On this day in 2022, Women’s Ashes produced a stone-cold thriller that ended in a draw in Canberra

Ashes cricket always lives up to the expectations of the fans. The rivalry between England and Australia in Test cricket is a contest that glues every cricket fan to their screens. In this article, we will throw some light on one such captivating Ashes encounter between Australia Women and England Women which was played in 2022, at Canberra.

First Innings

The English skipper Heather Knight called right at the flip of the coin and invited Australia to bat first. England had initial success in putting the Kangaroos under pressure with three wickets in quick succession. But when the team is stuck in a fix that is the time when a leader steps up. Meg Lanning rescued her team from that situation and stitched a partnership with the opener Rachael Haynes. The lower-order contributions from Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner led Australia to 337 runs in the first innings. 

England’s first innings was all about a lone warrior, captain Heather Knight. The English batting unit could not show much resilience with the bat but Knight was steadfast at one end. England made 297 runs in the first innings and the English captain made 168 runs out of that. Australia gained a lead at the end of the first innings but it could have been a lot more had it not been for Heather Knight’s century. 

Second Innings

The Australian team expanded on the lead that they had at the end of the first innings. The hosts declared the second innings with 216 runs on the board and ultimately gave a target of 257 runs to the visitors. Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry played valuable knocks helping Australia to set a testing target. 

In the second innings the English team started on a much better note with a 52-run stand between the openers for the first wicket. However, none of the openers could capitalize on the start and this trend was followed by most of the other batters as well. The likes of Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Sophia Dunkley got a great start but could not stay long enough to guide their team to the target. Australia sparked a lower-order collapse but Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross somehow kept the Kangaroos at bay and drew the match. Heather Knight was awarded the Player of the Match for her batting performances in both innings.