Tammy Beaumont hits first ever Test century to give England hope in first Ashes Test

Tammy Beaumont ensured England did not wilt in the face of a formidable Australian total here on Friday by making a brilliant maiden Test century that kept them in the Ashes hunt.

Beaumont ended the second day of the first ever five-day women’s Test in this country unbeaten on 100 and with England in sight of Australia on 218 for two.

England had allowed the old enemy to reach a position of superiority by adding 145 to their overnight score to get up to 473 all out, Annabel Sutherland making a century.

But Beaumont responded by carrying on the superb form that saw her make a double hundred in the warm-up game ahead of this Test against Australia A.

Captain Heather Knight had vowed to emulate England men’s positive approach ahead of a Test that will go a long way towards deciding the multi-format women’s Ashes.

Annabel Sutherland had hit a classy century of her own to hand Australia control of the Test

England’s Sophie Ecclestone (centre) finished with a career-best Test figures of 5-129

But once Australia had reached such a commanding score England realised their best chance was to ensure they got as close to first innings parity, and perhaps beyond Australia, as possible, however long it took them.

They lost Emma Lamb to a loose drive at the 21-year-old Sutherland but Beaumont joined forces with her captain to add 105 for the second wicket.

Knight was dropped by Australia’s stand-in captain Alyssa Healy off the spin of Ash Gardner on 42 but fell to the same combination after making her fourth Test half century to add to her two hundreds.

By then Beaumont had received a big slice of good fortune when she advanced to the leg-spin of Alana King on 61 and hit the ball to Phoebe Litchfield at short leg via her boot.

Umpire Anna Harris turned down the Australian appeals, thinking the ball had gone into the ground, but Australia inexplicably failed to review the decision and Beaumont marched on.

She found the perfect partner in Nat Sciver-Brunt, the pair stepping up the pace to add an unbroken 67 for the third English wicket and Beaumont reaching a hundred 10 years after her Test debut that gives her centuries in all three formats.

England perhaps missed their opportunity to restrict Australia to a more manageable total when they made a poor start to day two and failed to put pressure on Sutherland and the tail.

 Sutherland hadn’t scored a fifty in international cricket before her superb knock on Friday

Instead of turning to her two most successful bowlers from the first day in Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Filer, Knight went back to her opening pair in Lauren Bell and Kate Cross.

The result was that the game drifted, at least until the left-arm spin of Sophie Ecclestone was belatedly introduced by Knight 40 minutes and nine overs into the day.

The difference was stark as Ecclestone took two of the last three wickets to fall to finish with her first five-wicket haul in Test cricket from 46.2 overs of flight and guile.

But Australia were allowed to rack up 235 runs from their last four wickets, with Sutherland making an unbeaten 137 from No 8.