Women's World Cup: England suffer first tournament defeat to Australia

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You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 live. Australia have won again so brilliantly by six wickets, chasing down 245 with close to 10 overs left. A quite brilliant partnership worth 185, 80 off 151 between Ash Gardner and Annabel Sutherland. Gardner finishes unbeaten on 104, Sutherland on 98 and Australia continue this incredible run, unbeaten in this World cup, unbeaten in the previous one. So Australia have beaten England, a first defeat inflicted on Charlotte Edwards and Natsiva Brunt's side at this World Cup. They'll still be in the semi finals. England, but what a performance from Australia set a target of 245. England felt perhaps that they were in the game early on. Three early wickets certainly made it seem that way as Australia fell to 24 for 3 and then 68 for 4. But a partnership worth 180 from 151 deliveries between Annabel Sutherland 98 not out and Ash Gardner 104 not out, enough to get Australia home with almost 10 wickets to spare. A brilliant performance. 10 overs to spare. A brilliant performance from Australia who have underlined their credentials as the favorites for this World cup. Once again showing just how good aside they are, they remain unbeaten. England's first defeat alongside me to go through all of the action and we'll get reaction as well from the boundary edge, but I've got World cup winner Alex Hartley alongside me. Phil Long, our statistician, is here too. And Alex, as we reflect on what we've seen, it has Been just startling from Australia.

Yeah, it has.

Again just showing why they are the best team in the world even when they're under pressure. They managed to weather the storm and absorb that pressure and find ways of being on top of the game. It was that partnership of 180. I mean it just they neither of them ever looked like getting out. It wasn't until the very last over of the game that Sutherland was dropped by Heather Knight. But until then pretty much chanceless both of them out in the middle. It was absolutely brilliant from Australia and England put up a decent fight, as I say, taking those wickets in the power play. But it just wasn't enough.

Well, Annabelle Sutherland took three wickets with the ball, tournament's leading wicket taker. She struggled with a bat in the competition till today, but finishes on 98 unbeaten. Player of the match today quite rightly too as well sharing that partnership with Ash Gardner and it has been some performance.

Here she is with complete all round performance.

Performance.

Annabel Sutherland is our player of the match. Carlos Brathwaite is going to give her her medal. Annabelle, well played. That was some innings and some partnership. You must have enjoyed that.

Yeah, it was, it was pretty fun. It's always good batting with Ashley. She keeps the game moving and yeah, to be honest, just had a pretty good seat up the other end.

Let us tell us about that innings because at the start it looked like hard work for the top three. What were you thinking when you went out there?

To be honest, just trying to have.

Some time in the middle.

I feel like once you got in it was actually really nice. We get to battle on fast outfield and you get value for runs. So yeah, trying to get myself in and stay busy with partner up the other end.

You said you've had a quiet World cup with the bats so far. Are you someone that frets or you just know when you get in you'll cash in?

I know when I'll get in, I'll cash in. And just trying to trust my games, to be honest. Yeah, tinkering with a few things mentally and just trying to give myself the best chance early on in my innings.

And in Ash Gardner, she's not someone that puts you under pressure. She's also looking to hit boundaries and you never have to worry too much.

Yeah, exactly. And we knew the game was going to keep moving, such a hard ground to defend on and we just had to keep batting really and with the ball.

What was the secret? Almost two different roles today. You had to break that partnership up front. What were you thinking? When you came on then, still felt.

Like there was a little bit in.

The wicket when I hit the right.

Length and yeah, it was nice to get rewarded. I think the Spinners did a fantastic job, particularly Alana King through the middle. Really stalled their momentum and picked up wickets throughout.

Picked up wickets throughout the tournament. Personally, yourself, you're the leading wicket taker. You're death bowling. Is there a gut feel like with that Tammy Beaumont dismissal? Did you have a gut feel she was coming and you changed to that slower ball?

Yeah, a little bit of just trusting in instincts and yeah, I feel like I've got the skills to kind of go with any, any batter that I need and change the tempo where I need to, but I think you got to kind of hit your stock ball and feel like that's been working for me.

And that final bit just out there, was there. Just the meshes to. Ash just finished this. I'm done.

Yeah.

I was happy that Ashley had done well, played magnificent.

Thank you.

Thoughts there of Annabel Sutherland chatting to Nasser hussein. She scored 98 not out, picked up three wickets as well in the first innings and shared a stand of 180 alongside Ash Gardner. Phil Long, our scorer, is alongside me. Phil, some numbers to. To reflect on the dominance.

