Australia’s Ellyse Perry has blamed a poor start with the bat for her team’s loss in the opening Women’s Ashes one-day international.
Perry was the top scorer in Tuesday’s game at Taunton, but her knock of 78 wasn’t enough to avoid defeat as the hosts chased down Australia’s below-par 238 total with four wickets to spare.
Perry and Alex Blackwell came together at the crease with the score 35 for three, after Katherine Brunt and Kate Cross accounted for Australia’s top three.
The Australian pair put on a stand of 121 before it was broken by Heather Knight, whose shy at the stumps from mid-off sent Blackwell on her way for 58.
Perry, who was dropped on 21, went on to 78 before picking out Natalie Sciver on the deep midwicket boundary.
A direct hit from Charlotte Edwards accounted for Erin Osborne either side of Sarah Taylor combining with Lydia Greenway and then Katherine Brunt for further run-outs as Australia’s innings came to a stuttering end.
England’s top order all got starts, but failed to kick on until Lydia Greenway (53) and Sciver (66) led England’s recovery from 80 for four.
Greenway hooked a full toss straight to midwicket before Sciver picked out mid-off with 22 runs required to win.
Georgia Ellwiss and Katherine Brunt saw off those runs as England took the two points on offer.
Perry acknowledged the solid play from England, and said there was a bit Australia could take from the game.
“The conditions were really tough because the outfield was so incredibly quick. But they showed great ability to hit the stumps for those run outs and all credit to them,” she said.
“We didn’t have a great start with the bat and that was probably the difference, in the end.
“It was a wonderful atmosphere and I think the crowd really got behind them in that middle part of the innings when the game started to get away from us.
Perry noted that England was coming off their domestic summer, which she said probably made a difference.
“I think they played with a bit more polish than we did.”
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