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'Never underrated' Garth sets tone for Aussies again

A happy knack of taking wickets in the first over put the Aussies on the front foot in their MCG Test

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      Australia v England | Only Test | Day One

      As the umpire signalled for play to begin, Kim Garth had the fresh pink Kookaburra in her hand.

      Three slips, a gully and an eager wicketkeeper Beth Mooney stood waiting.

      The result seemed almost inevitable.

      Four balls in, and Garth had the wicket of England opener Maia Bouchier, caught by a delighted Mooney, low to her right.

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          Mooney grabs a beauty as Garth strikes early

          It's only Garth's fourth Test, but it's already the third time she's taken a wicket in the opening over of the innings, a feat she achieved against India and South Africa last season.

          Her consistent strikes in the new ball have not gone unnoticed by her teammates, either.  

          "To get the wicket in the first over was something that Kimmy G does for a living," Alana King told reporters after day one.

          "We love to see it."

          From that moment on, Garth was relentless.

          She had the ball swinging both ways, yet was only given four overs in her opening spell.

          However, it was when Garth was swung around to the opposite end of the ground, the Members' end, for her second spell, that she really dialled in.

          It was a clinic in swing bowling from the 28-year-old, taking the massive wicket of England captain Heather Knight and trouble Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophia Dunkley.

          When it was finally time for a break just before the tea interval, she finished her spell with the brilliant figures of 6-3-4-1.

          It's a continuation of the excellent form Garth displayed in the ODI and T20I portion of the Ashes, where she claimed seven wickets in five matches.

          Rarely does she receive the accolades of the team's big-name players, but King stressed that internally Garth's true worth is well recognised.

          "We don't undervalue her," King said.

          "Maybe she's been undervalued by the media but she plays a crucial part with the new ball.

          "When she's swinging that ball and got it on a string, she really sets up our bowling attack.

          "But she's never underrated in our team."

          King and Garth were the standout bowlers for the home side, but there were no weak links in the bowling attack.

          The most expensive bowler was Annabel Sutherland, who went at exactly three runs an over, but she could consider herself unlucky with several of her deliveries going past the batter's outside edge.

          Throughout the entire Ashes, regardless of the format, partnership bowling has been a focus for the hosts.

          "We speak about that (bowling partnerships) a lot," King said.

          "Coming off a really good white-ball series, our bowlers really did bowl in partnerships.

          "We just said nothing really changes in Test cricket, we've just got to do it for longer and be really patient with that and the reward will come."

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              'Ball was fizzing out': King delighted after four-wicket haul

              Despite 71.4 overs being bowled by Australia, even bowlers of the calibre of Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath weren't required.

              Perry was off the field for the entire second and third sessions after landing awkwardly on her hip. The star allrounder's participation in the remainder of the match is yet to be decided by medical staff.  

              Commbank Women's Ashes 2025

              Australia lead the multi-format series 12-0

              First ODI: Australia won by four wickets

              Second ODI: Australia won by 21 runs

              Third ODI: Australia won by 86 runs

              First T20I: Australia won by 57 runs

              Second T20I: Australia won by six runs (DLS Method)

              Third T20I: Australia won by 72 runs

              Australia squad (ODI/T20Is): Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris+, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

              England squad (ODI/T20Is): Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross*, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson+, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath+, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp+, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith+, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

              * ODIs only; + T20Is only

              Day-night Test: January 30 - February 2: MCG, Melbourne, 2.30pm AEDT

              Australia Test squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

              England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

              The rivalry resumes with a blockbuster series in Australia until Feb 2. Learn about the remarkable 90-year history at the Women's Ashes Hub