Australia went into the only Test match of the Women’s Ashes with one goal in mind – a whitewash and a 16-0 scoreline – and England did little to dispel that grim prospect as their batting line-up crumbled to 170 all out on the first day.

Nat Sciver-Brunt could manage only a wry smile as she lifted her bat in the air to acknowledge her fifth Test half century, as the only England batter to score more than 25 as the team yet again fell into similar patterns and were bowling midway through the final session.

England have struggled all series to put innings together. No batter had scored a century in the six white-ball games and their highest score was a meagre 222. In front of just over 11,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, nothing had changed, despite dropping spinner Charlie Dean to make space for an extra batter.

Sciver-Brunt was England’s only player to offer any resistance to the Australian attack, scoring 51 from 129 deliveries, before falling shortly after the dinner interval, to be followed quickly by the rest of the tail.

In the first women’s Test match at the MCG since 1949, and the first day-nighter at the historic ground, England were unable to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued them since they first touched down in Sydney at the start of the month.

Having been put into bat by Australia, the tone was set at the start of the day when Maia Bouchier edged behind off the fourth ball of the innings. Despite scoring a Test century on debut in South Africa before Christmas, Bouchier has averaged 6.8 across the formats Down Under, and she is far from the only batter to fall short in Australia.

Heather Knight, Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge all made starts to their innings but none were able to push on and carve out a partnership with Sciver-Brunt to guide England towards a respectable total.

Once Sciver-Brunt’s partnership with Amy Jones was broken with the wicketkeeper caught in the wrong position and bowled for just three to leave the side 130 for six, England could only delay the inevitable.

Wyatt-Hodge told TNT Sports: “It was a really tough one, you had to really grind for your runs, especially when Kingy [Alana King] was absolutely ragging it on day one.

“It is what it is. It’s what has happened over this whole Ashes series. We would have liked another 50 runs.”

As Australia finished the day 56 for one, England’s total already looked definitively sub-par.

Even Sciver-Brunt had a stroke of fortune and was handed a reprieve when Alyssa Healy used the ground to help her take a catch with the English all-rounder then on 44 off 106.

She went on to reach a milestone, but fell just after the second interval to King as England’s woes against spin continued for the 71.4 overs of their first innings, despite Australia making uncharacteristic mistakes in the field, including dropped catches.

King finished as the pick of the bowlers with four wickets for 45. She has been a thorn in England’s side from the start of the series, with the batters having no answer to her leg spin, which stole the spotlight in the shadow of the Shane Warne Stand.

Head coach Jon Lewis has blamed England’s bowling for being too wayward and allowing too many runs in the field, but under the lights at the MCG, it was Australia who had to weather the storm.

Batting in the most difficult of conditions, Australia did what England could not, survive long enough to go on the attack.

Phoebe Litchfield did not concern herself with run rate, digging in to finish the day unbeaten on 20, unperturbed by the seagull invasion at the stadium.

Georgia Voll was the only wicket to fall, as Australia started their innings watchfully and then put away the bad balls with ease to reach the close of play trailing England by 114 runs.

England have never been whitewashed since the multi-format points system was introduced in 2013, but after the opening day of the Test they already face an uphill battle to avoid a 16-0 defeat.

An historic day for women’s cricket across Melbourne

By Polly Starkie, in Melbourne

Historic moments in cricket can be rare, but in Melbourne on Thursday two came along on the same day.

Milestones, records and anniversaries were the running themes as women’s cricket topped the agenda – and provided an emotional reminder of the power of sport.

“Cricket is a universal language,” said Tim Watts, Australia’s assistant minister for foreign affairs, at a gathering ahead of play at the Junction Oval. It summed up so much about the story of the Afghan team about to take the field and was said in a room filled with people passionate about supporting those women. From CEOs to former SAS members, everyone attending had the same ambition: for cricket to be available to every girl.

Wearing bright blue shirts with an emblem designed by team member Benafsha Hashimi, the Afghan XI stepped onto a cricket field together for the first time since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021. They were playing a Cricket Without Borders XI made up of local club players, many of whom the Afghan women usually call team-mates.

They were not on home soil and were not officially playing under the Afghan flag, but the pride, joy and competitiveness remained. It was a day that would have been unimaginable during the brave escape these women made, fleeing their home country and burning their cricket kits in fear.

Flowers, Afghan flags and plenty of hugs were shared, as many who aided their risky journey stood on the boundary to watch a special few hours unfold. It was like an emotional reunion at an airport arrivals gate as the family and friends of players piled onto the pitch to celebrate and congratulate the history-making XI at the close of play, albeit that they lost.

Less than five kilometres away another historic game was about to commence: the first day-night Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, 90 years after the first Australia-England women’s series and 76 years since the last Test between the two sides at the MCG.

Cricket Australia got the occasion right. From honouring former Australia Test captains with a guard of honour as they were welcomed ahead of play, to getting a hundred young children on the pitch in the tea break playing cricket, it captured the mood of celebration.

A traditional Aboriginal welcome opened proceedings, while a didgeridoo resounded throughout the sporting colosseum. The Australian fans may have been out in their numbers, but a smattering of loyal England supporters could be seen throughout the grounds wearing shirts from a variety of eras.

Unlike in Adelaide earlier in the series, the English Barmy Army were not as vocal, but trumpeters and drummers were ever-present as Australia continued their dominance over England. The floodlights shone and the pink ball glided through the air while more than 11,000 watched for the first sessions of the Ashes Test.

It was a poignant day for women’s cricket and Melbourne was at the epicentre.