Australia v South Africa: one-off women’s Test, day one – live | Australia women’s cricket team

29th over: Australia 142-3 (Mooney 64, Healy 64) South Africa turn to the twirl of Chloe Tryon. A decent start from the spinner who pushes the ball onto the batters on a good length and gets out of the over with just three off it, feels like the first boundary-less over in yonks.

28th over: Australia 139-3 (Mooney 64, Healy 61) de Klerk resumes with the ball after a slurp of something cooling and is greeted by Beth Mooney’s flowing blade as a full ball is pinged back past the beleaguered bowler for four more runs.

27th over: Australia 134-3 (Mooney 60, Healy 60) Crikes. Australia have scorched 64 runs off 60 balls in the post tea period. The lead has raced to 58 runs and the umpires call drinks. South Africa need a shot of something in their gatorade, this pair proving to be their batting kryptonite so far in Perth.

27th over: Australia 128-3 (Mooney 54, Healy 60) It’s been brutal stuff from Australia since the tea break. Twelve runs are plundered from the over as Hlubi wilts in the heat. Healy drives for four and follows up by hitting a cover drive with Swiss clock timing to take her to a highest score in Test cricket.

26th over: Australia 116-3 (Mooney 53, Healy 51) The 100 partnership comes up between Mooney and Healy and Beth Mooney goes to a half century of her own by sweeping Mlaba away for four. It’s taken 81 balls for the opener who was marooned down the non striker’s end for Klaas’ early onslaught. She’s absolute granite for her side.

25th over: Australia 110-3 (Mooney 48, Healy 50) Alyssa Healy crashes a pull shot to the fence for four and goes to a 59-ball fifty! It’s been a counterpunching masterclass from the Aussie skipper and a first Test half ton on home soil.

24th over: Australia 105-3 (Mooney 47, Healy 46) A welcome maiden from Mlaba brings a few moments of respite for the visitors. One ball in particular fizzes and bounces to offer some signs of hope, the ball ripping past a watchful Healy’s outside edge.

23rd over: Australia 105-3 (Mooney 47, Healy 46) Beth Mooney drives a full bunger from Klaas down the ground for an easy four.All the signs are showing that it could be a punishing session for South Africa under the Western Australian sun.

22nd over: Australia 101-3 (Mooney 43, Healy 46) Beth Mooney is happy to glide along in Healy’s more aggressive slipstream. A bit of width from Mlaba allows the opener to open the face and run the ball away fine for another deft four. 100 up for Australia and the lead is opening up.

21st over: Australia 96-3 (Mooney 38, Healy 46) Australia are truly dominating now, Healy gets on the front foot and pumps Klaas over mid on for another four. She’s approaching fifty and South Africa are in desperate need of a wicket to break this partnership.

‘Ave it!

20th over: Australia 89-3 (Mooney 40, Healy 38) Mlaba drops short to Healy and is punished with a scything cut for four.

19th over: Australia 84-3 (Mooney 36, Healy 37) Klaas is summoned back into the attack but even she can’t stop the flow. Healy pills for three through midwicket to give the Aussies the lead. Mooney then gets in on the act with a delicious drive through the covers for four.

18th over: Australia 76-3 (Mooney 32, Healy 33) Left arm spin from Nonkululeko Mlaba to get things underway. Mooney sweeps her first ball for a couple and then slams the second ball away for the first boundary of the session, a powerful cut square of the wicket to a bit of a drag down. The scores are now level, every run from here on in will hurt South Africa that little bit more.

Here come the players for the final session of the day. There are 49 overs left in the day, we won’t get anywhere near those.

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Geoff just sent through this nice missive on Australia’s star performer with the ball today:

17th over: Australia 70-3 (Mooney 26, Healy 33) Healy shows off her deft touch with a velvet handed late cut for four. She then defends the final ball of the session to see her side to the tea break with the deficit reduced to just six runs. The players trudge off under the stifling afternoon sun, the home side much the happier.

