Perry falls short of ton as Australia pile on the runs

Ellyse Perry has fallen heartbreakingly short of a third Test century as an England superstar and a debutant combined to see the hosts fight back late on day one of the Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Australia will resume on 7-328 with Annabel Sutherland unbeaten on 39 and Alana King on seven after an entertaining first day that saw the momentum swing between the Ashes rivals after Alyssa Healy elected to bat first.

The tourists were cruising at 3-215 close to tea when a downpour interrupted proceedings at the iconic Nottingham venue with Perry on 82 and cantering towards three figures.

But when play resumed star spinner Sophie Ecclestone and debutant quick Lauren Filer combined to snare three quick wickets, including the prized scalps of Australian captain Healy for a duck and Perry for 99.

Ashleigh Gardner and Annabel Sutherland combined to wrest back some momentum before stumps, taking Australia past 300 as the shadows stretched long across Trent Bridge in the final half hour of the day.

Gardner hit Sophia Dunkley for an enormous six down the ground, but Lauren Bell struck one final blow with the new ball to break their 77-run stand as the allrounder was caught behind on 40.

Ecclestone showed why she is the world's premier spinner as she sent down 31 overs, breaking a key 119-run third-wicket stand when she bowled Tahlia McGrath on 61 and ending the day with 3-71, the only member of England's attack to go for under 4.5 runs an over.

The decision to include uncapped Filer (2-65) also paid off handsomely for the hosts, as her pace and bounce troubled the Australians and produced the key wicket of Beth Mooney (33) and later denied Perry her milestone.

Promoted to No.3 for this Test, Perry had arrived at the crease in the 10th over after the dismissal of debutant Phoebe Litchfield (23), and the right-hander was quick to state her intentions, dispatching Ecclestone's first ball of the game to the cover boundary.

Filer's first ball in international cricket saw Perry given out lbw on 10, but the allrounder immediately reviewed and replays confirmed she had hit the ball.

Perry in tandem with McGrath put Australia on top through the middle session, after they came together with the tourists 2-83 shortly before lunch.

The pair upped the ante adding 78 runs in the hour after the meal break, both passing their half-centuries.

McGrath was motoring, producing a series of perfectly timed drives to the boundary as she reached her second Test fifty off 67 deliveries.

Heather Knight tossed the ball back to Filer in an effort to disrupt the Australian pair, but it was England's best bowler Ecclestone who produced a piece of magic that spun back in through McGrath’s defences and bowled the South Australian for a career-high 61, ending a 119-run stand.

At the other end, Perry continued to remind the cricketing world why she is one of the best against the red-ball, punishing anything short and wide to the boundary and safely navigating the challenges posed by Sydney Sixers teammate Ecclestone.

Perry's charge could only be halted by the weather, with rain arriving and forcing an early tea break with the allrounder on 82 and the tourists 3-213.

When the skies cleared Ecclestone struck two enormous blows in a double-wicket maiden to have Australia 5-226 and bring England firmly back into the game.

First, a late and somewhat tentative decision to review paid off when replays showed Jess Jonassen had gloved an attempted sweep to Tammy Beaumont at short leg, ending her innings on 11.

Two balls later the left-armer was swamped by her teammates after bowling Healy for a duck; the Australian captain's third consecutive scoreless Test innings after her pair in the 2022 Canberra Test.

Image Id: 4ACD828A8AA641C1BBC3609F0002E42F Image Caption: Healy is bowled by Ecclestone for a second-ball duck // Getty

Earlier, Healy elected to bat after calling correctly at the toss, an outcome that seemingly pleased both skippers as her opposing number Knight declared she would have bowled first.

Litchfield immediately looked at home at the top of the order, with the Test debutant calmly driving Kate Cross for four in the first over of the match.

At the other end Mooney looked less settled, with one skewed shot falling safely, while she was dropped on nine, with Cross putting down a return chance, and again on 19 when Danni Wyatt couldn't hang onto a diving chance at gully.

But it was Litchfield who was forced to return to the pavilion first, given out lbw on 23 after leaving a Cross delivery that swung back and hit her front pad.

She immediately turned to march from the field without consulting with non-striker Mooney about a review; a decision the 20-year-old would rue shortly after when ball-tracking revealed the ball would have missed the stumps.

Mooney's luck ran out on 33 when she edged Filer to gully, leaving Australia 2-83.

Debutant Filer was a surprise inclusion in England's Test squad but the 22-year-old showed why England had taken a chance on her, unsettling the Australian batters as she hit speeds above 120kph. 

Prior to the start of play Litchfield and Kim Garth were presented with their Baggy Greens by Australian greats Alex Blackwell and Mel Jones respectively, while Alana King won the spin selection battle over Georgia Wareham as Australia opted to include just one of their two leg-spinners in their XI.

The Test match kicks off the multi-format series, with four points on the line in this match and then two points available for each of the three ODIs and three T20s.

Australia have held the Ashes since 2015.

CommBank Ashes Tour of the UK 2023

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver-Brunt (vc), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Kate Cross, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Issy Wong, Danielle Wyatt

Test: June 22-26 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 11am local (8pm AEST)

First T20I: July 1 at Edgbaston, Birmingham, 6.35pm (3.35am July 2 AEST)

Second T20I: July 5 at The Oval, London, 6.35pm (3.35am July 6 AEST)

Third T20I: July 8 at Lord’s, London, 6.35pm (3.35am July 9 AEST)

First ODI: July 12 at The County Ground, Bristol, 1pm (10pm AEST)

Second ODI: July 16 at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, 11am (7pm AEST)

Third ODI: July 18 at The County Ground, Taunton, 1pm (10pm AEST)