Mark Robinson defends England amid criticism of defensive batting as Australia retain Women's Ashes

England faced questions for allowing the game to drift on the third evening – a spell during which Katherine Brunt and Nat Sciver put on 57 runs in 27.4 overs for the sixth wicket, all but ending any realistic chance of an unlikely win

Mark Robinson lamented a crucial toss as he reflected on a draw in the Test match at Taunton that saw Australia retain the Women’s Ashes, admitting that his side was “swimming against the tide” after the visitors elected to bat first.

Five members of Australia’s top six passed fifty in a first innings effort that lasted 154.4 overs, with Ellyse Perry reaching her second consecutive Test hundred – the last coming in the corresponding meeting between the sides in 2017 in Sydney.

With rain also wiping out two sessions of the four-day game and a placid pitch showing few signs of deteriorating, England were never able to manoeuvre themselves into a position of control, with their own first innings lasting 107.1 overs before Heather Knight declared with England 275 for nine, just passing the follow-on target.

England faced criticism for allowing the game to drift on the third evening – a spell during which Katherine Brunt and Nat Sciver put on 57 runs in 27.4 overs for the sixth wicket, with Amy Jones, who had played fluently for 64, falling at the beginning of the final session.

Robinson, however, defended his side, explaining that scoring quickly was likely to be far easier against the new ball on a slow surface.

“I don't think anybody intentionally tried to shut up shop,” he said. “Nat was playing her way. There were definitely no instructions to do anything else. You always want to play with intent, whatever you're doing, whatever the situation.

“You've got to trust players to do the right thing at the right time. If Katherine gets out there you've got your bowlers quickly, you're bowled out and you're following on, and it's all over then quite quickly.

“About 10 minutes before the close me and Heather had a little bit of a chat and the general consensus of the dressing room was your best chance of pushing the game on was against the new ball,” he added.

“If you look at all the scoring rates in the game they’ve dropped from about 40, 50 overs. They got 420 at about at 2.9 an over for the whole innings. It drops.

“You’ve got [Megan] Schutt bowling with everybody in front of the bat, you’ve got the left-arm spinner bowling over the wicket. Any point they can put everybody back for Nat and expect Anya to score or Katherine to score. It’s very, very hard.”

England's rate of scoring and ambition noticeably increased on the fourth morning, with Sciver and Laura Marsh taking England towards the magic number of 271, which would ensure that England could not be put back in immediately by Lanning.

^{Katherine Brunt was the pick of the seamers on show in the game}

He reserved special praise for Sciver who, after seeing Jones and Sarah Taylor fall in quick succession, held England’s innings together, working her way to 88 before dragging a delivery from Jess Jonassen onto her stumps 12 runs shy of a maiden Test hundred.

“There’s been a lot of talk and quite rightly so on how outstandingly wel Perry’s played,” England’s head coach explained. “She’s played a great innings. But Nat Sciver’s was as good as anything you’ve seen in this match.”

Robinson added that Australia’s batting depth had proven a major advantage in the Test, with Jess Jonassen – initially scheduled to bat at nine – already possessing a Test score of 99.

Sophie Molineux and Ashleigh Gardner - both on Test debut and batting at seven and eight respectively - open the batting for their Women's Big Bash franchises.

“The only big difference between the two teams really is the athleticism,” he argued. “That’s not lack of effort from our team, that’s not lack of desire, they’ve just got better athletes, you can’t help that. The depth of their batting order is a little bit different.

“But we’ve got some good players. Brunty in this game, she’s been the best seamer by a country mile. At the age she is, her desire and her heart is awesome.

“God gives you physical attributes. I could send our whole group of 21 players to the WBBL, it won’t make them better athletes.

“I can’t make somebody be able to run and do what Ellyse Perry does. We’ve got Nat and people like that. We have to do it a different way. We compare ourselves to West Indies or some other countries, we’re more blessed. That’s just where we are.”

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