Could the New Regime, at England and Wales Women, really change something as BIG as the GAP? Has a goodish-but-also-mixed first four days set them up for a Grandstand Ashes Test Boomerang-of-a-finish? Or will the returning fate-weapon-thing merely clonk them, (England), in the face yet again?

Would Filer’s point-of-difference out-weigh and overcome Jones’s flaws-in-confidence and Knight’s tactical-personal mis-reads? Or would the Oz Juggernaut – allegedly driverless, in the absence of Meg Lanning – rumble on, relentlessly, making English selection and English Exceptionalism an irrelevance?

Most of these things I ignore, mindlessly, or barely note, in the LIVE BLOG extravaganza, below…

Wow. Gardner, in first, turns one several inches *the wrong way*. But then Wyatt eases one away for that medium-critical first run of the day. Then McGrath.

Australia are ahead, here, make no mistake. But they know that Wyatt can score quickly – is inclined to so – and that Cross is a) no mug and b) experienced. So Aussie fingers may begin to tingle, should England start brightly. Could be ver-ry exciting.

McGrath is looking a little tamely/lamely unthreatening: Gardner significantly less so. The tall seamer is floating down some fullish but hittable deliveries – some wide, some too straight. She’s helping Wyatt get her eye in. There’s a little swing for her but if the batters can remain truly watchful, she feels manageable. Early appeal from McGrath but the ball is missing by a mile: no review.

Wyatt robs a tip-it-and-run-style single. Aus simply not ready for it. Then a widish delivery is cut just forward of slip, by Cross. Ball after and she’s swinging too loosely: gets a fine nick into the hands of Healy. Cross had looked a little sloppy: faux-confidenty, perhaps? This was a sloppy dismissal. Could be vital because though Jones is a genuine bat, she has, extraordinarily often (or that’s how it feels), over a period of years, failed when the squeeze is on. She plays down the wrong line, first ball.

Gardner is a really good bowler – good player – on her game, now. Revs and loop on the ball. Historic, Five Day Test. She appears, rather predictably, to be relishing Crunch Time. Wyatt, in particular, has to respond.

Quite rightly, Healy has switched-out McGrath, for Garth. Change seemed right. Jones can barely lay a bat on the ball. England are stalling.

Wyatt steers one cutely and confidently through third (wo)man. Helpful riposte. She repeats, if anything with more gusto, but the fielder collects. Garth is getting a little shape through the air: if she was bringing more pace it might be troubling the batters, but as it is Wyatt can sit back a little and cut away, with that characteristically open face. 147 for 6. Jones plays across Gardner and is fortunate to get a wee tickle – otherwise plum. Then the batter ‘breaks out’ by lifting over cover, for four.

Think this may have been in quiet desperation as much as strategic: Jones does Scrambled Mind more than anybody in world cricket. As if to confirm, she misses the next ball (again) by a mile and she is stumped. It’s another shocker. The game may be gone: the rest may hit but can barely bat – Ecclestone included, and no blame attached. England’s indulgence towards Jones, over three years or so, when it’s seemed clear that her mentality is simply not that of a top-line international, has again come back to haunt them. England may yet win it, of course, if Wyatt can stay cute and Ecclestone can club away long enough. But The Ashes may actually be disappearing already.

(Understand we’re in dangerous territory, talking about people’s mentality. But in Jones’s case it’s been obvious for some time that she lacks the necessary playing resilience for an England player. She can play, alright, but gets more painfully poor dismissals at key times than any other player that comes to mind: so she’s in for her keeping. But her period of grace and good fortune – presumably because the selectors have been unconvinced by any of her rivals – has been absurdly long. Make the change. Make a change. Leave her our; let her unscramble – or not. This should be a competitive business – is a competitive business).

Gardner, meanwhile, is ramping up the pressure with some skill. Flight… and dip… and turn. Nothing outrageous, but good, challenging stuff. Ecclestone just about coming through.

Garth drops short but the ball swings notably – away from Ecclestone. She toe-ends it towards midwicket. Wyatt moves on to 45 with a squarish push. Australia need three wickets to win this.

Ecclestone was a club-clubber of a batter, not too long ago. Everything heaved. But she’s plainly worked admirably hard to straighten things out a little, on the batting front. Now she has moments when she looks both resilient and competent. She is keeping out a decent yorker, from the returning McGrath. The off-cutter defeats her, but strikes pad highish, and is missing. Throughout, the England spinner – the Best Spinner in World Cricket? – is looking gutsy and determined. (I’m afraid Jones has rarely, if ever, looked gutsy and determined)…

Another delivery dies in the pitch. Wyatt, alarmed but watchful, drops the bat on it. Gardner (did I mention?) has a deserved fife-fer but Ecclestone clumps her with no little style, through extra, for four. England are 167 for 7, needing 101 to win.

Quite like the look of Wyatt. Calmish. Steering rather than hitting. And Ecclestone is visibly digging in. So despite the visitor’s obvious advantage, Hope is not yet lost, entirely, for Heather Knight’s Posse. But Australia are grinding this out, as they do: and there is only Bell and Filer to come. Wyatt gets a maiden fifty (weirdly) on her Test debut (weirdly-but-yeh; get that).

It’s a lovely day, at Trent Bridge. Some breeze but fulsome sunshine. Ecclestone celebrates by sweeping to the boundary. Wyatt is again watchful; playing straight to another full one, from McGrath, who has the freedom to go boldly. Most deliveries are *right up there* – and hitting.

The exemplary Butcher, on comms, does a wee piece on England’s strategy against Gardner. In short, nobody has played with the spin at all. Extraordinary. Moments later, Ecclestone tries to play to square leg: Gardner has come around. The batter misses. Plum. Decent effort, from both spinners, in fact. The Aussie has a six-fer. Enter Filer, with 90 needed and just Bell remaining. Start the car?

Filer defends three goodish balls quite well. When McGrath comes in to Wyatt, her expansive clip to cover may suggest she thinks she has to counter. Filer then keeps out a peach of an inswinger: and again. This kid looks like she has something. Temperament.

The match situation is BIG, already. If Australia win this Test then because of the mechanics of the points system and the Aussies possession of the Ashes, England have to win almost everything. Ah. Filer’s briefish resistance is done. A straight one from Gardner proves too good. Bell strides out.

Wyatt goes for a voluptuous sweep, against the same bowler. Given. Out. Australia are the deserved winners, again. Ash Gardner has an eight-fer; she’s understandably thrilled.

From an England point of view, there are a few positives. Filer’s bowling. Ecclestone’s bowling. Tammy Beaumont going huge. But they have been sloppy or worse at important times… and perhaps this is the key? Australia have not been flawless but they have a strong tendency to recover, should they lose a session or find themselves under the proverbial cosh. They are champions, mentality-wise and this means they execute; almost always.

I suspect that England are not far behind in terms of talent but the brutal truth is that Jones should have been out of this side for about two years and other individuals have not risen to their moment. I personally doubt that Dunkley is a Test cricketer but her time may come – England’s time may come – in the shorter formats. The white-ball game diminution-imperative, in terms of stickability, quality(?), consistency, in favour of urgency and physical heft, may yet work to England’s advantage: we’ll see. But there’s an argument here that the widely-reported gap between these two sides remains.

Pic from Radio Times.