Australia’s Test teams have wrapped up dominant victories home and away within two minutes of each other, with the MCG victory over England sealing a historic Women’s Ashes whitewash.
The women got the job done first after player of the series Alana King (5-53) combined with Ashleigh Gardner (4-39) to condemn a hapless England side to the first 16-0 series defeat under the current points system.
And it was spin to win on both fronts as Nathan Lyon (4-78) and Matthew Kuhnemann (4-86) ripped through a Sri Lankan side forced to follow on in Galle.
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At the MCG, Australia’s victory by an innings and 122 runs condemned England to the first whitewash in a Women’s Ashes series featuring three or more matches.
“A lot of relief for Australia because this side has been working so hard together,” Lisa Sthalekar said on Channel 7.
“They would’ve been bitterly disappointed about the T20 World Cup (semi-final defeat). The Ashes is just as big for them and to be able to create history — it means so much to this group.”
King claimed 4-45 in the first innings and backed up that performance with a starring role in the second, striking three times in the middle session.
Her dismissal of Sophia Dunkley was a classic legspinner’s wicket, sharply turning from leg stump to crash into off stump.
Speaking after play on day one, King hoped the late Warne would have enjoyed legspin bowling again being on show in a Test at MCG.
Annabel Sutherland and Beth Mooney produced groundbreaking centuries that powered Australia to 440 in their one and only innings.
Sutherland’s ton was the first in a women’s Test at the MCG while Mooney became the first Australian woman to score an international century in all three formats of the game.
“Sixteen nil has a really nice ring to it. Couldn’t be prouder of the girls, how we played the last month of cricket,” King said.
“We had our backs against the wall at times but for us to stick fat, play the way we want to play and hopefully entertain everyone, it was a brilliant effort from all of us.”
In Galle, Sri Lanka lost an astonishing 15 wickets in less than a full day of play to be beaten by an innings and 242 runs — their heaviest defeat in Test cricket.
Australian stand-in captain Steve Smith said the three-pronged spin attack “worked out well” after Usman Khawaja’s double ton set the tone for the match.
Kuhnemann went from in doubt with a thumb injury to on song as he posted the second five-wicket haul of his career to help end Sri Lanka’s first innings inside 45 minutes on day four.
In the second innings Mitch Starc and Todd Murphy dispatched both openers early, the former at his brutal best when he struck Oshada Fernando lbw before the back-up opener lodged one of the all-time worst reviews.
Ball Tracker showed a near unplayable Starc in-swinger would have contacted the 32-year-old’s middle stump.
After a wicketless first innings, Murphy embarrassed opener Dimuth Karunaratne (0), who left him alone only to find his off stump rattled.
The second and final Test of the series begins in Galle on Thursday and will again air live, free and exclusive on Seven and 7plus Sport.
– with AAP
