Nottingham [UK], June 26 : The one-off Test match of the Women's Ashes 2023 series between England and Australia is set to go down to the wire with England still 152 runs away from victory and Australia 5 wickets away from crossing the finishing line at the Trent Bridge.
At the end of Day 4, England managed to put up 116/5 on the board with Danni Wyatt and Kate Cross unbeaten at the crease with scores of 20(32)* and 5(12)* respectively.
Even after Tammy Beaumont and Emma Lamb provided England with the ideal start, Australia managed to make a comeback as Ashleigh Gardner dismissed Beaumont for a score of 22(26).
With each passing over the pitch became more suitable for the spinners. The rough, footmarks offered sharp turn and extra bounce which made it difficult for the England batters to survive on the pitch.
In the next over Lamb followed the footsteps of her opening partner with Tahlia McGrath ending her innings for a score of 28(40).
England's middle order consisting of skipper Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophia Dunkley ended up falling like a house of cards which further increased England's misery.
Gardner sent Knight and Brunt back to the pavilion for scores of 9(17) and 0(3) respectively.
Kim Garth added the icing on the cake by claiming the wicket of Dunkley to give Australia a slight edge in their pursuit of victory.
Danni Wyatt and Kate Cross managed to hold on to their wickets for the final two overs to end the day on a slightly positive note.
England's biggest challenge on Day 5 will be to survive against Australia's spin attack. Gardner will be Australia's trump card as they will continue their hunt for 5 wickets.
While England's hope of claiming the victory will solely rely on their ability to build a partnership. The game is wide open and both teams will try to go for victory.
Brief Scores: Australia 473 & 257 (Beth Mooney 85, Phoebe Litchfield 46, Sophie Ecclestone 5/63) Vs England 463 (Tammy Beaumont 22(26), Emma Lamb 28(40) and Ashleigh Gardner 3/33).
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