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Mady Villiers stars on debut as England earn consolation win over Australia in final T20I

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Highlights from Bristol as England earned a consolation win over Australia in the final match of the Women's Ashes

England picked up their maiden and only win of this year's Women's Ashes as Mady Villiers enjoyed a match-winning debut to help seal a 17-run victory in the final T20 International of the multi-format series over Australia at Bristol.

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The 20-year-old spinner dismissed the dangerous Alyssa Healy (28) and Ashleigh Gardner for a first-ball duck within five balls.

Having picked up 2-7 from her first three overs, Villiers was lashed for six by Ellyse Perry and caressed by Jess Jonassen for four in her final over to finish with figures of 2-20.

Ellyse Perry
Image: Ellyse Perry finished as the series' top run-scorer with 377 runs

The Southern Stars' chase of 140 was anchored by Perry, who hit her third half-century of the series, but her unbeaten 60 was not enough to power the away side over the line as Sophie Ecclestone and Katherine Brunt picked up three wickets each to restrict their opponents to 122-8.

A consolation win for Heather Knight's side saw the series finish 12-4 in favour of Meg Lanning's side on points - the joint-biggest margin of victory since the Women's Ashes switched to multi-format.

England's lower order rescue innings

Having fiddled with their batting line-up for the final match of the series, Tammy Beaumont opened up alongside Danni Wyatt as they became the first pair to share a double-digit opening stand for the hosts.

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But Beaumont's promotion up the order was short-lived as she lobbed a fuller ball from spinner Jonassen straight to Beth Mooney at mid-wicket ending her 28-run opening-wicket partnership.

Tayla Vlaeminck
Image: Tayla Vlaeminck finished with figures of 1-9 from two overs

Eight balls later Wyatt, who had clubbed Perry over the backward point boundary for a maximum early in her innings, saw her attempt to cut a good length ball expose her stumps allowing Megan Schutt to hit the top off.

England fell further into the mire when Tayla Vlaeminck's second ball earned the seamer her maiden T20I wicket - Nat Sciver sending a top-edge high into the air and into the hands of Delissa Kimmince at third man.

Skipper Knight and Jones looked to provide resistance and a counter-attack at the same time, the former launching Vlaeminck over deep square leg for six while the latter picked off spinner Georgia Wareham's first over for a pair of fours.

However, the pair fell within three balls of each other as a brilliant one-handed throw from Perry at mid-wicket to the striker's end, who noticed a momentary hesitation from Knight, accounted for the England captain and Jones then edged Garnder behind as the home side slipped to 88-5 after 14 overs.

Lauren Winfield
Image: Lauren Winfield scored 71 runs across the three T20Is

With another low score on the cards, Brunt (25no) and Lauren Winfield (26no) bided time for a couple of overs before unleashing as they picked up 43 runs off the last four overs to propel England to a competitive 139-5.

Villiers proves international class

Healy got Australia off to the ideal start, picking up a boundary off each of the first four overs but Brunt made the crucial breakthrough for the hosts - Mooney lashing the seamer to Kate Cross at point.

Before the match in Bristol Lanning had scored 333 runs against England in T20 Internationals without being dismissed - a record stretching over five innings and back to 2016.

But, the Australian captain was pinned by Ecclestone just eight balls into her innings and trudged off the pitch having made just two.

Katherine Brunt finished the multi-format series with eight wickets
Image: Katherine Brunt finished the multi-format series with eight wickets

With England well on top, Villiers should have had Healy with her second ball in international cricket but the young spinner put down a relatively simple return catch.

But it mattered not, as a full toss saw the back of Healy, who came down the crease to the spinner and Ecclestone pouching an easy take. Four balls to pick up her second wicket as she drew Gardner forward - Jones completing the stumping to send the Australian all-rounder back to the pavilion for a golden duck.

At 45-4 Australia looked in danger of folding for the first time in the series but Perry batted with the ease she has throughout the series.

With the run rate rising steeply, Ecclestone (3-22) and Brunt (3-21) polished off a lower-order looking to hit out and although Perry reached her half-century off 45 balls and finished her unbeaten innings having struck two fours and three sixes she ended on the losing side - a great rarity in this series.

Watch day one of the first Ashes Test live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Thursday.