Well, all about that partnership, really, wasn't it? It was Australia's highest fifth wicket partnership in ODIs, the second highest partnership in ODIs for the fifth wicket partnership across the history of ODIs that Ash Gardner innings, 104 off 73 balls, third ODI, 100 a second against England, second at this World Cup. And let me just tell you, 98 not out for Annabelle Sutherland. That's the second highest not out score, less than 100. Carol Ann James. West Indies vs Denmark in Delhi, 1997 World Cup. She was 99 not out at the end of the innings.

We still talk about that innings to this day. Alex Hartley, a halfway stage. England having done a decent job, I think it's fair to say, with the bat, particularly at the start and end of the innings. It was the middle phase where they struggled.

Yeah, it was. And that's where they've struggled throughout, is the. Well, the middle order, sorry, have struggled throughout. And you know the platform that they built in the first 10, 15 overs, you almost thought, here we go, they're on. And then they slowed down, went at 2.7 and over from overs 20 to 30. And Australia really, really put the handbrake on England throughout that middle phase of the game. So it was one of those where at the halfway stage to be completely honest. 244 for 9. I felt like England were probably about 20, 25 shy. It would have proven to be 90, not enough anyway going into the second innings and how Australia went about that. But it just felt like that absorbing pressure and slowing things down almost went a little bit too far for that, that 10 over period.

Yeah.

And it was just a struggle to find a way to keep the scoreboard moving in the way that Australia were able to.

Yeah. And having said that, though they, they didn't lose consistent wickets and they, they, they did give themselves that platform to be able to accelerate towards the back end. In the past, best teams, we have seen England collapse from those situations. So on the other hand there was, okay, we're absorbing the pressure and then on one hand it was always like maybe we've gone slightly too slow. You know, Tammy Beaumont going really nicely for her 78, but then sopia Dunle maybe just putting the handbrake on a little bit too much and adding a bit of pressure to, to Tammy out there in the middle.

Yeah, and that's the problem, isn't it, when that pressure builds, it's quite hard to find a way then to keep the scoreboard moving. It's what that partnership did so well between Sutherland Gardner was that as, as we just heard from Annabel Sutherland, both of them found a way to, to keep things moving. Daniel Norcross is here as well. Daniel, what did, what did you make of what we saw today?

Well, I, I made of, of it yet again, whenever Australia find themselves in bother, a different person comes and gets them out of it. I mean, Ash Gardner has got previous in this tournament already, but Annabelle Sutherland's been in woeful form with the bat, but she was brilliant today with both bat and ball and just Recovering from that start. 24 for 3, 68 for 4. Speaking to Tammy Beaumont, he kind of thought that there may have been, it got a bit easier to bat under the lights. There may have been a bit of that. There wasn't anything really in the way of due. I think England were a little bit indisciplined. If you compare the way that, for example, Sutherland bowled bowling, bowling seam and the way that Bell and Nat Silverbrunt bowled, they kind of lost their lines a bit. They weren't as accurate. They gave away wides, they were bowling in and around the leg stump. But you'd have to say that they're just very, very good players, aren't they? And England, I think was stifled by two partnerships today, one with the ball, which was Sutherland and King and one with the bat which was Sutherland and Gardiner. And we say that cricket's a game of partnerships. Well, those two partnerships did for England today.

We'll be hearing from Tammy Beaumont in due course. Also the England captain Nat Siver Brunt who is preparing to. To chat also. So we'll bring you those interviews in just a moment. But yeah, you mentioned Alana King. 10 overs, 1 for 20.

Oh, she both fantastically, didn't she? She really put the. The pressure on England. She was getting the ball to turn sideways. There was actually a review taken where Tammy Bowen didn't get anything on it. The ball just turned so much. Then there was one a few balls later which spat past the outside edge, went away for four buys. So yeah, she, she was brilliant. And England, you know, struggled against the Lana King not for the first time.

Indeed. And is certainly going to be something they're going to pay. Australia again find a way of combating because she managed to really tie England down in this game and they just couldn't find a way in those middle overs despite a really good start between Beaumont and also Amy Jones. Here's that Silverbrunt.

How do you think that game got away from you?

