England took on Australia in the first One Day International (ODI) of the three-match series at the County Ground in Bristol on Wednesday (July 12). The English team emerged as the winners in the contest by two wickets and have now gained a 1-0 lead over the Aussie side.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Australia lost their skipper Alyssa Healy for mere eight runs in the first over. However, the Women in Yellow bounced back well and went on to post a competitive total of 263 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their allotted 50 overs. Beth Mooney played a stellar innings, scoring 81 runs off 99 deliveries for the Aussie side. Mooney was well supported by contributions from Ellyse Perry (41 runs) and Phoebe Litchfield (34 runs).
For England, it was Sophie Ecclestone‘s brilliant fielding effort which played a major role in restricting Australia from scoring big. Ecclestone took a one-handed stunner to remove Litchfield off Nat-Sciver Brunt‘s delivery and broke the 61-run second-wicket partnership of Australia.
The sensational grab from Ecclestone came on the first ball of the thirteenth over when Litchfield executed an aerial drive over mid-off on Nat-Sciver’s delivery, and the English spinner plucked a stunner by timing her jump perfectly. Ecclestone herself was shocked by her effort and covered her mouth in surprise.
Here’s the video:
SOPHIE ECCLESTONE, THAT IS UNREAL!!
An Eccy Speccy™️#EnglandCricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/lM0bOee86W
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 12, 2023
Coming back to the match, England showed great determination in reply to Australia’s total and reached the victory target with eleven balls and two wickets to spare in 48.1 overs. Heather Knight led the charge with a brilliant knock of 75 runs, earning her the well-deserved ‘Player of the Match’ award. Tammy Beaumont (47 runs) and Alice Capsey (40 runs) also made valuable contributions to the successful run chase. Ashleigh Gardner was the pick of the Australian bowlers and claimed three wickets, while Georgia Wareham and Perry bagged two scalps each.
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
