England suffer four-wicket defeat against Australia in second Women's Ashes ODI
Watch the third ODI of the multi-format Women's Ashes between England and Australia in Canterbury from 10.30am on Sunday
Friday 5 July 2019 07:03, UK
England fell to a second successive defeat to Australia in the multi-format Women's Ashes series despite Tammy Beaumont's century.
At a sun-kissed Grace Road in Leicester, Beaumont (114) hit a maiden Ashes hundred from 99 balls but the rest of the hosts' batting line-up were unable to find their timing during the second one-day international.
A lower-order collapse against the seam bowling of Delissa Kimmince - who claimed career-best figures of 5-26 - saw England lose their final five wickets for just 30 runs as they set the Southern Stars only 218 for victory.
The away side were reduced to 17-2 inside three overs of their chase but Ellyse Perry's 62 anchored the innings and Beth Mooney (43no) and Jess Jonassen (31no) shared an unbeaten 58-run, seventh-wicket stand to lead the away side to a four-wicket win in 45.2 overs.
Victory in the second game gives Australia a 4-0 points lead over England, with one ODI, the four-day Test match and three T20Is to be played.
On the same surface as Tuesday's opening ODI was played on, Heather Knight opted to bat first - with seemingly few demons in the pitch - but Jones (5) chipped Perry straight to Nicole Bolton at midwicket as England lost a wicket 10 balls into their innings.
Beaumont was the only batter who looked to have found any rhythm, finding the boundary consistently during the first 20 overs.
Knight, promoted up to No 3 in place of the injured Sarah Taylor, shared a 65-run second-wicket partnership with the opener before miscuing spinner Ashleigh Gardner to mid-off to depart for 17.
Getting in on the pitch looked increasingly challenging as Nat Sciver (15), Fran Wilson (8) and Danni Wyatt (25) all failed to kick on.
However, Beaumont kept her head to reach her sixth ODI hundred in an innings that included 11 fours and 40 singles up to that point.
Former England captain Charlotte Edwards called the moment the opener reached three figures on air, adding: "This is the best innings I have seen Tammy play against Australia."
However, when the 28-year-old was bowled by spinner Jonassen, England collapsed, losing 5-30 in 48 balls as they were bowled out for a below-par 217 in 47.4 overs having failed to hit a boundary in the final 59 balls of their innings - Kimmince claiming her first-ever five-wicket haul.
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Australia's response began disastrously as Nicole Bolton's flash at a wide delivery from Kate Cross saw the Southern Stars' opener caught behind by Jones - handed the wicketkeeping gloves for the match.
An off-colour Anya Shrubsole saw the ball struck straight back past her by Alyssa Healy (9) for four and then sent down two wides but the seamer claimed her revenge as the Australian opener clipped the ball straight to Wyatt at backward point.
England believed they should have had a third wicket in the fourth over when Jones' swift glovework looked to have accounted for Perry on four, after Cross beat the batter on the outside edge, but the third umpire decided the Australian got the slightest part of her foot behind the line.
The hosts soon had their third scalp when Brunt bowled Meg Lanning but the England pace bowler injured her ankle in her celebration and was forced off the field temporarily and although she returned, the 34-year-old looked uneasy for the remainder of the match.
Perry put on an important 53-run four-wicket stand with Rachael Haynes (30) but Australia slipped to 136-5 when the former edged Shrubsole into Jones' gloves for 62.
The England seamer then put down a simple caught-and-bowled chance to give Gardner a second life but atoned for her spill in the next as she clipped the top of the Australian's off stump as she looked to drive.
But Mooney and Jonassen took the game away from England during the batting powerplay, picking up 41 runs from the five overs, as they eased home with 28 balls to spare.
Watch the third ODI of the multi-format Women's Ashes between England and Australia, in Canterbury, from 10.30am on Sunday.
