Women’s Ashes Second ODI Report Card

Featuring defence entrustment, bad decisions and spin quadruplets

Defence Entrustment
Grade: A-

With scores level in the multi-format series, and the prospect of rain washing out the final ODI, the fate of the women’s Ashes potentially rested on this one match.

That’s why it was good from an Australian perspective to have Ellyse Perry out there, anchoring virtually the entire Australian innings, making a calm, measured, albeit occasionally overly-reliant-on-English-drops 91 from 124 balls. 

Perry’s innings helped Australia reach 7/282 after being sent it. (Also a big help? Georgia Wareham going absolutely silly in the final over and smacking 26 runs.) 

At the innings break, sensible Australian pundits were calling on Alyssa Healy to give Perry the new ball as well. Entrust the entire defence of the Ashes to this woman. You know it makes sense.