunch interval with decisive pulls, late cuts and fluent drives, reaching a 76-ball 50 with a dab off the returning Cross for her ninth four.

She was ably supported by McGrath, so often labelled the heir apparent to Perry, as the pair kept Australia on the front foot, with England unable to create any chances or keep the scoring under wraps.

McGrath seemed uneasy when Filer was reintroduced and edged through a vacant slip shortly after bringing up a half-century of her own. But it was still something of a surprise when Ecclestone defied a pitch offering little turn to break apart the union between Perry and McGrath.

Ecclestone’s delivery angled in then turned slightly to beat the defensive prod of McGrath and clip the top of off-stump shortly before the heavens opened as the players came off after 51.3 overs.

Player of the Match Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran scored centuries and Jason Holder took three wickets as the West Indies defeated Nepal by 101 runs in Harare on Thursday.

Having set the Nepalese a winning target of 340, West Indies bowlers, not helped by a several dropped catches, combined to restrict their opponents for 238 and achieve their second win from as many games in the ICC World Cup qualifiers.

Aarif Sheikh was the top scorer with 63 for the Nepalese team, who also got contributions of 42 from Gulsan Jha and 30 from Captain Rohit Paudel.

Jason Holder was the best of the bowlers with 3-43 from his 10 overs with Akeal Hosein 2-49 and Keemo Paul 2-63.

Nepal were fortunate not to have been dismissed for much less as the West Indies spilled several catches in the field.  Alzarri Joseph suffered the most with three catches dropped off his bowling as he finished with figures of 2-45.

Earlier, having been sent to bat, West Indies recovered from a poor start that saw them lose two wickets with only nine runs on the board to score 339-7.

Shai Hope scored 132, his 15^th ODI century while Nicholas Pooran scored 115. The Caribbean men also got useful scores of 32 from Brandon King and Rovman Powell 29.

Lalit Rajbanshi was the best of the Nepalese bowlers with 3-52.

Hope said he was happy to have been able to overcome some early challenges and the loss of two early wickets to score an important 100 for his team.

“I believe the rhythm was a bit off. I am just happy that I came good for the team. We were put on the backfoot there...happy to get the team over the line today. The key was absorbing as much pressure as possible and then find a way to transfer that pressure in the back end,” he said, revealing that Pooran’s arrival of the crease helped him turn things around.

“Pooran made it a lot easier for me. The aim was to take it as deep as possible give us the best chance towards the end. I don't think I hit the targets where I wanted to but happy to just bat as deep as I possibly could there. The team really needed me. They bowled well, must commend their bowlers, especially their spinners, they stuck to their task well.

“We batted well in that period to overcome their spin threat. There's obviously room for improvement, so we need to make sure we are ticking those boxes going into the next game.”

With the win the West Indies go top of Group A with four points from their two matches to date.

Senior Manager for Cricket West Indies (CWI), Roland Holder, has described India as “very peculiar in making their arrangements” after confirming that they have yet to confirm when they will arrive for their tour of the West Indies set to start on July 12 with the first Test at Windsor Park in Dominica.

The tourists will first fly to Barbados before being chartered to Dominica for the first Test. The series will consist two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is from July 12 to August 13.

Holder, speaking on the Mason & Guest radio show on Tuesday, says India has yet to confirm when they will be arriving for the tour.

“They are still working through their flight options but they are anticipating arriving on July 1,” said Holder.

“It varies from country to country,” he said about teams communicating their plans for tours quickly.

“India are very peculiar in making their arrangements and things are subject to change with them very often. You don’t always get the confirmations you need in your time, you probably get it in their time,” he added.

The former West Indies batsman said the original plan was for India to arrive on July 1 and play a four-day warm-up game at a later date but the Indians had other ideas.

There’s usually a discussion between both countries as to what they want to happen. The FTP has India arriving on July 1 and there was to be a four-day warm-up game. They subsequently said they don’t necessarily want that so they’ll confirm when they will arrive,” Holder said

“They didn’t confirm so we couldn’t confirm when they will arrive. In the last few days, they have come back with some options which have reverted to arriving potentially on June 30^th or July 1, which I’ve communicated to the relevant parties,” he added.

