Healy classic catch sets social media ablaze

Alyssa Healy's Ashes classic catch on Friday night sent fans into a spin on social media and led to calls for her to be called up to the men's side.

Australia defended the women's Ashes after Beth Mooney starred with 86 not out in their six-wicket victory over England in the opening Twenty20 in Sydney.

However, it was Healy's catch that became the talk of the town and led to irresistible comparisons with her uncle and one of Australia's greatest ever wicketkeepers, Ian Healy.

Uncle would have been immensely proud after watching his niece take a spectacular catch to remove Tammy Beaumont at North Sydney Oval.

Diving low down to her right to gather an underneath edge off Ellysse Perry's bowling, Healy just managed to get her gloves under the ball before it touched the grass.

Fans were understandably in awe of the young keeper as her heroics quickly sent social media into meltdown.

Some supporters even went as far to suggest recalled Australian men's Test keeper Tim Paine should be worried, despite national selector Trevor Hohns labelling him the best gloveman in the country.

Australia needed to win just one of three T20 matches remaining in the multi-format series, chasing down England's 132 with 4.1 overs to spare at North Sydney Oval to claim an 8-4 unassailable lead.

Mooney, who was left out of the three 50-over matches but selected ahead of star batter Alex Blackwell on Friday, was blistering with 11 fours and two sixes, hitting Katherine Brunt over the backward square boundary in the first over of her sublime 55-ball innings.

After winning the toss and fielding, Australia were dominant from the outset when spinner Jess Jonassen dismissed England opener Heather Knight with the second ball.

Danielle Wyatt (50) and Natalie Sciver (26) led the English recovery with a 64-run partnership including seven boundaries after being helped by two dropped catches.

In reply, Mooney promptly took the game away from England but opening partner Healy struggled to get going before being caught in the outfield for five.

England's resistance was on increasingly shaky ground when left-hander Mooney brought up her half-century off 34 balls.

The victors suffered a mini-collapse when Elyse Villani, Gardiner and Perry fell cheaply, but Australia would not be denied in front of a crowd of almost 4000.

The two remaining T20 matches will be played in Canberra on Sunday and Tuesday.