WA's Bolton creates history on debut

A century on debut by opener Nicole Bolton helped Australia set England a target of 267 to win the second one-day international at the MCG today.

The impressive 124 from the 25-year-old West Australian is the first time an Australian woman has scored a century in their first one-dayer.

Bolton was the cornerstone of Australia's 7-266 score. A strong 95-run partnership with Jessica Cameron (44) helped build a strong foundation for the Australians.

The debutant had replaced Elyse Villani in the team defeated by England on Sunday, as the Southern Stars looked to add aggression to the top of the batting order. She rode her luck as she took to the English bowlers, driving, sweeping and lofting the ball around the MCG.

Bolton said she was delighted to make her debut and the innings had felt like a dream come true.

"It was nice to get out there and score a few runs for the team. It was a huge opportunity to play for Australia, so I just went about my business. I am feeling pretty confident about my game at the moment.

"It's something that I have been dreaming about since I started playing cricket. I had to wait a little bit longer but I feel as though I am at an age now where I have matured into my game and I am ready."

Dropped in the second over, when Jenny Gunn grassed a sharp catch at third slip, Bolton then played with abandon. She was again dropped on 28, but made the English pay for their mistakes.

England were not as tidy in the field as they had been in Sunday's opening ODI. They dropped four catches, and misfields allowed the Australians to run aggressively between wickets.

After Cameron was dismissed, Alex Blackwell (55) and Bolton continued to punish the English bowlers. Eventually it was spinner Natalie Sciver who made the breakthrough for the English, bowling Bolton when she attempted a reverse sweep across the line. Her 124 off 152 balls included 12 fours - the fourth highest score by an Australian woman.

After the big partnerships, the Australians looked for quick runs. Wickets started to tumble as Ellyse Perry (0), Alyssa Healy (4) and Jessica Jonassen (13) all went in quick succession.