Holder added that their lack of confirmation means important logistical matters like booking charter flights and hotels are delayed.

“Potentially, we have them arriving in Dominica on July 7 but I’m waiting on confirmation from them. Without that confirmation, we have them booked for July 9. Until they can confirm when they want to go to Dominica, I can’t necessarily go to the hotel and the charter airline companies and say I need a flight for this day or I need a room for this day. While I can alert them, I can’t confirm. We are working all those options so we can swiftly put plans in place once we know what is happening,” he said.

Lauren Filer made an eye-catching start to her England career, snaring Australia opener Beth Mooney in the opening session of the one-off Test that kick-starts the multi-format Women’s Ashes series.

Filer was held back until the 17th over and almost had the dream start after getting an lbw verdict on Ellyse Perry from her first ball, only for an undetected edge to reprieve Australia’s batting linchpin.

But Filer vindicated her selection ahead of Issy Wong as her extra pace continued to cause issues and the tall seamer had her maiden international wicket when Mooney slashed to gully on 33 at Trent Bridge.

Kate Cross made the initial breakthrough to end a promising innings from Phoebe Litchfield, out for 23 on her first Test knock after neglecting to review an lbw verdict that would have missed off-stump.

England might have seen the back of Mooney on nine and 19 but missed tough chances in the field while their seamers were on the whole expensive as Australia raced to 100 for two after winning the toss.

Cross was entrusted with the first delivery and served up a no-ball in an opening over which yielded nine runs but she found a hint of sideways movement alongside Lauren Bell on a green-tinged pitch.

There were few alarms for the elegant Litchfield or the more cagey Mooney until Cross’ eventful fifth over. Cross was unable to cling on to a one-handed return catch off Mooney but found some succour after Litchfield shouldered arms to one that straightened and struck the left-hander’s front pad.

Litchfield eschewed a review as she trudged off and Hawk-Eye showed the ball would have sailed past off-stump.

In walked Perry with a titanic 75.2 average in this format. England have been on the receiving end of Perry’s might in the past but the hosts brought on their trump card in a bid to stifle the all-rounder.

Filer’s first ball clattered into Perry’s pads but the on-field lbw decision was overturned because of a thick inside edge discerned on replay. But Filer’s pace continued to hurry Perry in her opening over.

But it was Mooney, the top-ranked batter in ODIs and second on the list in T20s, who provided Filer with her first England wicket after a back-foot punch took the edge and carried to Cross at gully. It was a welcome wicket after Test debutant Danni Wyatt put down a diving chance off the Australia opener.

Perry (31 not out) and Tahlia McGrath (11no) ushered Australia to the lunch interval with no further alarms.

Zak Crawley has stressed that while England are determined to win the Ashes they are “not about results” but entertainment.

The hosts are 1-0 down with four matches to play after losing to Australia by two wickets in a dramatic climax to the first Test at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

While skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have emphasised their belief in the team’s approach, with the latter saying the side want to keep “throwing punches”, Sir Geoffrey Boycott has claimed England “have got carried away” with the style nicknamed ‘Bazball’ and “seem to think entertaining is more important than winning.”

Opener Crawley told Times Radio it had been “a great week for cricket” as he made reference to the record Sky Sports viewing and BBC listening figures the match attracted, and added: “That’s what we’re all about – we’re not about results, we always talk about that, we’re not about winning or losing, we’re about entertainment.

“Of course we’re there to win, and it helps our brand and what we’re trying to do if we win, we get more traction if we win.

“But I don’t think we’ve lost anything this week, other than a game of cricket, which is (in) a five-match series. Other than that, we’ve gained a lot of respect and support and I think it’s great for the game.”

A major talking point from the first Test was England’s decision to declare late on day one on 393 for eight.

Vice-captain Ollie Pope said of that call: “I think what we tried to do didn’t pay off at the time, only because we gave ourselves an opportunity of taking two wickets that night, then hopefully rocking up on day two and we only need eight wickets.

“That’s something we spoke about a lot and was a decision we discussed as a group. We had an opportunity to bowl them out on the last day, we had a rain-affected day and we needed to take 10 wickets in 70, 80 odd overs.

