England’s victory over Australia in first Women’s Ashes ODI

England scored 240-6, with Australia trailing on 238-9 at the end of the maximum 50 overs.

And the win goes to England at the start-up ODI at Taunton, kicking off well with England’s Katherine Brunt leading from the front and making early breakthroughs with the new ball. Our fielding was outstanding at times and then that partnership between Sciver and Greenway was absolutely brilliant.

Player of the match Sciver added: “It was up to me and Lyds to stick to our strengths and rebuild”. The seven match multi-format series – involving for the first time ever, two fully professional global women’s teams -gives us the ideal platform to inspire women and girls everywhere to love and play cricket.

England’s reply faltered once Charlotte Edwards was out and the home side were dismissed for 196 inside 44 overs as the tourists levelled the series at 1-1. “We deserve credit for that, and those are what helped to slow them down in the end”.

“I don’t think there was much between the two sides besides a little bit of polish”.

As with Edwards, there was equal surprise, if not as much disappointment, when the touring captain Meg Lanning fell without making any significant impression on the score board.

However, Australia recovered well after her departure and the early exits of their openers. Lanning is one of three Australians inside the top 10 and that list includes Jessica Cameron (in ninth place on 580 points) and Alex Blackwell who is 19 points behind in 10th.

Perry, the player of the series in the 2014 Ashes, and who has represented her country at both the cricket and football World Cups, was particularly impressive.

Required to score 138 more runs at 5.3 an over when Edwards departed, England surrendered wickets at regular intervals thereafter.

However, Australia’s total ultimately proved too low.

“It’s disappointing that we started so well and we seemed to be cruising at 120 for one but the wickets in the middle cost us”. Solid bowling and good batting especially from 80-4!!

“To be honest, I personally thought that [Australia] were fifty runs too short”.

But Knight was run out for 38 by Lanning’s throw from cover point and, when Edwards inexplicably played across the line and was bowled by a straight delivery from Megan Schutt, Australia were back in the game. I think that on a pitch like that you want to be scoring around 280.

Australia sit top of that table while the hosts now sit sixth, though a clean sweep for England would see them leap to the head of the standings.