Wednesday 5 August 2015 17:03, UK
Australia have beaten England by 89 runs in the third One Day International at Worcester to take a 4-2 points lead in the 2015 Women's Ashes series.
Australia captain Meg Lanning led the way for the tourists, scoring 85 in a total of 241-7 after being put into bat.
The match was played on its reserve day after rain prevented any play on Sunday, but Ellyse Perry continued to make up for lost time by adding a rapid 67.
Perry then took two wickets as England were bowled out for 152 in 43.1 overs.
England brought in Lauren Winfield, Jenny Gunn and Laura Marsh for the match, replacing Amy Jones, Rebecca Grundy and Kate Cross.
And it was Gunn who took the catch that ended Elyse Villani and Nicole Bolton's 25-run opening stand, with Villani departing for 14 off Georgia Elwiss' first ball of the series after England had won the toss.
Lanning, who hit a century in the second ODI, then took control of the contest, sharing in partnerships of 62 and 85 with Bolton and Perry respectively.
But England may dwell on how the game could have gone had Lanning not survived an early run-out chance, when Natalie Sciver's throw from mid-wicket was too strong for Elwiss to control.
Lanning, who was on just five at the time, enjoyed a second dose of good fortune on 45 as Lydia Greenway failed to hold a head-high chance off Katherine Brunt.
The Australia captain proceeded to punish England, moving to a 67-ball half-century, before eventually falling to the penultimate ball of the 45th over, caught by Sciver off the bowling of Gunn.
But Parry picked up where Lanning left off, making her second half-century of the series off just 51 balls.
Three late wickets gave the hosts some hope for their reply, but it was soon dampened by the early loss of captain Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor to Perry, restricting them to 10-2.
With England struggling at 72-4, Greenway and Brunt began to repair some of the damage with a fifth-wicket stand of 51.
But the last six wickets fell for just 29 runs as Australia sealed a comfortable win that secures the Royal London ODI series, and sees them lead the Ashes series heading into the one-off Test match at Canterbury on August 11.
