Women's Ashes 2015: Jess Jonassen strengthens bid for Australia Test selection

Spinning all-rounder Jess Jonassen has given herself an early boost in the bid to earn a coveted position in the upcoming women's Ashes Test by taking three wickets for the Southern Stars in their return to red-ball cricket on Saturday.

Given the Stars' players almost exclusively play limited-over matches, the tour game that began on Saturday on Loughborough, the first of two they will play with the red ball will be vital preparation for the Test against England at Canterbury starting on August 11.

The two-day match against an England Academy line-up featured softened rules to allow all 14 Southern Stars squad members to feature with at least one of bat or ball.

Having lost the toss,  the Stars conceded 9-279. The home side's decision to declare in the last hour before stumps paid off handsomely as new-ball bowler Beth Langston removed both Australian openers: Nicole Bolton trapped leg-before, Elyse Villani caught hooking in the fourth over.

At stumps on day one the Stars were 2-20 after 9 overs, trailing by 259, with captain Meg Lanning on 1 and Ellyse Perry on 13.

The Stars struck only twice in the opening 40 overs, with Perry and Erin Osborne each getting a leg-before scalp. Jonassen changed the course of the innings to claim three wickets within 10 overs: top-scorer Fran Wilson (55), wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones (18) and all-rounder Danni Wyatt (2).

While left-arm spinner Jonassen deflected credit for her first wicket – "it was a half-tracker, and she managed to pick out 'Ozzie' [Erin Osborne] at mid-wicket" – she agreed she was happy with her return of 3-15 from 11 overs.

"Any opportunity that I had with the ball I was just looking to execute the plans that we had in place, and I think I pretty much did that today. I'll just keep doing that and hopefully the rest will take care of itself," she said.

Australia came into the match with virtually just one day of training with the red ball, their players having been granted a mini break since sealing a one-day series victory last Monday, although Jonassen reckoned that was not a hindrance to them.

"We'd done a fair bit of preparation back home before we came ... but in terms of the red-ball preparation over here in the UK [Friday] was our first full hit-out with it – but it was a pretty decent one," she said.

The visitors' hopes of bowling the home side out cheaply were stymied by Laura Marsh (55) and No.9 batter Jodie Dibble, who respectively faced 112 and 63 deliveries.

With Perry assured of selection she only bowled six overs, the relaxed rules allowing all 14 squad members to be involved. The biggest workload was assumed by leg-spinner Kristen Beams who, while wicketless, was very economical, conceding only 47 runs.

Captain Lanning used 10 bowlers, including herself as a medium-pacer.

Strike bowler Holly Ferling, who was wayward in the one-day series, claimed 2-28, but also conceded four extras in her 11 overs.

Jonassen downplayed the implications of star all-rounder Perry requiring medical assistance for her finger after dropping a sharp chance at gully on Saturday.

"It was a really tough chance. It would have been a super catch if she'd hung on to it, and I thought she did for a moment there, but it just got her on the tip of the finger. There was a bit of a cut there but nothing a few Band-Aids couldn't fix," she said.

While the result of the match is secondary to players getting match practice, Jonassen said the Stars were not too downcast at having lost both openers, Bolton and Villani, just before stumps on day one.

"We were kind of expecting it – we were just one wicket away anyway. We'd planned to bowl for less than a day and, hopefully, bat more than a day," she said.

"It was a bit of a tough time [when we batted] and we've got a bit of work to do in the morning, but I have all the confidence that 'Pez' [Perry] and Meg will be still batting at tea tomorrow."