I suppose we probably. Well, we didn't have enough runs. Alana King Bob very well in the middle overs and really restricted us and yeah, it made it very difficult to get a partnership together. Obviously Tammy played very well for our score but yeah, I suppose with the lights coming on, I think the conditions did change a little bit. Although we bowled well in patches but it just showed the partnership that Ash and Bailsey had there, it just took the game away from us. So yeah, I suppose we didn't have enough runs in the. The end.

Let's talk about that. What do you think was a pass score on that pitch? Batting first?

I think you'd. I mean I don't really know because I'm very bad at numbers.

You got 244.

Yeah, I'd be happy with 280, I reckon.

And the other bit you mentioned there, the playing of Alana King, 10 overs, 1 for 20. What could you have done better when playing her? She's a quality bowler. But what could you have done?

I guess being really clear on what shots that you did once play. So probably playing off the back foot would be more useful. So then working out how to get a bowl, the length that you want to play off the back foot. I suppose so either using your feet or little paddles or something like that, that would be something That I would be reflecting on myself on a positive note.

Tammy Beaumont finding some real intent and a bit of form with what lays ahead. That's very important to your team.

Absolutely, yeah. Yeah. She's been battling really hard in the nets to put on a performance like that and she was really focused today and, yeah, really pleased with her that.

She managed to get a score and that partnership there. Anything you could have done differently? Two quality players on a pitch that was getting better, but could you have done anything different?

Yeah, we just couldn't control with the ball. I thought we'd had patches of, I suppose, building pressure with dots and ones, but the full ball kept coming. So, yeah, we probably tried a few too many things, to be honest. Probably keeping it simple is probably the way to go.

Your first defeat in the tournament, is the confidence still there? You've still got very positive vibes with what lies ahead?

Yeah, absolutely. I think we'll see. Review very carefully on this game and make sure that we do take the positives from it and the learnings as well. But, yeah, coming up against the quality side, you have to be really good for the whole game. And we weren't as good as Australia today.

I guess that's the final question, not just to you, but any team in this tournament. To win it, you're probably going to have to beat this Australian side. With what's happened to this England side of late, do you still firmly believe you can beat Australia?

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I think we'll see. We weren't at our best today, but, yeah, I don't think we've played our best game yet, so, yeah, we'll be ready for them if we do see them again.

Good luck rest of the tournament.

Thank you.

If I could just ask Talia McGrath to come up for a few words, please. Talia, many congratulations. Your side, when put under pressure, are digging deep and putting in some performances. You must be thrilled.

Yeah, very happy. Spinners did a fantastic job with the ball. A little bit of a shaky start with the bat, but then Bells and Ash. Just world class. So good to watch them. It was clinical. And Phil for Bells a bit, not getting 100. She thoroughly deserved it.

But let's start with the bowling. Alana King is an absolute gem for you as a captain. How do you plan her over? She comes on reasonably late and today she bowled a long spell.

Yeah, I knew she was our key matchup. She's got a really good record against England and matches up really well to pretty much their whole batting lineup. So at one stage I was tossing up whether it was 10 straight because she was on fire and we decided to pull her back for some new batters. But she was so good today. Hit her length, relentless and found a bit of turn.

As an Australian side and captain, I'm guessing you're always looking to improve. What did you think the new ball spell before she came on and Annabelle Sutherland got that wicket before her?

Yeah, I think we just missed our lengths a little bit early and got punished. So certainly a little bit to tidy up with the new ball. And then if we're being critical as well, I think they've probably got 20 too many at the end. We could have been a bit tidier at the death, but if you told me 2:44 at the start of the day, I would have been stoked.

And Annabelle Sutherland, she's some cricket. A leading wicket taker five for in the tournament and nearly 100. She is absolutely vital to you.

She is such a gun and I think it's scary how young she still is. She's one of our hardest trainers. Her planning is meticulous and whenever we're in trouble, you sort of just turn to bells. She's that good.

Ash Gardiner goes pretty well on this ground. Do you see any areas of concern as a team or are you very happy with where you are going into your last group game?

Certainly lots to improve on from this game. We'll review it as any, but for us it's that belief from any position win that we can win. So fine tune a few areas and still keeping that belief and that momentum going.

And Elisa Healey, where is she? Is it just a niggle? Is it something a bit more serious? She'll definitely be back.

Bit of a day by day. I'll leave that in the hands of the physio. I think she's tracking nicely, but a bit of a day by day progress.

Many congratulations. A superb win will play.

Thank you.

