A glorious Ellyse Perry hundred, England's ragged fielding and a wet afternoon...WOMEN'S ASHES TALKING POINTS

In a must-win game like this, a slow death is almost more painful than a quick one. Runs can be made up, time less so. And here, Perry dealt Heather Knight’s side the ultimate sucker-punch

Peerless Perry

Even on a day blighted by an abysmal weather forecast, much of which came through Taunton as anticipated, Ellyse Perry found a way of locating a starring role.

Her hundred – one of life’s great inevitabilities in a virtually untroubled knock – was awash with class. At no stage did the Australian allrounder show any sign of tiring, of frustrating, of gifting away her wicket.

It was an exhibition of artistry; supremely competent, never concerned by the possibility of being outdone at the other end, she ticked her way to 116 of the finest runs.

More than her final total, it was the manner of her effort that proved so important here. Slowly, ball by ball, she sucked the remaining life out of this England side with the surety of her defence and the measure of her attack.

When she chose to go aerial, she did so in the knowledge that it was a risk-averse option, that she was taking the ball into unchartered, unmanned territories.

In a must-win game like this, a slow death is almost more painful than a quick one. Runs can be made up, time less so. And here, Perry dealt Heather Knight’s side the ultimate sucker-punch; her runs came at a rate dictated by her own willow, their destination decided by her mind’s desire. There were 13 players out there, all were playing the game of one woman.

One sensed that had the situation required a change in tempo, Perry would simply have flicked a switch and moved into a different gear.

As it happened, that was never necessary here; when England bowled well, the pitch offered nothing to trouble the world’s finest player. When they strayed, Perry punished their negligence.

In a Test match being challenged by a mixture of a poor pitch and even poorer weather, she found a way of raising its level. It was a faultless red-ball knock – an exhibition of batsmanship. She is now the holder of the second highest women’s Test batting average of all time.

A total of 329 runs between Test dismissals – two wickets with four years and 655 deliveries between them; an unbeaten 213 in 2017 and 116 today.

When she had last been dismissed – caught behind by Sarah Taylor off the bowling of Anya Shrubsole, the Brexit referendum was still a year away, Donald Trump’s presidency was 15 months from reality, while Roy Hodgson still had a year to look forward to as the head coach of England’s football team.

Much of that, of course, is a consequence not of Perry’s own brilliance, but of the farcical approach towards women’s Test cricket; there is no regular stream, more a drip-feed to form the midpoint of a Women’s Ashes series.

Still, watching Perry here was a treat. That it was never in doubt is not to criticise England’s bowling, but to bow at the feet of a super cricketer.

England’s bowlers ploughed on as catches went down; that Perry’s runs took up 281 deliveries was testament to their persistence of line and length. She, however, had her own ideas.

^{Perry struck 116 in her first Test innings since making 213* against England in Sydney in 2017}

Australia's helping hand

If Perry’s own knock was a chanceless escapade, others were the object of greater fortune. Meg Lanning was put down by Knight 30 runs shy of her eventual dismissal, while Rachael Haynes was shelled by Sophie Ecclestone diving away to her right as she and Perry ticked along on the second morning.

Balls squirmed through legs and an overthrow took Perry through to her hundred. The wheels never came off – a strong effort given the circumstances, but they were certainly close at times.

This can not have been an easy stint in the field, watching both clouds and batsmen slowly strip away any lasting dreams of a miraculous Ashes recovery.

To describe the fielding display as ragged would be most accurate – England were often as good as they were bad. Diving stops at backward point were punctuated with unsuccessful slides and fumbles on a mostly pristine outfield.

A ferocious forecast comes true...

Ultimately, however, much of this was the work of the weather. Anya Shrubsole declared at the close of the first day that English forecasts are rarely accurate. Here, though, the worst nightmares of England’s thinktank came true. A session was all they got.

In truth, it may have been a blessing of sorts. Australia were showing no imminent signs of a declaration, while their batting lineup is nothing if not full of depth. Jess Jonassen, scheduled to come in at nine before replacing Haynes following her dismissal, has a Test 99 against England.

What began as drizzle as the teams left the field for lunch soon became a more substantial intermittence. Taunton never saw the apocalypse which, perhaps, drew out the false hope all those present.

But as the Quantock hills in the distance gradually disappeared from view, time was soon up. The floodlights turned themselves off - an appropriate metaphor if ever there was one - as groundsmen scurried all over an increasingly sodden scene.

With Australia still batting with the game now at its midway point, the Women’s Ashes – dangling over the edge of England’s cliffs of hope even before this four-day clash began – were beginning to strap themselves in for their long-haul flight home.

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