'How good is it to have a result?' - Women's Ashes captains hail five-day Tests

Australia's hard-fought 89-run victory in the Women's Ashes Test at Trent Bridge was a vindication of the decision to stretch the contest over a full five days, according to Alyssa Healy and Heather Knight, the opposing captains, as well as the Player of the Match, Ashleigh Gardner, whose 12 wickets included the outstanding second-innings figures of 8 for 66.

Australia duly wrapped up victory shortly before lunch on the final morning, as Gardner claimed each of the final five wickets to fall for the addition of 62 more runs, and have now taken a huge leap towards retaining the Ashes for fifth series in a row, with England potentially needing to win five of the remaining six matches, starting with the first of three T20Is at Edgbaston on Saturday.

"It just shows having five days in the Test match to actually get a result is super-important," Gardner said at the post-match presentations, having played out draws in each of her previous three appearances in the format.

"We obviously need to celebrate this because it's super-special," Gardner added. "This is the first time that I've been involved in a Test match where we've got a result, but then we also turn our attention pretty quickly onto the T20s. We know how good England are at T20 cricket, so we need to be ready for that first match in Birmingham."

For Healy, captaining Australia in the absence of Meg Lanning, there was pride at overseeing a famous result, but also relief - both at ending her own barren run of form in Ashes Tests with a vital second-innings fifty, and in not messing up in her stand-in role.

"It was stressful," she joked. "I've got a few more grey hairs. But I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and I'm really honoured to have been able to do it in Test match, and obviously win one as well. I'm pretty chuffed standing here, but I really thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

She added: "First and foremost, how good is it to have a result, and I'm pleased to be on the right end of it. I guess, when you take the pressure off the captains and the teams to try and manipulate a result, it probably makes a little bit easier, but we'll have to wait and see how [five days for women's Tests] pans out. Even if it's just a potential of a reserve day, if there is rain, that wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Knight, meanwhile, has been one of the loudest advocates for a fifth day in women's Tests - not least since her brilliant performance in the last Ashes Test at Canberra in January 2022, where her first-innings century set up the game, only for England to have to settle for a draw, nine wickets down, after a thrilling fourth-innings chase.

"I've been quite vocal about having five days and I think today - and the whole five days, actually - showed why that was," she said. "Credit to Australia. They were outstanding, but our girls went toe to toe with them for a hell of a long time. And that was really impressive."

In particular, Knight called out the efforts of Tammy Beaumont, whose England-best 208 carried the fight after Australia had posted a daunting 473, and their star spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who picked up a brace of five-fors in each innings, and carried the bowling for a total of 77.1 overs after Nat Sciver-Brunt's involvement with the ball was hampered by a knee injury.

"Sophie, we called her Merlin [like the bowling machine], she just kept going from one end," Knight said. "Obviously with the loss of a bowler to a niggle, we had to have bowlers that stepped up and really take the job on and they've really grafted hard there.

"She's a captain's dream, I've been able to get the ball to her and just for her to hold up an end, she's so consistent. And, on that pitch, she was a real wicket-taking threat. I did wonder whether I was over-bowling her at one point, but she came back and again and again, and hardly bowled a loose ball all Test match.

"She's pretty tired but she's done an amazing job for the team. She's really dug deep and done a real job for us."

The final word, however, went to Australia's own star spinner, as Gardner took confidence from Ecclestone's success and ripped the contest her team's way at the crucial moments.

"I couldn't have dreamt of it, to be honest," she said after her 12-wicket haul. "There was a little bit of luck involved with the conditions out there, but I think as a whole bowling unit we bowled really well throughout and just tried to bowl in partnerships. I guess I was the lucky one to come away with wickets.

"We just said to keep the stumps in play as often as possible, to keep all modes of dismissal in play. Thankfully for me some kept low, some turned - most of mine didn't turn - but it was just awesome to be able to put a performance on for the team."