NEWS
Follow UsWith Meg Lanning ruled out of the Ashes with a medical condition, all eyes were towards the Australian vice-captain, Alyssa Healy. Healy isn’t new to responsibility, with the dashing right-handed batter having already previously been Australia’s captain in Lanning’s absence. But the weight of an Ashes is always going to be huge on a captain’s shoulders.
However, all of that disappeared quite quickly on day one, when Healy won the toss and opted to bat first on what looked like a proper batting surface. Healy also quickly stated that she had no qualms about batting first and reckoned that it would always be a tough surface to bat on in the first hour.
"Very happy, how good is it to have a result, and pleased to be on the right end. It takes the pressure off the captains and teams to try and manipulate it. Even if it's the potential for a reserve day, if there is rain, it's a great idea. Got my thinking cap on at the toss, we had no doubts in batting. Knew it would be tricky against new ball and the try to bat long,” Healy insisted in the post-match presentation.
But with Tammy Beaumont on 208, it put Australia and the Australian captain, Healy, under a lot of pressure. However, her trusted ally - Ashleigh Gardner - ensured that the English opener didn’t add more runs, bowling her out. On the third day onwards, the pitch started behaving differently, aiding the bowlers for the first time in the Test.
“They got pretty close in the end, but we were pleased with those runs on the board. Full credit to Tammy, we probably weren't tight enough at times. When we got it right we were able to take wickets and build pressure. The wicket was good for two and a half days and then started to play a few tricks,” Healy added.
At 196/6 in the second innings, Australia were in some pressure when skipper Healy walked out to bat. In the first innings, the right-hander got out for a duck, but in the second attempt, she was at her best, with a 62-ball 50, a knock that eventually took them to 257, giving England a target of 268 on a tricky surface.
“Firm believer you need a bit of luck, maybe it went my way there. Had to slide down the order because I couldn't grip the bat in the morning. Hang in there and take the runs on offer. Having 250 on the board to bowl to, we were okay with, but we wanted as many as we could,” she had to add.
While admitting that the captaincy was quite stressful, given the number of bowling options at her disposal, Healy pointed out that the duo of Gardner and Tahlia McGrath were influential with the ball. Gardner ended with 12 wickets in the Test and McGrath with four wickets.
"When you've got eight bowling options, trying to use them at the right time... but I thought Ash Gardner and Tahlia McGrath were outstanding. [Captaincy] Stressful, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and really honoured to do it in a Test. [Finger injuries] All good, we'll manage them over the next few days and reassess."
