England’s chances of winning a one-off Test against their rivals are dashed as they lose five crucial wickets towards the end.

England’s Hopes Dented by Late Wicket Loss in One-Off Ashes Test

The one-off Ashes test match took an unpredictable turn as England lost five wickets towards the end of day four. The hosts were chasing a target of 268 at Trent Bridge and had started well, reaching 55-0 before slipping to 73-4 with Australia’s Ash Gardner taking three crucial wickets.

At stumps on day four, England were struggling at 116-5 with still a daunting task ahead of them – requiring another 152 runs to win. This would be the highest run chase in women’s test cricket history if they manage to pull it off.

Sophie Ecclestone Shines With All-Round Performance for England

Australia had earlier been all out for 257 despite starting confidently at 82-0 on day three. However, Sophie Ecclestone starred with her left-arm spin bowling picking up five wickets for just sixty-three runs which gave her ten-wicket hauls in the match.

Ecclestone’s inspired bowling performance helped restrict Australia from posting a mammoth total but victory was still not secured due to loose bowling from the English side that gifted Australia a lead of ninety-two runs overnight.

Australian Spin Trio Prove Tricky For English Batters

Batting last was always going to be challenging on a pitch that is offering more assistance than usual, especially against Australia’s strong spin attack comprising three quality spinners. Despite their aggressive approach, England are facing difficulties dealing with these turning deliveries and erratic bounce.

Openers Emma Lamb and Tammy Beaumont started impressively, but consecutive dismissals of both put England in a precarious position. Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight were also unable to get going before falling cheaply leaving the hosts struggling at 116-5.

Raw Pace Makes The Difference For England

Kate Cross, who took two wickets despite dislocating her thumb after dropping a catch, was impressive with her raw pace once again proving a key point of difference for Heather Knight’s side. Lauren Filer also chipped in with crucial scalps during Australia’s innings making an impact on the match outcome.

Predicting the Outcome – An Unenviable Task

The unpredictability of this game has made it difficult to predict which way it will go. Victory in this Test match is worth four points that would be shared between teams should it end up being an unlikely draw. However, given the current situation, it seems like Australia are edging towards securing those valuable four points even though there is still work left to do on day five.