Australia retain Women's Ashes with ODI win over England as Beth Mooney and Darcie Brown star
Australia retain the Women's Ashes after beating England by 27 runs in the first ODI to take an 8-4 series lead; Beth Mooney made 73 as Australia posted 205-9 in Canberra before Darcie Brown took 4-34 and Megan Schutt claimed her 100th ODI scalp as England were bowled out for 178
Thursday 3 February 2022 15:00, UK
Australia have retained the Women's Ashes after Beth Mooney and Darcie Brown led them to a 27-run win over England in the first one-day international to give them an 8-4 lead in the multi-format series.
Mooney top-scored with 73 as the home side set England 206 to win in Canberra and 18-year-old Brown claimed 4-34 to help bowl the tourists out for 178 and ensure the Ashes trophy will remain in Australia.
Heather Knight's side seemed to have the edge at the halfway stage after restricting Australia to 205-9 with Kate Cross (3-33) and Katherine Brunt (3-40) impressing, but, while they kept up with a very manageable run-rate throughout the chase, wickets fell at regular intervals on a surface that was nipping around for the seamers.
It was the spin of Jess Jonassen that sealed the win for Australia, though, the left-armer taking a sharp return catch to dismiss Cross and start the celebrations at the Manuka Oval.
While the Ashes are lost, England can still draw the series with victories in the last two ODIs, in Melbourne in the next week.
Mooney holds Australia together as England bowlers impress
Following a draw in the dramatic standalone Test, England knew that, barring rain or a tie, they needed to win all three ODIs to win the series and they made a good start towards that when Anya Shrubsole (1-44) removed Rachael Haynes (4) early on after Australia were asked to bat first.
There was swing and a bit of seam movement for Brunt and Shrubsole but, despite a number of near misses, Australia got through the remainder of the powerplay unscathed and were still only one down at drinks with Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning starting to settle into their innings.
However, Cross broke the 47-run stand with a beauty that jagged back to Lanning (28) and smashed into off stump before Sophie Ecclestone got Ellyse Perry for a golden duck in the next over, the all-rounder chipping the ball back for a simple caught and bowled.
Some excellent glovework from Amy Jones, stood up to the seam of Cross, saw Healy (27) stumped soon afterwards and Australia had slipped from 60-1 to 67-4.
The first of two crucial partnerships followed, though, as Mooney and Tahlia McGrath gradually batted the home side out of trouble, grinding out runs as the England bowlers, Cross in particular, kept things tight in the middle overs.
The pair put on 58 in 14 overs and were just starting to up the ante when Brunt returned to the attack and cleaned up McGrath (29) with another ball that jagged back a long way to make a mess of the stumps.
Ashleigh Gardner (12) was run out and Cross had Jonassen (4) caught off a leading edge to leave the Aussies in trouble again at 152-7 but a second fifty partnership of the innings, led by Mooney - the only home batter to reach 30 - helped them claw their way up to 200.
Mooney made it to her 10th ODI fifty and her highest one-day score against England and was ably assisted by debutant Alana King (18), with both hitting valuable boundaries late on before falling to Brunt in the last over of the innings.
Australia chip away as England falter in the chase
England started the chase as favourites, needing a fraction over four-an-over to draw themselves level in the series, but had barely got started when Brown had Tammy Beaumont caught at slip with an out-swinger and then claimed the big wicket of Knight next ball, the visiting skipper trapped plumb lbw as she moved across her stumps to negate swing that never came.
After her brilliant hundred in the Test on the same ground last week, Knight seemed perfectly suited to a chase that would be about rotating the strike and keeping the score moving without needing to take any risks, and her dismissal first ball was a big blow to England.
Nat Sciver joined Lauren Winfield-Hill (13) but their partnership ended just as it was getting going, the latter holing out to give Megan Schutt her 100th ODI wicket, in a theme that would continue throughout the innings.
England rebuilt from 39-3 with Sciver and Jones, but their 35-run stand was ended by the ever-threatening McGrath, albeit in slightly controversial circumstances.
A full toss from McGrath, one of very few loose deliveries she bowled, was pulled to deep backward square by Jones (16) and taken by Perry. However, the third umpire was asked to check whether it should be called a no-ball for height. It was a marginal call on whether it was above waist height but, after a lengthy check, the decision went with Australia.
McGrath pinned Sophia Dunkley (5) lbw in her next over and when Brown dived to have Sciver (45) caught and bowled just after the halfway stage of the innings, England were in trouble at 103-6.
The run rate was never a concern but Australia kept chipping away with Schutt bowling Danni Wyatt (20) for wicket No 101, Brown getting Ecclestone (3) lbw and Shrubsole (1) bowled round her legs on the sweep by Jonassen.
Brunt (32no) and Cross (17) kept the game going with a last-wicket stand of 24, in which Cross successfully overturned an lbw decision off Jonassen and was dropped by Perry off McGrath, but before they could really set any Aussie nerves jangling, the No 11 hit the last ball of the 45th over firmly back to Jonassen, who held on to a good, low catch to clinch the win.
'Job done for Australia'
Australia batter Beth Mooney: "We came into this series with one job to do - retain the Ashes and we've done that. We've got another job to do now and win them outright."
England captain Heather Knight: "We're still in with a chance of drawing the series and that's got to be our focus now. We didn't get a partnership together... We lost wickets at regular moments and they bowled well. They kept the stumps in the game and that made it hard to score on that wicket."
What's next?
The Women's Ashes series will conclude with a further two one-day internationals. They will take place at Junction Oval in Melbourne on February 6 and 8 respectively with England fighting to earn a draw. Victory in a one-day international is worth two points, while the sides will pick up a point apiece in the event of a tie or no result.
England's men's Test team return to action in March against the West Indies. The three-match series starts in Antigua (March 8-12) followed by fixtures in Barbados (March 16-20) and Grenada (March 24-28).
