After allowing the Aus ladies to score the highest ever T20 in Aus (178), in part due to some poor fielding, we got off to a terrible start with an early, needless run out and two further wickets lost.
But now, the Aussies have dropped four absolute sitters and we are suddenly on track of the huge rate required. 120/3 after 14. It could be close!
Danni Wyatt scores 100 off 56 balls. First ever English women’s century in T20. Only the sixth ever (including one for each team today!)
And then is bowled 
.
8 needed from 11 balls… 171/5
We win! Despite losing three wickets in the last two overs, did it with 6 balls to spare.
Brilliant to chase down 178, after being 30/3. Series tied 
Highest T20 run chase for the Women there.
The draw the Ashes series with 8 points each. Australia, however, retain the Ashes.
Let’s see if the men can improve on this, 11pm tonight it all starts.
Enjoy watching a blank screen.
Unless the Beeb is wrong, it starts Thursday not Wednesday…
Umm, oh yeah
Have reflected on things overnight.
And I do have to say that in @btripz may just have had THE most epic FAIL of all epic fails on this site.
I mean, he posts 90% of the cricket comments, retweets 99.99997% of any cricket tweets.
And yet doesn’t know when the Ashes actually start.
Gotta be worth at least a mention in the end of season awards.
Hell, he even got the TIME wrong - it’s Winter, the clocks went back, the match starts at 00:00 GMT not BST ffs it’s not like it is some big secret that you need to go onto the Dark Web to find
England’s defence of the Ashes begins at 00:00 GMT on Thursday when the first Test against Australia gets under way in Brisbane.
Meanwhile, no, I will not be staying awake until 4am. I fully expect England to be a fortuitous 47-5 by the time I find a stream after lunch in Brisbane with my coffee in the morning.
Anyway some sense from Aggers. Such a nice bloke, shared list to the airporta and then a bottle of Chardonnay with him in Business Class on a flight back from a Karachi Test many years ago
Time to start deciding whether or not to stay up all night. Usually I book leave to cover the whole series and go nocturnal, but circumstances have conspired against that.
The plus side is that I’ve been wretchedly snotty and bleary enough this past week that nobody at work will notice if I’m also massively sleep-deprived.
Any predictions for the first ball?
Me and a mate were watching in 2006 and he turned to me as Harmison was running in and said “this one’s going to second slip”. Obviously I had him burned as a witch.
The first ball will be round. Mostly. And delivered full length, with furious pace and purpose, hitting middle and off*
*assumes England are batting
Bouncer. Beats everyone. 4 byes.
I just can’t shake this nagging feeling that, if England bowl first, Anderson will send the first one down the wrong strip and England will never recover.
Or the whole team will turn up in Perth and the match will be forfeit.
Sorry @dubai_phil I thought yesterday was Wednesday, which it obviously isn’t.
Meanwhile I have been struck down with the dreaded lurgy so there is no way in hell that I will be physically able to stay up and watch the start, as much as I want to…
Eh? Perfect reason to be off work. No sleep needed.
Less than an hour to go 
Won the toss. Batting.
First hour is key I reckon, try and see off Starc and Cummins
**Australia: ** Warner, Bancroft, Khawaja, Smith, Handscomb, Marsh, Paine, Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood, Lyon.
**England: ** Cook, Stoneman, Vince, Root, Malan, Moeen, Bairstow, Woakes, Broad, Anderson, Ball.
You sticking with it throughout SB?