“Looking back on that moment, nothing changes, and that’s what we’re about as a team. If we didn’t declare, we might have batted too long, they might have, and we might not have even been able to give ourselves an opportunity of 10 wickets on the last day.

“So I think again, we talk about that mindset, approach – just because it’s an Ashes series and there’s a lot more people watching than there is when we play another team, we want to make the same decisions and we have made those decisions over the last year-and-a-half as a team and we’ve been on the right side of the result a few times.

“That’s the mindset we’re in at the moment. We wouldn’t change a thing about the game, obviously other than the end result.”

Both players backed England to win the second Test that gets under way at Lord’s on Wednesday, with Pope also saying that “if we did go down 2-0, we still believe we can win 3-2 this Ashes series, 100 per cent.”

Writing in the Telegraph, former England batter Boycott said: “England have got carried away with Bazball and seem to think entertaining is more important than winning.

“But England supporters want one thing more than anything else – to win the Ashes. Scoring fast runs, whacking lots of fours and sixes is lovely. It is great. But only if England do not lose sight of the big prize which is to beat Australia.

“If at the end of the series Australia go home with the Ashes we will feel sick, regardless of how much we have been entertained.

“They are in danger of letting hubris be their downfall or, quoting William Shakespeare in Hamlet, being hoist by one’s own petard. They are going to defeat themselves. It would be sad if playing exciting cricket for a year is going to their heads.

“By all means entertain but cricket is like chess. There are moments when you need to defend. Sometimes you need to be patient and accept it. Do not just attack, attack, attack. England need a bit of common sense and pragmatism.”

Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran each scored hundreds as West Indies recovered from another bad start to post 339-7 from their 50 overs in their ICC World Cup qualifier match against Nepal at Harare on Thursday.

Hope scored 132 and Pooran 115 as the West Indies recovered from 55-3 to post their highest score so far in search of their second win in the qualifiers.

After being sent in to bat, West Indies lost the wickets of Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles for one and nought, respectively, with only nine runs on the board in the fifth over.

However, Hope and Brandon King stabilized the situation somewhat before King was bowled by Sandeep Lamicchane for 32 to have the West Indies in trouble on 55-3.

Hope and Pooran turned things around with a fourth-wicket partnership of 216 that put the West Indies in command. Hope got to his 50 in 73 balls and included five fours and a six as the West Indies wrested back control of proceedings.

Pooran, meanwhile, was more efficient, smashing three fours and a six in his 50 that came from just 51 balls.

As the pair exerted their dominance on Nepal’s bowlers, the 100 partnership came up in 94 balls. It took them 32 additional deliveries to bring up the 150-run partnership with Pooran being the dominant partner with 83 of those crucial runs. Hope’s contribution was 66 as the West Indies picked up momentum to push the scoring rate above six runs an over.

Hope got to his 15^th ODI hundred from just 107 balls with Pooran’s second ODI ton coming off just 81 balls and included nine fours and four sixes.

The 200-run partnership was achieved in just 159 balls as the Caribbean men eyed a score of 350.

The partnership was broken in the 44^th over when Pooran was dismissed, out caught and bowled by Dipendra Singh Airee for 115.

Rovman Powell added a quick-fire 29 from just 14 balls as the West Indies past 300 runs.

The West Indies lost two wickets in the 50^th over bowled by Lalit Rajbanshi. Hope was caught by Bhim Sharki at long off for a magnificent 132 and Keemo Paul was bowled off the final ball of the innings leaving Jason Holder unbeaten on 16.

Rajbanshi was the best of the Nepalese bowlers with 3-52.

Australian greats Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting have rounded on England’s Ollie Robinson after the seamer’s provocative display in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston.

Robinson was happy to offer Australia some verbals on and off the pitch during England’s tense two-wicket defeat, offering an expletive-laden send off to centurion Usman Khawaja and then defending his behaviour in a press conference where he asked: “If you can’t handle that, what can you handle?”.

The combative seamer took match figures of five for 98 in the first Test and was not sanctioned by the match referee, but his conduct appeared to rile two men who were far from shrinking violets in their own playing days.

Hayden took aim at Robinson’s lack of express pace and suggested Australia should be looking to hammer him out of the attack.

