The excellent Rainford-Brent and Farrant are hopeful: England will have to play spin better, capitalise on not having to face Kim Garth, only lose one wicket in the power play and run well between the wickets a la Mooney. Easy.

England will need 163 to win

20th over: Australia 162-5 (Mooney 94, McGrath 1) No boundaries but astonishing running between the wickets by Australia. Mooney, red faced with exertion, is still sprinting every hint of a misfield. Three twos in the over. Mooney finishes 93 not out, carrying the team, with 20 overs of wicket-keeping to follow.

19th over: Australia 152-5 (Mooney 86, McGrath 0)Well bowled Linsey Smith. England chipping away, and holding their catches. What can Australia take from Ecclestone’s final over?

WICKET! Sutherland c Sciver-Brunt b Smith 3 (Australia 152-5)

18th over: Australia 143-4 (Mooney 79, Sutherland 1) A thoughtful over by Kemp after being whalloped in her first, gets rid of the dangerous Harris with just a wide to spoil things.

WICKET! Harris c Capsey b Kemp 11 (Australia 139-4)

17th over: Australia 136-3 (Mooney 76, Harris 10) Harris flat-bats Ecclestone for SIX, as you do. Then Mooney pulls square for four, past the fielder who Ecclestone signals with some disdain is out of position. 13 from the over.

16th over: Australia 123-3 (Mooney 71, Harris 2) Just four singles and a wicket from that over – and Ecclestone has two overs left in the bag. Interesting!

WICKET! Perry c Kemp b Dean 12 (Australia 120-3)

15th over: Australia 119-2 (Mooney 63, Perry 7) Interesting chat about the different release points of the smaller Smith and the taller Ecclestone, and the batting challenges that presents. Just one boundary, swept elegantly by the irrepressible Mooney, but ten from the over.

14th over: Australia 109-2 (Mooney 63, Perry 7) A more expensive over from Capsey’s third. Mooney dispatches a full toss for four and another wafted over point. Feels as if she’s ready to press the accelerator. If Australia are to make the magic 150, they’re looking at seven an over from here.

Fifty for Beth Mooney!

12th over: Australia 89-2 (Mooney 47, Perry 5) Nearly two in a row as England review an lbw decision against Mooney. Ecclestone grimaces and apologises to Knight – you could be wasting one there, Skip. And she’s right, as it just pitches outside leg stump. Then Perry, who hasn’t found her mojo this series, snicks past the gloves of Jones for four. Ecclestone covers her eyes in frustration.

WICKET! Litchfield b Ecclestone 12 (Australia 83-2)

11th over: Australia 83-1 (Mooney 46, Litchfield 12) Nat Sciver-Brunt restarts after the break. A handful of singles and a quarter of a chance as Litchfield, who is hitting it hard, lofts the ball fractionally under the hands of the sprinting Wyatt-Hodge in her bright orange spikes at deep midwicket.

Just over 7000 here today, so although the vast high stands are unpopulated, there’s a nice crowd bunched in the lower tier.

10th over: Australia 76-1 (Mooney 44, Litchfield 7) Unlucky Capsey – as first Mooney lofts her high and just out of the reach of the running Charlie Dean at long off, and then top-edges a reverse-sweep which lands between three shall-we-shan’t we fielders. Three dot balls and nice drift. They take DRINKS with England more than competitive, but Australia with wickets in hand.

9th over: Australia 68-1 (Mooney 42, Litchfield 2) Pace returns, with Lauren Filer. Mooney threads her through backward point for that elusive boundary. And another, wow, as she calmly scoops a full ball and sends it looping behind her.

“Now that the burden of not drawing the Ashes has been lifted, we may see the Aussie girls play with a more carefree abandon,” writes Dawg.

“More carefree abandon?!”

8th over: Australia 56-1 (Mooney 32, Litchfield 0) Alex Capsey, in for Maia Bouchier, does the business! For the first time this series, that I’ve seen, Australia are straining for runs.

WICKET! Voll c Wyatt-Hodge b Capsey 23 (Australia 56-1)

7th over: Australia 53-0 (Mooney 30, Voll 22) Time for the big gun as Sophie Ecclestone comes on to turn the screw. No boundaries yet again, but nine picked up by the enterprising Aussies.

And hello there John Starbuck! “In the preamble you write ‘if only (England) can hold their catches’. That must be one of the biggest ‘if only’s there’s ever been. Not that I wouldn’t be delighted if England can get a result this time around, but Hope is sitting very disconsolately in a corner.” Famous last words, but this has been the best start I’ve seen.

6th over: Australia 44-0 (Mooney 26, Voll 18) Australia being forced to improvise here against Dean, just five singles again. The Australian bench chew their nails in concentration.

Our woman on the ground, Raf Nicholson has been in touch. “They’ve just had the millionth fan of the international summer through the gate - which means they’ve got over 7500 fans in. Great effort! There’s also a trumpeter playing Jerusalem so it looks like we’ve got a Barmy Army showing.”

5th over: Australia 39-0 (Mooney 23, Voll 16) Smith again, continues to restrict Australia. No fuss approach, not much space to think between balls. The second over in a row with no boundaries.

4th over: Australia 34-0 (Mooney 19, Voll 15) Knight ringing the changes, as Charlie Dean joins the roll call of bowlers. Sunglasses on. She stops the boundary count, with six picked up with this and that.

3rd over: Australia 28-0 (Mooney 17, Voll 11 ) Three dots balls from Lauren Filer, bustling in, hair tied tightly in a bun, light blue nail varnish. But then she delivers a short fat one which Voll tucks into with gusto. Another four driven with pin-point accuracy and great elegance next ball.

2nd over: Australia 19-0 (Mooney 17, Voll 2 ) Three successive fours from Freya Kemp’s first over as Mooney tucks into a couple of full tosses and throws out airy drive. Not the parsimoniousness Knight is looking for.

1st over: Australia 6-0 (Mooney, 5, Voll 1 ) Left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, veteran of three summers in the Big Bash, starts things off to the accompaniment of the Barmy Army – Jerusalem blaring out for the first time this series. A leading edge from the first ball, and six ploughed from the over.

Andy Bull hits the nail on the head here with his assesment of how things have been going –

and with just a minute or two to go till play starts, the Australians are just walking out to the middle.

The stattos have been digging into why the disparity between the two teams has been so big and have picked up on batting against spin: with England averaging 13 and Australia in the twenties.

Meanwhile England coach Jon Lewis sails blithely on, despite the brickbats.

A interesting choice to blame the weather on Australia’s greater athleticism. It might hold for the general population, but not really for professional athletes.

Australia XI

England XI

Australia win the toss and BAT

Alex Hartley, the subject of her own media storm over the last few days after Sophie Ecclestone refused to give her an interview, is standing in the hot sun and reports short boundaries square and a bit of grass on the wicket.

Preamble