Australia continued to dominate England in the ongoing Women's Ashes as the hosts had the upper hand on the opening day of the day-night Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It was yet another tough day down under for England but their all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt created history with the bat.
She scored 51 runs after England were invited to bat first to become the first batter in Women's cricket to register a 50-plus score in six consecutive Tests. She has been extremely consistent in the longest format of the game scoring 865 runs in 19 innings (12 Tests) so far at an average of 48.05 with two centuries and five fifties to her name.
Nat Sciver-Brunt's performance in last six Test matches
Runs scored in 1st innings | Runs scored in 2nd innings | Opponent | Year |
15 | 58 | Australia | 2022 |
169* | - | South Africa | 2022 |
78 | 0 | Australia | 2023 |
59 | 0 | India | 2023 |
128 | 37 | South Africa | 2024 |
51 | - | Australia | 2025 |
The sequence of fifty-plus scores started in Canberra in January 2022 against Australia where she scored 58 runs in the second innings. Sciver then followed it up with a stunning unbeaten 169-run knock against South Africa in Taunton in June 2022. Exactly a year later, in June 2023, the all-rounder once again impressed scoring 78 runs in the first innings against England's Ashes rivals in Nottingham.
In December 2023, she put up a good show against mustering 59 runs in the first innings and after a year, notched up 128 runs against South Africa yet again, this time away from home in Bloemfontein. At the MCG today, even as England collapsed, not for the first time on tour, Nat Sciver held her own to score a fifty which propelled her team to a fighting score of 170 runs in the first innings.
In response, Australia ended their day at 56/1 after 22 overs with Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland remaining unbeaten on 20 and 24 respectively.