Australia heaped more misery on England at the MCG as Steve Smith’s side bowled just 27 overs on a rain-affected day in Galle.
Australia heaped more misery on England at the MCG as Steve Smith’s side bowled just 27 overs on a rain-affected day in Galle.
Ash Gardner tries to work a ball into the leg side but gets a top edge. Filer makes up for her earlier dropped catch as Ecclestone takes a wicket with about 20 minutes remaining in the day.
Australia 5-405 (Mooney 90)
And Mooney is on 89.
Ash Gardner continues to look the goods. She’s on 42.
Play can go until about 10pm AEDT.
This time it’s Filer off her own bowling.
It’s a tough one, high and slow, but Gardner gets a life. Genuinely losing count of how many England have spilled today.
“If you’re not laughing, you’re crying,” says former Australian international Callum Ferguson in commentary for Channel Seven.
Meanwhile, this has just come in from Cricket Australia: “The final attendance for day two is 11,918. This takes the total crowd to 23,561, a world record attendance for any women’s Test match. This surpasses the previous mark of 23,207 in the last Ashes series at Trent Bridge in 2023.”
Australia 4-392, lead by 222 runs
With Sri Lanka 5-136, trailing Australia by 518 runs, play has been abandoned on day three of the opening Test in Galle.
Play will resume at 9.45am local time tomorrow (3.15pm AEDT).
Australia will still back themselves to get the 15 wickets required.
Mooney’s highest Test score is the 85 she scored against England in Nottingham in June 2023.
She’s been playing since 2017 and is yet to crack triple figures. A very solid career, though.
Australia 4-366 off 104 overs, lead by 196 runs (Mooney 70, Gardner 27)
A brilliant day once again for Australia.
Can Beth Mooney reach triple figures tonight? She needs 31. Has made the most of her luck.
Ash Gardner has also chipped in with a handy 21 from 39 balls.
We’re getting close to help yourself to the buffet time now.
England have now been out in the field for close to 100 overs. We’re almost 20 overs into the second new ball.
Beth Mooney (68) is well on her way to a ton, and the hard-hitting Ash Gardner has got through the first 20 balls.
Only rain can provide respite for England, but there’s hardly a cloud in the Melbourne sky.
Another drop catch. This time a sitter by Sophie Ecclestone at first slip. As bad as it gets.
Now we are back to full ground covers with some very dodgy looking clouds moving over Galle.
It is now absolutely bucketing down.
Mooney moves to 63 as Australia reach 4-338 after 94 overs with a lead of 168 runs.
The youngster’s sensational innings comes to an end on 163.
Sutherland is bowled, with MacDonald-Gay getting a much-needed breakthrough. It kept a little low and cannoned into the off stump. Perhaps a little inside edge back in the stumps.
No one at the MCG will forget that knock. It’s the eighth-highest score by an Australian woman in Test cricket.
Australia 4-324
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