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Thoughts of the two captains there chatting to NASA Hussein, Alex Hartley alongside me, as is Daniel Norcross.

Would have been a little bit rogue if Tyler McGraw went, yeah, she's out. I'm going to captain the rest of the tournament. That was always going to be the answer, wasn't it? A day by day. I think both captains spoke really well there. I think Silver Brunt was honest where they, you know, they didn't have enough runs on the board and there was too many four balls. And I think having a captain that comes out and speaks honest truths says a lot. You know, they have got areas to improve on. They're still qualified for the semifinals. It's not a panic stations. You know, going into today's game, England knew they would have had to have played their best to beat Australia and they certainly didn't do that. You know, they didn't have enough runs on the board with the bat and it was always going to be tough defending that total.

I think my one disappointment is that in a way this was a free hit. There was no reason to sort of, you know, go into your shell for England. And they got off to such a good start that I thought that that might be what would kick start them into being really dynamic. And yeah, you know, look, if they end up collapsing in the heat and get bowled out for 180, they lose the game. But nine times out of 10 people are losing games against Australia anyway once you've got that good start. I felt that because not a lot was really riding on this match, both sides had qualified. This was an opportunity to make a statement and to try things a bit different. And instead they kind of got becalmed against Alana King who bowled brilliantly but didn't see a single reverse sweep attempt. Didn't really see anybody coming down the wicked Ed. I didn't see anybody trying to disrupt her lengths. And it was about the runs. We knew at the halfway stage. 244 wasn't enough. And part of the reason for that was because they just had to go slow in the third 10 overs. It was 26 runs they scored in those 10 overs. Australia scored 77. And there was no real reason for it except a bit of timorousness. And he kind of felt they, they could have just gone hard there and just see what happens. Because we all know the only way you beat Australia is if you put them under a lot of pressure. And I didn't feel that England did. And there is some positives for them today, without a doubt with the new ball. Definitely Tammy Beaumont coming back into a bit of form, but I just felt that they lacked a Bit of instinct there to just have a go.

Well, you mentioned Tammy Beaumont. She did come back into a little bit of form today. Her top score of the tournament, 78 off 105. And, Daniel, you've been speaking to her on the boundary edge.

It looked like you've been struggling with your technique a little bit earlier in the tournament, but today you really got going. Got that six early on. Tell me a little bit about the conditions out there.

Yeah, I think it was quite different to the other day here. Different soil, apparently, doesn't bounce as much. And, yeah, it's probably what it. What it felt like. Not too much swing early, which was obviously nice as an opener. And then, yeah, I think it just kind of got slower and lower and then when the lights came on, it looked like it a lot got like it was coming on quite nicely and looked a bit easier to bat. So, yeah, a big toss, probably.

Yeah, I was going to ask about that because Nat said at the Toshi was going to bowl first. Was that partly the effect of what happened against India? A bit of Jew came in?

Not necessarily. I think we knew it was like a very different pitch because the soil's different and all the feedback was that it doesn't bounce as much as the India game. So, yeah, we just kind of felt that, yeah, it might be better to bat second, but, you know, toss doesn't dictate a game. You've got to play well for 100 overs. And Australia played their 100 overs better than we did.

Are you guys getting a bit sick of Alana King? I mean, she bowled absolutely fantastically today and I don't really know what the solution is.

Yeah, I mean, she's a brilliant bowler and she showed her class again today. It was probably at that point where you didn't know whether to, you know, try and go on the offensive and get her economy up and maybe give you a chance away and then, you know, make someone else have to start. Probably why I went so aggressive when the seam did come back on. But that obviously didn't quite come off. So, yeah, fair play to them. I thought they bowled well. She found the perfect pace, I think, to make the ball turn and hold in the wicket. And it's what bowlers are allowed to do, isn't it?

So worse for Southern De Gardner at the end there? I mean, it was a consummate performance. But as you said, it looked like it got a bit easier to bat by that stage.

Yeah, absolutely. You know, getting them 68 for 4 was exactly what we wanted with them chasing 240 and, you know, I thought that was a brilliant start from us, but I guess they showed their class. You know, someone like Annabelle Sullivan and Ash Gardner, you know, the way they've, you know, put on 150 there in pretty much no time. Just showed how much depth they've got and how much belief they've got in the way they play.

And lastly, it looks like you're going to be going to Guwahati for the semi final. That's the most likely outcome. You've got some pretty fond memories of that. You got some fond memories of thrashing South Africa there as well, who may very well be your opponents.

