Live: Healy, Gardner injuries rock Australia as it eyes Ashes retention in first T20

Bell begins the over with a dot ball before she bowls a wide down the leg side.

That’s three legside wides in seven legal deliveries to start the innings.

Four! Clipped away by Beth Mooney and she gets her first boundary of the day. Again, too straight by Bell and that’s money for jam for Mooney.

All-rounder Freya Kemp gets her taste of the 2025 Women’s Ashes.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the young Englishwoman.

But it’s a wide down the leg side to begin, before Mooney is off the mark with a push to the offside.

Uppish! But safe. Georgia Voll just about negotiates her first ball of the series. She gets a leading edge over the off-side infield and it’s a couple to begin.

Four! Georgia Voll smashes one straight back over Kemp’s head. Full and straight, Voll stands up and gets it to the long on boundary.

A good start for Australia, 11 from the first over.

News from the SCG is that England captain Heather Knight has sent Australia in.

Those injuries to Healy and Gardner have put the hosts in a slight bit of disarray, and England will not have a better opportunity finally stamp a bit of authority on the series.

Massive news from the middle.

The player of the series so far, Ash Gardner, is out with a calf strain.

That was confirmed at the toss by stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath. We already knew that she would be assuming leadership duties in the absence of the also injured Alyssa Healy.

Georgia Voll will make her T20 debut at the top of order, Grace Harris is in for Gardner and Beth Mooney will fill in behind the stumps.

Less drama for England.

Dunkley, Kemp and Glenn all in, in what were pre-planned changes.

Australia: 
Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath (c), Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt

England: Maia Bouchier, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Freya Kemp, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell

Another massive injury blow for Australia confirmed by stand in skipper Tahlia McGrath at the toss.

The player of the series so far, Ash Gardner, will miss tonight’s first T20 with a calf strain.

Earlier this afternoon, it was also confirmed that captain Alyssa Healy will miss the match thanks to the recurrence of foot injury she suffered at last year’s World Cup.

Well, it really is now or never for England.

6-0 down and winless, they are just one more loss away from yet again failing to regain the urn.

But Australia batter Phoebe Litchfield, who will transition from ODI opener to middle order hitter for tonight’s first T20, says her side are not taking anything for granted.

“We’ve had a really positive start, we’re gonna take it but we’re keen to keep winning games,” she said.

“We’re keen to keep going.”

And she reckons that the change of format may give England a better chance of getting some overdue points on the board.

“The way England plays, they’re verry attacking and I think they take the game on as best as any side in the world,” Litchfield said.

“We’ll definitely not take them lightly, that’s for sure.

“We know how dangerous they are, through their batting and their bowling.”

In what is a big blow for Australia, skipper Alyssa Healy will miss tonight’s first T20 and potentially the remainder of the 2025 Women’s Ashes.

After leading her side to a clean sweep of the ODI leg of the tour, Healy reported soreness in the same foot that she injured during last year’s World Cup campaign.

“CA’s medical team is consulting with specialists to develop an appropriate management plan over the coming days,” a Cricket Australia statement read

“Her availability for the remainder of the series will be assessed as more information becomes available.”

That means Tahlia McGrath will take on captaining duties while Beth Mooney will return behind the stumps. Georgia Voll is likely to debut at the top of the order.

Australia is still yet to name its Test squad, and likely won’t know until it has a verdict on Healy’s fitness.

G’day, and welcome to the SCG where the Women’s Ashes is set to continue with the first of three T20 matches.

Having swept the three-game ODI portion of this series Australia is remarkably in a position to retain the Ashes tonight, still with two T20s and a Test match to come. It means the stakes could not be higher for England who simply must win this match if it has hopes of a miracle series reversal.

But in a massive concern for Australia, it will have to play at least this game and possibly the rest of the series without its captain Alyssa Healy. More on that soon.

Stick around and join me and Henry Hanson as we guide you through the game tonight.