Australia 5 for 422 (Sutherland 163, Mooney 98*) lead England 170 by 252 runs
Australian cricket’s newest hall of fame inductee Christina Matthews said on Thursday that the MCG was overdue to commission a new statue to honour a female cricketer and suggested that pioneering allrounder Betty Wilson should be the player immortalised in bronze.
Sutherland’s century was different to her previous two, as much due to her promotion as anything else. She showcased her defensive skills and ability to absorb across the first evening and second morning before expanding with the power and placement that she has showcased previously.
Her best shot of the day, of which there were many candidates among 21 fours and a six, came when she threaded a drive inside out off the left-arm orthodox between two catching covers. Such was their proximity the two fielders’ full stretch dives overlapped but the ball found it’s way through and had enough power to beat long-off’s dive on the rope. It was a sublime stroke from a sublime player at the peak of her powers.
Both Sutherland and Mooney owe a debt of gratitude to England’s fielders.
The bowling was serviceable, but their fielding was deplorable. They created enough chances to keep their opponents in check but grassed most of them to let Sutherland and Australia run away with the game. England spilled eight clear-cut chances in all but to cap it at half a dozen might be generous considering a couple of other half chances. On top of the catches, the misfields were innumerable and embarrassing in nature at times.
Sutherland should have spent most of the day watching others bat. On 29 she sliced a drive from Ecclestone to backward point and Danni Wyatt-Hodge grassed a chance diving to her right with two hands.
England have had some bad days in the field in this series but they might have saved the worst till last. Nearly every Australian batter enjoyed a reprieve or profited from a misfield. Litchfield skied a ball over mid-on on 20 but Sophia Dunkley circled it without getting close and she ended up making 45 before edging Lauren Bell behind.
Several of Healy’s 34 runs came from England’s inability to stop routine ground balls struck at them. England also burnt a review when Healy near-on middled a ball into her pad. Healy left frustrated when she was adjudged lbw despite feeling like she had hit it. The third umpire was unable to conclude whether it was bat or pad first and sided with the onfield decision.
Mooney benefited most from England’s incredible charity. She drove Ecclestone to cover and MacDonald-Gay dived forward and completely missed the chance that carried easily. Ecclestone exacted swift revenge in the very next over when Mooney nicked MacDonald-Gay to Ecclestone’s left at first slip and she grassed it after getting two hands to the ball.
Maia Bouchier trumped both of them two overs later when Mooney was on 18. Mooney guided a late cut straight to her in the gully at waist height as if it was catching practice and the ball once again hit the turf.
Ecclestone’s retribution on MacDonald-Gay turned cruel and unusual when Ash Gardner nicked to slip on 12 in the last session and she clanged another. Her two drops only added to the pain of conceding 100 runs for the fourth time in a Test innings, the most in women’s Test history, although with the ball itself she toiled away hard.
Gardner got another reprieve on 36 when a leading looped agonisingly off the outstretched fingers of Lauren Filer in her follow-through. Filer finally clutched a skied ball to her chest to end Gardner’s innings on 44.
Tahlia McGrath was only given 17 minutes to bat before stumps but offered a chance third ball, smoking a cover drive low to Nat Sciver-Brunt’s right and her tired body could not get her hands down to it in time. Mooney began the final over of the day on 96 but McGrath ended up facing the final three deliveries leaving her a night to sleep on a landmark moment.
Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
