Tahlia McGrath: Australia all-rounder makes her mark in Ashes opener

Cricket fans of a certain age will remember what it was like to see the headline 'McGrath stars against England' on an Ashes missive.

This time, however, it wasn't legendary fast bowler Glenn doing the damage but his namesake Tahlia, a 26-year-old from Adelaide.

Tahlia — who is no relation to Glenn — is more of an all-rounder, but she showed a similar ability to crush England's cricketers in the first T20 of the multi-format Women's Ashes series on Thursday.

With England racing along at 141-1 after 15 overs, McGrath was summoned back into the hosts' bowling attack.

Her third ball, a full yorker, cleaned up Nat Sciver for 32. Two deliveries later, a near-identical ball did for Danni Wyatt on 70.

The two wickets checked England's progress, keeping a total that was threatening to creep up to 180 to 169-4.

However, it was with the bat where McGrath really shone. Coming in with Australia 26-1, she swung and swung hard, dispatching England's ragged bowlers for 13 fours and one six on her way to an unbeaten 91 off just 49 balls.

England opener Tammy Beaumont, who spent much of McGrath's innings fetching the ball from the boundary, was full of praise.

«I know T-Mac from playing at the Adelaide Strikers [in the WBBL] and I just said to her that's one of the best innings I've ever seen,» Beaumont said.

«Fair play to her and to Australia. They played really well.»

It was fitting that as one Australia all-rounder flayed England to all parts, another, their chief destroyer in the past, watched on from the bench.

There was some surprise when the talismanic Ellyse Perry was dropped for the Ashes opener. Perry has been a mainstay of the T20 team since 2008 but her impact as a bowler has faded in recent years and Australia have quicker, more