Australia v England
WACA Ground, Perth: 21st – 24th March 1958
At the WACA for the fourth and final Test, Mary Duggan was missing and stand in captain Cecilia Robinson won the toss and batted. It was a slow and steady innings.
It was surprising that England would meander through their final first innings in a series where they needed to win to regain the Ashes, but their pedestrian approach took almost an entire day, the Australians sending down 121 overs. While the batters seemed untroubled by the spin of Betty Wilson on the WACA wicket, they struggled to force the issue. Robinson declared at 6/253 and gave herself a few overs at the Aussie openers before stumps, but Mary Allitt and Nell Massey successfully negotiated those to reach 0/18.
On day two, Australia in reply – many starts and a “failure” – 43 – to Wilson, overtook the England score, Una Paisley declaring at 7/280, but as with England, the home side struggled to take the game by the scruff of the neck and they too scored as sluggishly as the visitors.
Cecilia Robinson’s 96 not out was the rock upon which England’s second innings of 188 was built. Had the Australian bowlers managed to break her concentration, England would have folded much sooner. It left Australia to score 152 from only 21 overs and the match was drawn, leaving the series at 0-0. It was the final Test match for Betty Wilson.
England 6 dec 253 (Driscoll 72, Birch 72*, Bath 2-41, Wilson 2-83) and 188 (Robinson 96*, Bath 3-11, Wilson 2-34) drew with Australia 7 dec 280 (Batty 70, Dalton 59*) and 1/59 (N. Massey 40*)