England’s Women’s Ashes nightmare continues after being bowled out for 170 - chof 360 news

Australia went into the only Test match of the Women’s Ashes with one goal in mind, a whitewash and a 16-0 scoreline, and England did little to dispel that grim prospect as their batting line up crumbled to 170 all out.

Nat Sciver-Brunt could only manage a wry smile as she lifted her bat in the air to acknowledge her fifth Test half century, as the only England batter to score more than 25 as the team yet again fell into similar patterns and were bowling midway through the final session.

England have struggled all series to put innings together. No batter had scored a century in the six white-ball games and their highest score was a meagre 222. In front of just over 11,000 at the MCG, nothing had changed, despite dropping spinner Charlie Dean to make space for an extra batter.

Sciver-Brunt was England’s only player to offer any resistance to the Australian attack, scoring a well-watched 51 from 129 deliveries, before falling shortly after the dinner interval to be followed quickly by the rest of the tail.

In the first women’s Test match at the MCG since 1949, and the first day-nighter at the historic ground, England were unable to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued them since they first touched down in Sydney at the start of the month.

Having been put into bat by Australia, the tone was set at the start of the day when Maia Bouchier edged behind off the fourth ball of the innings. Despite scoring a Test century on debut in South Africa before Christmas, Bouchier has averaged 6.8 across the formats Down Under, and she is far from the only batter to fall short in Australia.

Heather Knight, Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge all made starts to their innings but none were able to push on and carve out a partnership with Sciver-Brunt to guide England towards a respectable total.

Once Sciver-Brunt’s partnership with Amy Jones was broken with the wicketkeeper caught in the wrong position and bowled for just three to leave the side 130 for six, England could only delay the inevitable.

Wyatt-Hodge said after the day’s play to TNT: “It was a really tough one, you had to really grind for your runs, especially when Kingy [Alana King] was absolutely ragging it on day one.

“It is what it is, it’s what has happened over this whole Ashes series. We would have liked another 50 runs,” but as Australia finished the day 56 for one, England’s total already looks definitively sub-par.

Even Sciver-Brunt had a stroke of fortune and was handed a reprieve when Alyssa Healy used the ground to help her take a catch with the English all rounder then on 44 off 106.

She went on to reach a milestone, but fell just after the second interval to Alana King as England’s woes against spin continued for the 71.4 overs of their first innings, despite Australia making uncharacteristic mistakes in the field, including dropped catches.

King finished as the pick of the bowlers with four wickets for 45 and has been a thorn in England’s side from the start of the series, with the batters having no answer to her leg spin, which stole the spotlight in the shadow of the Shane Warne Stand.

Head coach Jon Lewis has blamed England’s bowling for being too wayward and allowing too many runs in the field, but under the lights at the MCG, it was Australia who had to weather the storm.

Batting in the most difficult of conditions, Australia did what England could not, survive long enough to go on the attack.

Phoebe Litchfield did not concern herself with run rate, digging in to finish the day unbeaten on 20, unperturbed by the seagull invasion at the stadium.

Georgia Voll was the only wicket to fall, as Australia started their innings watchfully and then put away the bad balls with ease to reach close of play on 56 for one, trailing England by just 114 runs.

England have never been whitewashed since the multi-format points system was introduced in 2013, but after being bowled out for just 170 on the opening day of the Test match worth four points, they already face an uphill battle to avoid a 16-0 defeat.

Emigree from England scores hundred on Australia debut

By Scyld Berry

Australia’s men continued their regeneration as Josh Inglis scored a century on his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Galle off only 88 balls, finishing with 102 off 94, while Australia filled their boots after a low-scoring series against India by posting 600.

Inglis, 29, was given his Test debut as a more solid and experienced batsman than Sam Konstas, who had been introduced against India with partial success as Australia’s first Test Bazballer. Inglis was born in Leeds and emigrated when 14 to West Australia where he grew through the ranks of grade cricket as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

Batting at number five on his Test debut, Inglis did have a solid platform: Australia were 401 for three when he went in, but he still showed the temperament and skills of a Test batsman in getting on top of Sri Lanka’s three spinners. He became the 21st batsman to score a century for Australia on his Test debut, and the third in Asia.

Inglis’s temperament was proved as he moved briskly but not nervously through the nineties. On 96, facing Sri Lanka’s slow left-armer Prabath Jayasuriya, he reverse-swept two then forced a three off the back foot in the same over. It was his eighth first-class hundred.

Inglis’s wicketkeeping has already established him in Australia’s white-ball teams. Alex Carey is in no danger of losing his Test spot as keeper but Inglis has forced himself into contention as a specialist batsman for next winter’s Ashes, either in the middle order or even as an opener if Konstas proves too high-risk.

Usman Khawaja scored his maiden Test double-century, 232, to erase memories of a lean winter, while Steve Smith - captain in place of the resting Pat Cummins - made 141, his 35th Test hundred, to go with his average of 56.