Five quick hits: Spin queens Alana King and Ash Gardner race for five, and England's impressive 10th-wicket rearguard

The Australian team secured a stunning victory over England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), concluding the match in just three days. The outstanding performances of spin bowlers Alana King and Ashleigh Gardner were pivotal, especially their combined nine wickets. Here are five highlights from day three of the MCG Test.

For the past two days, Ellyse Perry had been watching from the sidelines in her training gear for the most part. A hip injury sustained on day one appeared sufficient to rule her out of the remainder of the match, although Cricket Australia had always kept the possibility of a Perry return alive. When Tahlia McGrath was the first wicket to fall on the morning of day three, and Kim Garth came to the crease, it was assumed Perry would not be playing. However, to everyone’s surprise, when Garth was dismissed for a duck, Perry walked out to bat as Australia’s number 10. Why Perry came out is unknown. Perhaps because she missed the last major match the Australian women played at the MCG, the T20 World Cup win in front of a packed house.

Perry lasted nine minutes for two runs, before being caught by Sophie Ecclestone to end the Australian innings. But as she walked out to the crease, the crowd rose to their feet to applaud her. In hindsight, her coming out to bat was a wise move. After all, she didn’t spend a single minute on the field during England’s second innings. When Australia resumed on 5-422 on day three, it seemed only a matter of time before they would finish off England’s bowlers. However, England had other ideas. They had shown absolutely no spirit on day two, but showed some belated fight on day three, blitzing the Australian tail, who lost 5 wickets for just 63 runs to be all out for 440. It’s a collapse rarely seen from Australia, so England should take some encouragement from it. However, considering the 270-run deficit, one can’t help but think it was too little too late.

Beth Mooney may not have slept well between day two and day three, with the scoreboard showing her on 98*. Mooney was at the crease for the first ball of day three, two runs short of her maiden Test century. For the first five balls, all of her nerves were on display. Ecclestone beat the edge of Mooney’s bat twice, nearly had her bowled again, then watched as the nervous batter threatened to run herself out. The tension was palpable for everyone watching. Then, on the last ball of the over, Ecclestone bowled a short ball, and Mooney played a signature cut shot through point. Her nerves instantly vanished, and a smile spread across her face. The MCG erupted in cheers for her as Mooney conquered her third and final format, becoming the first Australian woman to score a century in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

Australia’s early bowling was a little lackluster, with seamers Darcie Brown, Kim Garth, and Annabel Sutherland largely failing to trouble the English top order. It took a while for the spinners to get their opportunity, but when they did, they changed the game. Ash Gardner was the first to strike, with Alana King hot on her heels. The pair combined to bowl through the entire middle session, taking six wickets between them. England were relatively comfortable at 2-100 when Gardner and King got to work. Such was the fragility of the hope - 67 balls later, England were 5-17 down and facing humiliation. It was bowling at its best, with pressure applied at one end, and wickets falling at the other, as King and Gardner took turns to rip through the English middle and lower order. The competition between them as to who could get five wickets was one of the minor highlights of Australia’s inevitable victory. But King won that battle, her brilliant effort culminating in her first five-wicket haul in a Test match, and nine for the match, capping off her phenomenal series.

The match was all but over long before Sophie Ecclestone trudged off the field, leaving England nine wickets down. But that didn’t stop Lauren Filer and Lauren Bell from doing their best to frustrate the Australian attack. As Gardner and King toiled away, beating the bat with relentless pace, seagulls circled over the MCG, seemingly ready to pick at the remains of England’s shattered hopes and dreams in this series. But Filer and Bell held on. They persisted. They kept going. For over 11 overs, the pair blocked, poked, pushed, and survived by the barest of margins as the ball flew past their bats and stumps. King started to look tired. Gardner looked perplexed. Healy looked stunned. But eventually, after their first 68-ball partnership – and only 14 runs – Filer spooned a catch to Annabel Sutherland at mid-wicket, sparking scenes of joy for the Australians.