Australia are in a strong position following an engaging opening day of the Women's Ashes.
The visitors finished Day 1 on 7-328 at Trent Bridge, with Ellyse Perry dismissed one run short of a century.
Whilst Australia got off to a strong start with the bat, England - led by spinner Sophie Ecclestone - were able to rip through their opponent's middle order in the afternoon.
'Bit of a bummer': Ellyse Perry dismissed on 99 runs
The standout performance of the day came from Australian batter Perry, who fell agonisingly short of an impressive century.
The 32-year-old put together 99 runs off 153 balls, hitting 15 fours.
It was England debutant bowler Lauren Filer who earned the key dismissal, with Perry slicing to the gully fielder and leaving the field one run short of a ton.
A fine catch to end a fine knock!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) June 22, 2023
Ellyse Perry is out for 99 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/blis2IiWnz
"It was just a great tussle," Perry said post-match.
"Importantly, it was a nice way for us to finish at the end there, after a pretty tricky session after the rain delay.
"If both teams look at it, I think they'd be pretty happy with today in different areas, and then there are probably other areas where one team got the upper hand over the other.
"So yeah, I think that's a great day of Test cricket if it looks like that."
MORE: How do you win the Women's Ashes?
Although her stint in the middle ended painfully short of a century, Perry was still pleased to be able to add to a successful day for her team.
"It was nice to contribute," she said.
"It was nice to be a part of a few really good partnerships, particularly that one with (Tahlia) McGrath.
"It's just like any other time to get out. It's a bit of a bummer, but gosh, the game definitely goes on, and life goes on for sure."
Australia hold advantage despite English bowling surge
Australia were dominant with the bat early, reaching the 200-run mark with eight wickets still in hand.
Ecclestone was the game-changer for England though, with the spinner removing Tahlia McGrath, Jessica Jonassen and Alyssa Healy in quick succession.
The momentum began to swing towards to hosts, but all-rounders Annabel Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner were able to form a handy partnership for the visitors.
Australia finished the rain-affected day with 328 and three wickets remaining, leaving them in control of the sole Test match of this Ashes series.
Women's Ashes: 2023 schedule
The Women's Ashes began with a five-day test at Trent Bridge on June 22.
| Test | June 22-26 |
|---|---|
| 1st WT20I | July 1 |
| 2nd WT20I | July 5 |
| 3rd WT20I | July 8 |
| 1st WODI | July 12 |
| 2nd WODI | July 16 |
| 3rd WODI | July 18 |
Australia squad vs. England
Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath, Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Nonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
England squad vs. Australia
Heather Knight (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt.