16th over: Australia 66-3 (Mooney 26, Healy 29) This is a fantastic counterpunch by Mooney and Healy. Their fifty-partnership comes up with Beth Mooney batting well outside of her crease and turning a de Klerk length ball into a half volley – timing it through cover for another boundary. Australia made just 18 runs from the first nine overs as Klaas and Hlubi kept the pressure on but since they departed the scene it has been all Australia.

15th over: Australia 57-3 (Mooney 19, Healy 28) Three boundaries off the over for Australia! Alyssa Healy is ticking and dangerous. She cuts Bosch for four and follows it up with a drive through the covers for four more. The bowler looks a tad rattled, dropping short once more and getting plundered for another boundary by the gimlet eyed Healy.

14th over: Australia 45-3 (Mooney 19, Healy 16) Shot! de Klerk sends down a half volley and Mooney greets it with a delightfully straight blade. Four more, a flurry of boundaries since drinks. South Africa in danger of letting Australia off the hook here, their slender lead stands at only 31. More wickets needed to make this a one innings shootout.

13th over: Australia 40-3 (Mooney 15, Healy 15) Lovely! Alyssa Healy unfurls a coaching manual cover drive and holds the pose for good measure. The ball tracing away across the turf to the boundary. Australia are punching back here with the first change SA bowlers coming on and the intensity dropping off a little. Healy pulls for a couple and Beth Mooney drives uppishly to collect another brace. Ten runs off the over in total. Precious runs at this stage.

12th over: Australia 30-3 (Mooney 13, Healy 8) de Klerk is getting some movement in the air despite the sweltering conditions. She drops too short though and Healy pounces to slap through point for another boundary. The home side starting to tick.

11th over: Australia 23-3 (Mooney 11, Healy 3) Anneke Bosch replaces Klaas, who has 3-8 from her opening spell. Bosch and bosh! The bowler drops short and is crunched away square of the wicket by Mooney for a welcome Aussie boundary.

10th over: Australia 19-3 (Mooney 7, Healy 3) It is – as Caroline Aherne’s Fast Show weather presenter Poula Fisch would say – “Scorchio” in Perth. The mercury touching on 43 degrees. Umbrellas, ice packs and cold drinks are the order of the day during the drinks break. It’s about 7 degrees and belligerently dank here in South London, hot coffee and thick socks.

Nadine de Klerk replaces Hlubi and Mooney scampers a single into the off side. The match is on a knife edge.

9th over: Australia 18-3 (Mooney 6, Healy 3) Mooney flashes at a drive to a ball outside off stump and connects only with the Perth breeze. Signs of frustration from the usually unflappable opener. She’s playing with her hands well away from her body at the moment, dicing with death. Time for a drink.

8th over: Australia 16-3 (Mooney 5, Healy 2) Hlubi is challenging the edge, landing it on a handkerchief on and around off stump. Mooney glides a single past point and Healy fails to get hold of a pull shot but plinks for one into the leg side.

7th over: Australia 15-3 (Mooney 5, Healy 1) Klaas has been.. class. She already has Litchfield, McGrath and Perry in her back pocket and looks very dangerous. Healy gets off the mark with a flick to leg and Mooney returns the favour with a slightly fortunate inside edge past the timbers.

WICKET! McGrath c Jafta b Klaas 0, Australia 12-3

WICKET! Perry c Jafta b Klaas 3, Australia 12-2

4th over: Australia 12-1 (Mooney 3, Perry 3) First runs for Perry, driving Hlubi away nicely through point for two, then taking one down the ground.

3rd over: Australia 9-1 (Mooney 3, Perry 0) Stretching for width, driving to cover, Mooney is denied by the fielder. No run from the over.

2nd over: Australia 9-1 (Mooney 3, Perry 0) That brings Australia’s Test doyen to the crease, Ellyse Perry. She’s only 75 runs away from 1000 in women’s Test cricket, which is a serious achievement given how few they play. Mooney is on strike though, the ball swinging down leg from Hlubi. Once Mooney gets a straighter line she’s able to drive three through cover.