Declining to use Robinson’s name in an appearance on SEN Radio, he said: “The other bloke, he’s a forgettable cricketer.

“(He’s) a fast bowler that is bowling 124kmph nude nuts and he’s got a mouth from the south. Someone like him, you can just go, ‘Brother, I’m coming at ya’. Davey Warner can do that, right. He can just say, ‘You’re bowling 120′.”

Ponting, who was namechecked by Robinson as someone who had sledged England in the past, also rose to the bait.

“If he is sitting back thinking about me, then no wonder he bowled like the way that he did in that game, if he’s worried about what I did 15 years ago,” he told the ICC Review Podcast.

“This England cricket team hasn’t played against Australia and they’ll find out pretty quickly what playing Ashes cricket and playing against a good Australian cricket team is all about. If Ollie Robinson hasn’t learned that already after last week, then he’s a slow learner.

“He’ll learn pretty quickly that if you’re going to talk to Australian cricketers in an Ashes series, then you want to be able to back it up with your skills.”

Robinson is sure to have a target on his back when the series resumes at Lord’s next week, but fellow seamer Stuart Broad is reluctant to pass on the baton.

Broad has long been the preferred target for Australian fans, dating back to a curious incident in 2013 when he declined to walk after his outside edge was parried to slip.

Replying to a Twitter post from Australian broadcaster Fox Sports, which referred to Robinson as ‘No.1 Villain’, Broad wrote: “I can’t have lost that tag already can I?! Disappointing.”

Sir Geoffrey Boycott has said England “have got carried away with Bazball” after they suffered defeat in the first Ashes Test.

The hosts are 1-0 down with four matches to play after being beaten by two wickets by Australia in a dramatic finale at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

England head coach Brendon McCullum has said of England’s commitment to risky, aggressive cricket – nicknamed Bazball – that “you’re not always going to win and we understand that, but we want to keep getting up and throwing punches as a team”.

Former England batter Boycott wrote in the Telegraph: “England have got carried away with Bazball and seem to think entertaining is more important than winning.

“But England supporters want one thing more than anything else – to win the Ashes. Scoring fast runs, whacking lots of fours and sixes is lovely. It is great. But only if England do not lose sight of the big prize which is to beat Australia.

“If at the end of the series Australia go home with the Ashes we will feel sick, regardless of how much we have been entertained.

“They are in danger of letting hubris be their downfall or, quoting William Shakespeare in Hamlet, being hoist by one’s own petard. They are going to defeat themselves. It would be sad if playing exciting cricket for a year is going to their heads.

“By all means entertain but cricket is like chess. There are moments when you need to defend. Sometimes you need to be patient and accept it. Do not just attack, attack, attack. England need a bit of common sense and pragmatism.”

Skipper Ben Stokes leads the team back into action when the second Test starts next Wednesday at Lord’s.

Danish Kaneria was banned from English and Welsh domestic cricket for life and described as “a grave danger” to the sport on this day in 2012 following his involvement in a spot-fixing plot.

The Pakistani was found guilty by the England and Wales Cricket Board of “cajoling and pressurising” former Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield into accepting cash in return for trying to concede a set number of runs in an over.

“We regard Danish Kaneria as a grave danger to the game of cricket and we must take every appropriate step to protect our game from his corrupt activities,” the ECB’s disciplinary panel said in a statement.

The panel found Kaneria guilty on two charges – of knowingly inducing and encouraging Westfield not to perform on his own merits in the Pro 40 match against Durham in 2009, and of bringing the game into disrepute.

It concluded that Kaneria acted as a recruiter for Anu Bhatt, who was described in the ECB’s summary as “an Indian businessman who, prior to November 2007, had come to the notice of the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit of the International Cricket Council as allegedly being heavily involved in illegal betting”.

Kaneria, who played 61 Tests and remains Pakistan’s fourth-highest Test wicket-taker, put pressure on Westfield “well knowing that he was young and vulnerable” to concede a minimum of 12 runs in his first over at Chester-le-Street in return for £6,000, according to the panel, which also described the evidence given by Kaneria during the four-day hearing in London as “plainly lies”.

