Leading into the Women's Ashes Test in Taunton, Australia and England needed very different things.

England had no option but to win, with the match worth four points in the multiformat series and England trailing six points to none.

Australia could afford a more relaxed approach, knowing that holding England to a draw would be enough to retain the trophy even before the three Twenty20 matches that will end the series.

Accordingly, England had to hope that Taunton would live up to its big-turning reputation, and picked a spin-heavy attack with young left-armers Sophie Ecclestone and Kirstie Gordon supported by off-spinner Laura Marsh.

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The ground in recent years has come to be nicknamed "Ciderabad", a somewhat ungainly mixing of the West Country's favourite apple beverage and the name of an Indian city known for dusty wickets.

But fortune has largely gone against England, through three losses in the 50-over matches that started the series, and so it went here, not least with the coin falling the wrong way to offer Australia the chance to bat first.

England played its spin card anyway, bringing Ecclestone on as early as the 12th over. She worked over Alyssa Healy at first, drawing false shots and beaten edges. In the 15th, though, she dived at midwicket to try to catch Healy from Nat Sciver's bowling, and hurt her shoulder on landing.

Ecclestone's next attempt at bowling lasted two balls, and she left the field with tears streaming down her face. She also looked like the fall had knocked all the wind out of her, having partly landed heavily on her stomach.

Opening seamer Katherine Brunt went down with a jarred ankle the next ball, and a few overs later opening bat Tammy Beaumont went to hospital for an X-ray after being hit on the hand fielding at short leg.

England's main bowling hope, Sophie Ecclestone (R) had an injury scare when she hurt her shoulder on day one. ( Reuters/Action Images: Peter Cziborra )

Gordon filled in with some distinction, eventually bowling Healy around her legs for 58 after Australia's opener had played a typically stylish and attacking hand. But after the lunch break and some treatment, Ecclestone returned to the field.

There's a reason that Ecclestone is England's main hope in this Test match. Tall and straight, she releases the ball with a high arm action and the left-armer's ability to drift it into the right-hander.

Almost every ball has loop, almost every ball lands accurately, and when she puts work on the delivery she can make it turn substantially.

Coming back in the second session, she pushed on to bowl again. Suddenly she was dangerous. Especially against Australia's captain, Ecclestone taunted, turning enough deliveries that she could repeatedly draw a stride forward from Lanning to beat her on the inside of the bat with straight balls.

Loud appeals became part of the aural scenery, but umpire Alex Wharf kept his hands warm in his pockets. Replays showed that at least one of those appeals brought up three red lights, while others were clipping the stumps.

At points during this siege, Lanning showed her versatility. After lacing a cut straight to the field at point she began shifting her weight back and forward in the crease, playing a late cut behind point then a fiercer cut in front. Both went to the fence.

Her half-century came up from 122 balls, the first time she's crossed that mark in Test cricket. This seems an absurd thing to write after nine years of international cricket. But in those nine years, this was her fourth Test, her seventh innings.

Rachael Haynes (C) and Ellyse Perry's century stand has made England's task almost impossible after day one. ( Reuters/Action Images: Peter Cziborra )

The opportunities are so few that a normal handful of modest scores for any male player can be a career's work for one of the best women in the world.

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With Lanning on 57 though, Ecclestone got through. The dismissal was reminiscent of Steve Smith's struggles with Rangana Herath in Sri Lanka in 2016: reading a length as short, expecting it to sit up, then ending up stranded halfway through a cut shot while the faster ball skipped into off stump.

From 3-160 though, Ellyse Perry and Rachael Haynes brought the shutters down on England. Knowing that their side only needed to stay in the game, the pair solidly added another 105 before the close of play, clouting away the odd loose ball while respecting the rest.

England ended the day in an almost impossible position already, needing to find seven Australian wickets early on day two, pile up at least 150 more than Australia has made, then take another 10 wickets before the end of the fourth day. This too with rain predicted in that period.

Australia, on the other hand, will return with Perry on 84 and Haynes on 54, and the chance of some personal glory for both in the day ahead.

They had worked hard for that position. But so had Ecclestone, coming back after her injury, and so had Gordon in the unusual position of starting her Test career by completing a partial over for an injured teammate.

The problem for them, as we saw in the World Cup final on Sunday, is that cricket can't reward everyone who works hard.