'Can't get any worse': Dropped catches haunt England as major problem exposed

An Ashes whitewash is on the cards for England and they have nobody to blame but themselves with eight drops handing Australia too many opportunities to build their total at the crease.

While the missed catches caught the attention of most, general movement in the field looked compromised as the Aussies scored at will, with a missed stumping also haunting the English as they gave up 356 runs for just four wickets.

Annabel Sutherland may not have become the first woman to make a Test hundred at the MCG if not for clumsy drops from the tourists.

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Sutherland was dropped on 29 while Beth Mooney was given three chances to stay on the pitch before reaching 20.

Heather Knight's team fumbled another four opportunities as former men's captain Michael Vaughan took to social media to highlight the problem.

"I am inviting all the England women's team to join my fielding academy. it's the only way to solve this dropping problem," Vaughan tweeted.

England's 2017 World Cup winner Alex Hartley was also candid in her assessment.

"One positive thing to come from this tour is that things can only get better (because) they can't get any worse," Hartley told the BBC's Test Match Special.

Rookie Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who said her team's preparation was "really on point", fronted the media after the match and was diplomatic about her team's performance, even though three drops came off her bowling.

"Obviously it's disappointing, but you just (have to) sort of move past it, because it's not going to help anyone, or the whole team try to progress through the match," MacDonald-Gay said.

"It would probably just do more harm than good. (It is) just sort of keeping a level head and just moving on to the next ball, knowing that you've done it once, you can do it again, taking that mindset rather than living in the past."

She added: "I think we field pretty much most training sessions. We do a lot of competitive fielding.

"I feel like we're always on it, in fielding, in training. I feel like we are 100 percent prepared, getting into every game, for any skills that we might need to use."

Sutherland, who scored 163 in what was her third century in six matches, said Australia dropped a few chances on day one as well.

"I think it's part of the game. You always need a bit of luck on your side," she said.

"I think it's probably more, I guess, promising for us as bowlers to know that England created chances all throughout today. (It is) good signs for us to be able to take 10 wickets.

"But I think (England) probably showed signs of it throughout the series (and were) potentially a bit tired at different points today. I think you expect, I guess, high quality. But having said that, we dropped a few too."