He made subsequent appeals against his lifetime ban, but all were dismissed.

England will attempt to end a miserable past few years in the Women’s Ashes and topple Australia for the first time since 2014 when the multi-format series starts on Thursday.

Here, the PA news agency assesses some of the burning issues ahead of the curtain-raising one-off Test at Trent Bridge.

The greatest show

Heather Knight recently harked back to making her England debut in Mumbai in 2010 “in front of one man and his dog” and, as a student, having to explain to her tutor why she would be absent for a month. Thankfully those days are over. The England captain was given equal billing alongside men’s counterpart Ben Stokes on a Tower Bridge projection earlier this month and ticket sales for the ‘WAshes’ sit at a combined 80,000 for the seven matches. Even if there is still just a solitary Test, it will span five days in a break from the traditional four-day affair – giving both teams a chance to claim a first Ashes win in whites since 2015. Barriers continue to be breached for Knight’s side as they will also play T20s at Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord’s for the first time.

Lanning absence evens the odds?

Australia are the double world champions and have held the urn for the last eight years, beating England on their own patch twice in that time. But Rachael Haynes retired last year and totemic captain Meg Lanning withdrew from the tour due to medical issues. Are Australia more vulnerable now? Unquestionably. Lanning is an exceptional captain and batter who was in red-hot form. But her temporary successor Alyssa Healy is also a quality player, as are Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner and Jess Jonassen. Australia are therefore red-hot favourites to continue their stranglehold over England.

Spotlight on England’s bowlers

While Australia brought over a couple of unproven talents, England also have a few inexperienced players in their line-up. Katherine Sciver-Brunt may have had a peripheral role given her scaling back of commitments but the seamer’s retirement robs England of some wisdom. Kate Cross is likely to lead the attack after insisting this week she is fit and ready following a battle with a parasitic illness that has cut into her playing time domestically. The uncapped Lauren Filer might be the ace in the hole, though, after being named in the Test XI with Knight telling the PA news agency: “She’s raw but she bowls wicket-taking deliveries, which is why we’ve picked her because we want to take 20 wickets.”

‘Jonball’ faces its acid test

Since succeeding Lisa Keightley as England head coach late last year, Jon Lewis has attempted to instil a more attacking mindset into his charges. Lewis has taken his cues from working briefly as a bowling coach for the England men’s side in the early stages of the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes axis last summer, sensing this is the best way to break Australia’s grip on women’s cricket. ‘Jonball’ – the term coined by star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt – has had modest returns so far with a semi-final exit at the 2023 T20 World Cup but England will keep ploughing the same furrow.

Pressure on Heather?

The decision to jettison Charlotte Edwards and promote Knight as England captain a little over seven years ago was controversial at the time. But barely 12 months into the role, Knight justified her ascension by leading England to a seminal World Cup triumph. She remains the natural leader of this England team and her authoritative presence was missed at the sharp end of last year’s Commonwealth Games, a tournament she sat out because of injury. But she has been unable to land a telling blow in the Ashes, with one drawn series and two heavy points defeats. A third this summer might draw scrutiny on her position even if Australia are one of the greatest sides of all time in women’s sport.

Head coach Brendon McCullum insisted England felt “validated” despite an agonising defeat in the first Ashes Test, and doubled down on the selection gamble of Moeen Ali.

England drove the game forward for the majority of five gripping days at Edgbaston but still find themselves 1-0 down with four to play after Australia’s more conservative approach carried them to a two-wicket victory in the dying moments of the final evening.

It needed a brilliant match-winning intervention of 44 not out from captain Pat Cummins to seal the deal, as England failed to defend a target of 281 thanks to his ninth-wicket stand with tailender Nathan Lyon.

England skipper Ben Stokes refused to entertain regrets after the match, commending his team for setting up a dramatic finish to a game that could have fallen flat due to a slow pitch and rain delays.

McCullum is cut from exactly the same cloth and he saw enough from his side to feel sure that their commitment to risky, aggressive cricket was the right way to go.

“I’m really proud of the boys to be honest. I thought it was a cracking Test match,” he said.

“I’m sure everyone that watched all around the world and everyone who was here at Edgbaston absolutely loved it and that includes us. I had an absolutely amazing time.