Yeah, I guess we'll have to wait and see and the ICC will have to confirm who's playing where and whether it's 1v4 or what. We're just going to have to get on with it and get on the plane to wherever it is. But yeah, obviously got a good record up in Guwahati. The bowlers will certainly love the pitch up there and yeah, we'll have to wait and see.

Careers rations on the result, but well done with the bat.

Cheers.

Tammy Beaumont chatting to you, Daniel, on the boundary edge. I thought there was some honesty there, wasn't there? And where do we think, Alex, having seen what we've seen tonight with Australia's dominance, where's your belief level in terms of England being able to win this tournament?

No, I think they can. I think they're gonna have to play really well to win the tournament. They're gonna have to play better than they did today. But it's not, you know, they've not put together their perfect performance yet. I think in stages they could have applied a little bit more pressure to Australia with the ball. Having four out almost straight away seemed a little bit too easy. I, I personally would much rather see Ash Gardner go over mid on and mid off for four and have a catching opportunity than just being able to hit the ball back down the ground for, for single after single and apply a little bit of pressure that way. I think they did brilliantly up top with the ball. Lauren Bell, fantastic alongside Lindsay Smith. But if you're going to beat this Australia side and you're going to bat first, you have to get up and around that 280.

They've got to be more dynamic and they've got, they've got to be braver, I'm afraid, because you've got to have a different attitude and that attitude is here that Australia are the hot favorites to win. There's nothing to be lost by losing a game of cricket against Australia except the game. But there's something to be won if you do, which is utter glory. And I don't think that England really embraced those opportunities today in quite the way they needed to. I think I was right about in the, the, in the field, captain in the field could have been a little bit asking more questions. When Ash Gardner started the rings, he actually looked all at sea against off spin didn't. She was quite, quite strange. You thought she could be LBW at any min minute and perhaps if she'd been cramped a bit more and sort of forced to, you know, to, to play shots that she was uncomfortable with that might have made the breakthrough. They're all ifs and buts, but fundamentally it comes down to just, I, I think England have got to be braver in what they do if they're going to beat the likes of Australia. They, it was all very well hanging in against India. That was the right thing to do. And it'd be similar again against South Africa if they find themselves in, in bother if it's them that they're playing. But when you're playing Australia, you, I'm afraid you just have to come out swinging punches.

Well, Anisha, gosh, the, the journalist has tweeted. Ah, yes, that familiar women's cricket World cup phase when Australia make everyone else look like they're playing a different sport. We've reached that sacred moment when collective timelines agree. Just sand them, just hand them the trophy and save us the suspense.

Well, no, come on, let's not do that because we've been at T20 tournaments and things have gone wrong and you know, it would have taken a ball to break that partnership early. I know there were other batters still to come so that look, there are weaknesses there, there's still jeopardy, but you've got it. The attitude has got to be really fierce when you play them.

Agree with that, Alex?

Yeah, yeah, totally agree with everything D said.

So, yeah, England will pick themselves up and they will try. And in the same way South Africa actually try and park what's happened here as South Africa did when they parked what happened against England? They've gone on a brilliant run since.

Exactly. They've been a brilliant team since that defeat, haven't they? And you know, one defeat doesn't define your World Cup. We've, we've had teams lose games before and, and go on to win World Cups. Australia, obviously unbeaten in the last one, could go unbeaten in this one. With that washout against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, but the top three teams that have qualified now have all been the top three teams in the competition.

Well, my thanks to Alex Hartley, to Daniel Norcross and Phil Long. That's it for this episode of the TMS podcast. Make sure that you're subscribed so you never miss an episode, including no Balls with Kate Cross and also Alex. And on that feed you'll find all sorts of other delights for you to enjoy. Building a combined ashes 11 with Michael Vaughan, Phil Toughnell and Glenn McGrath. And also from the Ashes, Stuart Broad sharing some Ashes memories, chatting to Stefan Chemilt. England next in action on Sunday against New Zealand in Visikapatnam. That is an earlier start than we have been seeing as a day match. So 5:15 Sunday morning. Set your alarms for that one on BBC Sounds and 5 Sports Extra. And you can keep up to date with all things cricket by following BCTMS on X and at BBC Cricket on Instagram. Thanks for listening. It's goodbye for now. The ICC Women's Cricket World cup, featuring the stars of women's cricket smash straight.

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