England toil on day two of Women’s Ashes Test

Australia made England pay for eight dropped catches on the second day of the Women’s Ashes Test, building a commanding lead.

Going into day two trailing by 114 runs, the hosts have found themselves in a commanding position, closing on 422/5 with a lead of 252.

Wickets were the name of the game for England, and they made a breakthrough when the Southern Vipers’ Lauren Bell dismissed Phoebe Litchfield for 45, with Australia still trailing by 71.

However, Annabel Sutherland was proving to be a thorn in the tourist’s side, as she became the first woman to score a century at the MCG. She eventually lost her wicket for a mammoth 163, just seven runs less than England’s first innings total.

It was a day of ‘what if’ for England as they dropped Sutherland twice and Beth Mooney (98*) three times on a tough day in the field. Maia Bouchier, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Lauren Filer, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones and Sophie Ecclestone were the guilty parties in the field.

Left-arm orthodox Ecclestone (2/134) toiled away with 39 overs, and got her reward late on when she dismissed Ash Gardener (44), to go with her earlier wicket of Alyssa Healey (34). Tahlia McGrath (9*) then saw out the day with wicketkeeper Mooney just two runs short of a maiden Test century.

With day three on the horizon, England will need to dig deep if they are to salvage this test match and avoid a 16-0 whitewash in their multi-format Ashes series.