“Obviously you’d rather have won the game – that’s just the nature of sport sometimes – but I thought the way that we played validated our style of play.

“We firmly believe, the skipper and I, that this gives us our greatest chance.

“Of everyone that has watched this game over the last five days, I would be very surprised if there were too many people who disagree with how we go about playing, because everyone was left entertained.

“You’re not always going to win and we understand that, but we want to keep getting up and throwing punches as a team.”

McCullum was equally undeterred when it came to questions over Moeen’s painful return to the Test arena.

The 36-year-old was tempted out of red-ball retirement after Jack Leach went down with a stress fracture but, despite producing a couple of superb wicket-taking deliveries, he was reduced to a peripheral role in the critical fourth innings after a blister opened up on his right index finger.

That left England relying heavily on Joe Root’s part-time off-breaks and invited speculation over Moeen’s place in the second Test at Lord’s next Wednesday.

McCullum suggested some thought would be given to possible call-ups – with Surrey’s Will Jacks the most obvious candidate – but was confident that the injury could be resolved in the coming days. If that is the case, he guaranteed Moeen another shot.

“You’ve got to have some ideas and some theories up your sleeve and some options as well, but I’m pretty confident that we can get on top of Mo’s finger,” he said.

“That will give us an opportunity to select him in the next game and if he’s available, he will be selected.

“I thought Mo did a great job – he bowled a couple of absolute ‘jaffas’ in the game and that’s what his role was, to try and make breakthroughs when he had the opportunity.

“He’s got a big smile on his face, he’s loving being back playing Test cricket, which is testament to the game and also Stokesy and all the boys for making the environment one that you want to be a part of.”

Jonny Bairstow was another player who had some words of encouragement from McCullum after a tricky time behind the stumps.

He dropped a couple of catches and missed a stumping in the match, leaving some pining for the absent Ben Foakes and his imperious glovework.

Bairstow’s return from a broken leg and the emergence of Harry Brook at number five means Foakes will continue to be the odd man out and McCullum, a former international wicketkeeper, declared himself content with the status quo.

“I thought they were pretty tough mistakes to be honest. I’ve kept over here before, it’s not the easiest place. When the ball is spitting and bouncing out of the rough, it can be quite difficult,” he said.

“I actually thought Jonny kept really well right throughout. If you look at the way he progressed throughout the game, I think he found a natural rhythm.

“We know what he offers with the bat, him coming in at seven is a real weapon for us as well, so I think he’ll be better for the run.”

Australia captain Alyssa Healy is relishing the “trench warfare” that could ensue over a five-day Test which marks the start of the multi-format Women’s Ashes.

Women’s Tests have customarily spanned four days but the last six matches worldwide dating back to 2017 have all been draws, prompting England and Australia to agree to an extension for this series opener.

Healy – skippering Australia in the absence of Meg Lanning, who is out of the tour for medical reasons – was adamant tacking on an extra day at Trent Bridge is no guarantee of bringing a positive result.

But she believes the elongation could present an extra dimension as her side looks to retain the urn they have held since 2015, having won three of the last four series between the teams with one draw.

“Five days here could be really interesting,” she said. “It’s probably just a mental battle and there could be a bit of trench warfare at times, we’ll see how it goes.

“It could present a result, but there are draws in five-day men’s games as well. We can’t be assured of that.

“We’ve come here to win the big moments and big matches, and this one to get four points up early, as an Aussie squad would be a great result.

“I think for the first time, there’s a sense of an unknown about both sides. It’s the next gen banging on the door and giving us a glimpse into what the Ashes series will look like for the next 10 years.”

While England named their XI early – with an international debut for seamer Lauren Filer and a Test bow for attacking batter Danni Wyatt – Healy was tight-lipped about her all-conquering Australia line-up.

However, she was unsurprised at England’s announcement, having worked under England head coach Jon Lewis when the pair were at UP Warriorz during the Women’s Premier League in India in March.

“It’s aggressive and attacking, I absolutely love it,” Healy said. “They were speaking about wanting to bring it.

“Spending a bit of time with Jon in the WIPL, his thoughts on the game and how he wants to play it reflects exactly that.”