WICKET! Litchfield c Bosch b Klaas 4, Australia 6-1

We mentioned South Africa’s women have only played 13 Tests starting in 1960, and only been bowled out 18 times on those, but today’s is the lowest score of the lot. They made 89 against New Zealand in Durban in 1972.

South Africa all out 76 in the first innings

WICKET! Hlubi b Brown 5, South Africa 76-10

31st over: South Africa 76-9 (Klaas 10, Hlubi 5) A short straight mid off in place for Sutherland bowling to Hlubi, who defends off an inside edge to midwicket. Then runs down the ground! Drives through mid on for four. Slices her next shot, and it lands between cover and point for a run. The partnership is worth 19.

30th over: South Africa 71-9 (Klaas 10, Hlubi 0) Brown tosses the ball from hand to hand, then fires at the stumps again, and Klass gives it the same treatment! Bashed through mid on. Brown could try going wider on the crease and ramping up that angle at the stumps. Instead she bowls a beamer! Down the leg side too, to the boundary, so that’s five no balls. Handy for SA. Gets her line back though, and misses leg stump marginally after beating the outside edge of the retreating Klaas. Keeps bowling at leg stump rather than off stump, and bowls another high full toss to follow, but not quite high enough to get penalised. Expensive over.

29th over: South Africa 62-9 (Klaas 6, Hlubi 0) A whole over for Hlubi to survive, but she does so, plays a couple of shots against Sutherland too, including one that nearly carries to mid off, and another that bounces just in front of the bowler.

28th over: South Africa 62-9 (Klaas 6, Hlubi 0) Runs for Klaas! Brown tries the yorker, and it gets slammed back down the ground for four.

27th over: South Africa 58-9 (Klaas 2, Hlubi 0) Sutherland at the other end. Klaas hits a run down the ground. Hlubi sees out the rest.

26th over: South Africa 57-9 (Klaas 1, Hlubi 0) That last ball is negotiated by Ayanda Hlubi, the No11 blocking it away. The end for South Africa is nigh, but postponed.

WICKET! Mlaba c McGrath b Brown 6, South Africa 57-9

We’re coming back after the sandwiches.

Lunch – Day 1, South Africa 55-8

25th over: South Africa 55-8 (Mlaba 4, Klaas 1) Three for Brown, three for Sutherland, two for McGrath who runs in now. It’s a pretty sloppy over though, wide either side of the stumps. No runs. And that will be lunch.

24th over: South Africa 55-8 (Mlaba 4, Klaas 1) Masabata Klass the next on the carousel, and she backs away to slap a wide ball to cover point for one. Mlaba doesn’t mind, shuffling to leg to create room, digging out a full ball past the bowler for four.

WICKET! Tryon c Perry b Brown 5, South Africa 50-8

23rd over: South Africa 50-7 (Tryon 5, Mlaba 0) We’re into the bowlers, Nonkululeko Mlaba to the middle. Leaves her first, defends her second, ends the over.

WICKET! Jafta c Healy b McGrath 0, South Africa 50-7

22nd over: South Africa 50-6 (Tryon 5, Jafta 0) Tryon cracks a cover drive but can’t get one for it, the cover fielder around to cut it off. Again with a shot off the back foot to backward point. Then hit on the inner thigh as she can’t get around her pad in time, marooned on the front foot. And jabs at a ball that beats the outside edge. The cordon appeal but they’re not supported by the umpire. Finally, though, she gets one away, King misfielding at backward point as the ball is cut hard at her, through the hands on the bounce. Sutherland 1 for 13 after the boundary.

21st over: South Africa 46-6 (Tryon 1, Jafta 0) There’s serious hoop for McGrath, too, who gets one moving away from the wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta and nearly taking the edge. And again, after a ball down leg. Tryon might need to get out some shots here to try putting pressure back on Australia.

WICKET! de Klerk c Mooney b McGrath 5, South Africa 46-6

20th over: South Africa 42-5 (Tryon 1, de Klerk 1) Tryon got off the mark in that over, but it brought about the wicket of Luus next ball. Nadine de Klerk is next in. Gets going quickly with a run to cover.

WICKET! Luus c Molineux b Sutherland 26, South Africa 41-5