Gardner adds handy runs in day of Australian dominance

Jarred Cross Published February 1, 2025 at 5.00am (AWST)

sport

Ash Gardner posted 44 (81) with the bat as Australia grew their first innings lead past 250 at stumps on day two. (Image: James Ross/AAP)

Ash Gardner added a handy contribution with the bat in a dominant day for Australia in the sole Ashes Test, as the hosts eye a devastating whitewash of the series over England.

The Muruwari allrounder hit 44, helping push Australia's total past 400 and a lead nearing 250, in an 80-run stand with Beth Mooney across the final session of play on Friday.

At stumps, Australia are 5-422 after England posted 170 in their first innings on Thursday.

England didn't help themselves, dropping an excruciating number of chances in a poor day in the field to continue their disappointing tour.

Resuming play at 1/56 in the afternoon, Annabel Sutherland owned the earlier sessions, batting through the departures of Phoebe Litchfield (45) and Alyssa Healy (34) to post her third Test century from six matches with a towering 163.

Mooney, who was left two runs short of her century at stumps, joined Sutherland at the crease to work Australia into a dominant position - at stages scoring above eight runs per over.

Arriving at the crease with her side having already nearly doubled England's total at 4/324, Gardner worked singles and played nicely behind square on both sides of the wicket on return from missing the T20 portion of the series with a calf concern.

A hip issue to Ellyse Perry pushed her up a spot in the order.

In previous Test innings, she averaged 31.22 with a career-high 65 against South Africa last year and scores of 56 and 38 against England in Canberra during the 2022 series.

On Thursday Gardner finished with one wicket - collecting Amy Jones' (3) off stump while bowling the bulk of the middle session from one end while fellow spinner Alanna King was hard to handle, finishing with 4-45.

The first women's Test at the MCG since 1949, and the national women's side's first return to the ground since their 2020 T20 World Cup triumph in front of 87,000 fans, sets the scene for a historic whitewash of the multi-format series.

The 11,918 through the gates on Friday made the 23,561 arriving over the first two days already the highest-ever attended women's Test in history.

Australia claimed a 12-nil series lead with a faultless run across the white ball stages of the series.

The home side lead by 252 runs with five wickets remaining in their first innings with two days remaining.