Heather Knight wants England to exploit the increased exposure from a seminal Women’s Ashes series, insisting she and her team take a responsibility to inspire the next generation “personally”.

England will try to wrestle the urn from all-conquering Australia’s grasp in the multi-format series, beginning with a lone Test at Trent Bridge where around 15,000 tickets have been sold across five days.

On the eve of the curtain-raiser, Knight senses an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the England football team, who sent the nation into raptures with their triumphant Euro 2022 campaign.

Doing so will be no mean feat as Australia have not lost to England since 2014, hold both limited-overs World Cups and won gold at last year’s Commonwealth Games, but Knight is in an optimistic mood.

She said: “One of our mantras is to entertain and inspire. In the women’s game, we take it quite personally that we want to promote the game in the right way, get people behind us and inspire them.

“It’s super special and it’s set up to be a really amazing Ashes series that’s probably going to be the most visible series outside of World Cups that we’ve ever had. We’re keen to try and maximise that.

“Women’s sport is just in such an amazing place in the country in the moment and we want to be a part of that. What the Lionesses did last summer, we loved watching it and want to be a part of that.

“We know we’re up against a very good Australian team but we’ve got the opportunity to do something special and part of that is bringing the country with us on that journey.”

Australia’s two-wicket victory over England in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston ranks alongside some of the greatest matches played between cricket’s oldest rivals.

Here, the PA news agency highlights some key stats from an incredible game.

Culture clash

A big part of the allure surrounding this match and the rest of the series relates to the styles of cricket that both teams play, which could hardly be more different.

Australia play tough, attritional cricket designed to grind down their opposition, while England have adopted an ultra-aggressive style under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, aimed at generating results – whether that be a win or a loss.

This clash of ideologies was on full display in Birmingham.

Australia and England scored a near-identical number of runs (668 compared with 666) and lost the same number of wickets (18), but Pat Cummins’ side faced 1,252 deliveries compared with England’s 866.

Australia were happy to bide their time, scoring at a rate of 53.35 runs per 100 balls on average, while Stokes’ men looked to force a result by striking at 76.91.

The difference in approach was embodied by the teams’ key batters – England’s reverse-ramping Joe Root faced just 207 balls for his 164 runs across both innings, while Australia’s stoic Usman Khawaja scored his 206 runs from 518 deliveries and became the 13th player in history to bat on all five days of a Test match.

Ebb and flow

Australia’s win was especially thrilling because of the way the match seemed to swing back and forth throughout.

Just seven runs separated the sides after the first innings, in which England surprisingly declared on 393 for eight and Australia lost their last four wickets for 14 runs to be bowled out for 386.

The drama went up a notch in the second innings, however, as both teams repeatedly threatened to get ahead before losing a wicket.

Eighteen of the 19 second-innings’ partnerships reached double figures but only four passed 50, with the highest being Australia’s opening stand of 61 between Khawaja and David Warner.

Similarly, 19 of the 21 batters scored 10 or more runs, with only Zak Crawley (seven) and Steve Smith (six) falling in single digits.

Redemption

Australia captain Cummins and spin bowler Nathan Lyon were key figures in the thrilling Edgbaston victory, having also played a central role in a heartbreaking defeat at Headingley in 2019.

Cummins conceded the winning runs four years ago as Stokes led England to an unlikely win, while Lyon missed a crucial run-out chance in the penultimate over.

This time, the pair inspired their side to victory with an unbroken partnership of 55 from a perilous position of 227 for eight when Alex Carey – the last recognised batter – was dismissed.

Cummins and Lyon had already performed heroics with the ball to limit Australia’s target to 281.

They took a combined eight wickets for 143 runs from 42.2 overs in England’s second innings, compared with two for 121 from 24 overs by Australia’s remaining bowlers – Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland and Cameron Green.

Having the right mindset begins with identifying what you want. Without a clear picture of what winning looks like you'll never know if you're on the right path, which means you can't course correct. West Indies Head coach Darren Sammy knows this all too well, which is why he is hoping the team can align a success mindset with proper execution to achieve their goals.

