Annabel Sutherland becomes the first woman to score a Test century at the MCG

England’s Betty Snowball was the closest a female batter had come to featuring on the MCG’s honour boards – until Annabel Sutherland went where no woman had gone before.

One-hundred-and-ninety-three Test centuries by men at the MCG … and now one by a woman.

Annabel Sutherland was on the most nervous number in cricket, 99, at drinks on day two of the Ashes Test. Give the girl a whiskey, I thought, but she required no such injection of courage.

No nerves were jangling, no trepidation was detected, no tension would cause her demise. She twirled her bat and faced the miserly Sophie Ecclestone. She nonchalantly square cut a boundary and became the first female cricketer to score a Test hundred at her hallowed hometown ground.

Annabel Sutherland is one of three Australian women to score three Test centuries Picture: Getty Images

In a pre-Ashes interview with The Weekend Australian, Sutherland said of playing at the MCG: “It’s a bit mind-blowing, to be honest. I’ve been to the MCG a lot but I’ve never played there for Australia. I was there on Boxing Day to watch the men’s Test and thought, ‘Holy crap, this atmosphere is unbelievable’. It’s just so good. It’s such a special place. To have our own Test there, the first women’s Test in so many years, I cannot tell you how much we’re all looking forward to it. I cannot tell you how special it’s going to be.”

Little did she know!

The best sporting names were to be found in the early 20th century, and when England’s Betty Snowball made 83 in a 1935 women’s Ashes Test featuring Myrtle Maclagan, Doris Turner, Mary Spear, Hazel Pritchard, Lorna Kettles and Joyce Brewer, she was the closest a female batter had ever come to featuring on the MCG’s honour boards – until Sutherland went where no woman had gone before in her timeless innings for Australia on Friday.

EA “Betty” Snowball was stranded shy of a ton by a team declaration. Further details are sketchy. AJ Sutherland had no such concerns when the hosts endeavoured to bat all day, and into the night, and into tomorrow, and into next week, and beat England into submission, on day two of this lopsided Test at the ’G. Sutherland’s masterful, 163 propelled Australia to a formidable 5-422 at stumps with Beth Mooney 98no.

Sutherland batted No.3 when Ellyse Perry was shuffled down the order after hurting her hip. You sensed Sutherland would make the most of her promotion. Her most recent Test innings had been a thumping double century and again she was off to the races. Twenty-one boundaries, a six that sailed like it departed the face of a three-wood, a six-hour, 258-ball stay. She was rarely troubled – her greatest duress was diving headlong to avoid being run out from a quick single that advanced her to 73. When she passed 83 and the curse of Snowgate, her ton was assured.

Sutherland is only 23. She could be around for another 15 years, smashing every Australian batting record in existence. She joined another Betty, Wilson, and Jill Kennane as the only Australian women to score three Test centuries.

You could say Sutherland put her foot down once she escaped her not-so-nervous 99 but dear reader, she already had the accelerator pinned to the floor. If my mathematics is correct, 116 Australian male batters and 77 male visitors have made Test tons at the MCG. And now Sutherland has her name up there alongside Bradman, Ponting, Smith, anyone you care to mention. It’s quite the first.

This is only her sixth Test match. Her average is 83.71. Quite the promising start.