Marsh gives England ray of light amid more gloom
As the rain streamed across the outfield late into the afternoon session on day two here, England’s hopes of winning back the Ashes were washed away with it, too.
If the chances of an upset had been remote by the close on day one, they were all but non-existent at the same time the following day as play was halted in the afternoon. Ellyse Perry (116) had got her century and Australia, just five wickets down, had 341 on the board.
Death, taxes and Perry scoring centuries in Test cricket are all that is certain in this tumultuous world. The weather may have been out of England’s control, but some of what went before was well within it. Any team, after 105 overs in the field, might find it difficult to summon the energy and enthusiasm needed to face Perry and others, but England, by this stage, had little choice.
This is the conundrum facing England: their biggest problem, following the one-dayers, was their batting, but their greatest challenge, approaching the Test, was that they needed 20 wickets. And, sadly, they do not have the depth to attend to both at the same time.
With England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison in attendance, the only hope is that he, and the other powers that be, understand that this mismatch is a reflection of the relative depths of each country’s women’s domestic infrastructure. England, as this Ashes series is revealing, are far behind.
Still, the future will be bright, with promises of rich investment and a new competition that will transform the landscape (we are told), but there is still a match to attend to. In commentary on day one, the former England captain Charlotte Edwards had started offering methods to dismiss Perry. A full review of all of Perry’s past dismissals followed – a hard task considering that there are not many. Perry was last out on Aug 13 2015, which is both a reflection of the scarcity of women’s Test cricket and the superiority of Perry in the format.
Edwards proposed bowling rank long-hops outside off, as anything else appeared unable to breach Perry’s immaculate defences. Give her a swat at something filthy and, who knows, it might just work.
Whether that was the thought that crossed Laura Marsh’s mind as she ran in to bowl, we do not know. But by that stage England were searching, scrabbling for something, anything.
Perry had, after all, faced more than 650 deliveries in Test cricket without being dismissed.
A full toss ensued, Heather Knight held on and Marsh buried her head in one hand, a wry smile across her face. It was a brief moment of levity in another day of patchy bowling, dropped catches and missed shies at the stumps.
Marsh had the other wicket to fall, too, an lbw to remove Rachael Haynes on 87, which replays showed had brushed a glove. England were lucky, but not lucky enough. They may have two new batters at the crease, but Australia have five wickets in hand and a platform from which to explode. No doubt they will. Once the rain leaves centre stage.