In fact, Sammy pointed out that players are already aware of the direction he wants to go with the regional outfit and believes the ongoing ICC World Cup qualifiers represents the perfect place to start consistently improving the quality of their play and, by extension, maintain some semblance of respect for themselves.

West Indies, who are hunting one of two places to the 50-over World Cup in India in October, won their opening game against United States by 39 runs at the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe. 

Prior to that, they registered a 3-0 series sweep of United Arab Emirates, followed by warm-up victories over the same opponent, as well as Scotland. 

"I am quite happy with the way we are going the six games that we have played we have taken steps in trying to play the brand of cricket that we want to play. So, it's about sticking to our guns and the plans we put in place and committing to the execution," Sammy said.

"In the first (qualifying) game against USA we got the win that we needed, it was a great start to the tournament, but we have so much more in the tank. The guys weren't happy with the way they played which is good sign for us, we keep challenging ourselves and it's still a work in progress trying to find the identity of our cricket moving forward but I was pleased with the victory," he added.

It is obvious why Sammy took pleasure in the win given what is at stake, but where the overall performance is concerned, the former captain and all-rounder, who took over the reins late last month, was left with a mixed bag.

This, as West Indies, a two-time world champion, recovered from the early loss of openers Brandon King and Kyle Mayers, with four players hitting half-centuries in their 297 all out in 49.3 overs.

Johnson Charles top scored with 66, while Jason Holder (56), Roston Chase (55) and captain Shai Hope (54) all did some damage, while Nicholas Pooran also chipped in with 43 runs.

Gajanand Singh had an unbeaten 101 off 109 balls, with eight fours and two sixes, for the US team, but it wasn't enough to overhaul West Indies total.

"I listened the captain's post-match interview and ideally, you would want one of them to score big hundred, but he was happier that performances came from different batsmen in the group. You look at Brandon King who has been playing well, didn't get a score and Kyle Mayers didn’t get a score so it's a good sign for us that as a group, even though we were under pressure, we came back strongly. 

"Ideally you would want one of those (batsmen) to convert (50s) into hundred and we as a team celebrate the milestones after. But the guys are preparing well, they are hitting lots of balls and they understand the direction the team wants to go in as a batting unit," Sammy shared.

"Again, I say it's early days but once the mindset is to get to what we want to do as a team, I believe you will see improvements in the days to come. So again, it's a work in progress and with the ball we created a couple opportunities, but we dropped a few catches that could have affected us in the bigger scheme of things," the St Lucian noted.

West Indies are currently second in Group A on four points, two behind Zimbabwe, who defeated Nepal and Netherlands in their two fixtures to date. Sri Lanka, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Scotland and Ireland are contesting Group B.

However, West Indies are set to square off against Nepal on Thursday and if the confidence exuded by Sammy is anything to go by, then another two points is already in the bag for the regional side. Nepal currently occupies third position on two points, following victory over US.

"Nepal is a team that is on the rise, and they have been playing good cricket, so again we respect all our opponents, but we focus on the things that we do as a team or the direction and brand of cricket that we want to play. Whenever we bat that new ball, we have to make sure the opposition don't get too much ahead when the new ball comes. 

"I thought we could have had more intent (against US) because that's one of the things we have been talking about as a batting group...intent to score and when I say that it's not necessarily looking only for boundaries but looking for scoring opportunities and when you do get the good balls, you can still get the rotation of strike going. It all boils down in our preparation which we have been doing well and I have full confidence and belief in the men that they will go out and do themselves and the region proud," Sammy declared.

On that note, he shared his views on the effects of the early start which he expects the top order, in particular, to better navigate on this occasion, if they lose the toss and are asked to take first strike. 

"We knew it, anywhere in the world a 9:00am start will pose a challenge with the new ball to the batters, so whoever wins the toss will most likely want to bowl first. But our focus as a batting group is to understand the challenge that the new ball poses and making sure that the opposition doesn't get on top of us," Sammy reasoned.

"Our skills will come into play but as you have seen in all the games, once we survive that new ball period, there are plenty of runs on offer and for us as a batting group, it is just to limit the damage or the threat that new ball poses up front. But again, the way the guys have prepared, I expect the challenges to be met with good consistency and good skills from my men," he ended.