Australia retain Ashes with first ODI win

Australia have retained the Women’s Ashes, producing a stifling display with the ball to claim a 27-run win at Manuka Oval.

The victory gives Australia an unassailable 8-4 points lead, the third time they have defended the trophy since claiming it back in 2015.

A gutsy 73 from Beth Mooney proved vital, but 4-34 from Darcie Brown and 2-34 from Tahlia McGrath helped the hosts defend their middling total of 9-205.

Brown, 18, said the bowling brilliance met the high expectations the group sets for itself.

“It’s pretty special to be a part of the Ashes and to retain with this group,” she said.

“We backed our bowlers to defend that total because we’ve got a pretty good bowling line-up … we weren’t too fussed about it. Chasing 200, it’s a lowish total, but there’s always pressure on low totals as well.

“We’ll still try and win the next few, but I guess we can try and take a few more risks and try a few new things heading into the World Cup.”

England were quickly up against it as Brown took wickets in consecutive balls to leave them 2-10.

(Photo by Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

She found genuine swing to have Tammy Beaumont caught at first slip, while ever-dangerous captain Heather Knight followed her back to the sheds after falling plumb LBW.

Nat Scivers and Lauren Winfield-Hill set about the repair job but the latter pulled Megan Schutt straight to Ashleigh Gardiner in the deep to leave England 3-39 in the 11th over.

And in a pivotal moment, Amy Jones was caught spooning a Tahlia McGrath full toss to deep midwicket, with the third umpire controversially judging the delivery was not a waist-high no-ball.

It was 5-83 shortly after as McGrath struck again to have Sophia Dunkley LBW, but Scivers and Danni Wyatt pressed on and passed the 100-run mark in the 26th over.

But Brown broke the camel’s back with an acrobatic caught-and-bowled to get Sciver’s vital wicket. Sciver was gone after a classy 45 with England still needing another 103 for victory.

A perfect leg-cutter from Schutt bowled Wyatt for 20 and Brown made it four trapping Sophie Ecclestone in front, although Katherine Brunt (32 not out) and Kate Cross (17) did add late runs before England were all out for 178.

Earlier, having been reeling at both 4-67 and 7-152, Mooney steered Australia to a defendable total after tidy bowling saw star bats Meg Lanning (28) and Alyssa Healy (27) fail to push on.

An absolute jaffa from Kate Cross (3-33) that jagged back off the seam and knocked over Lanning was the ball of the afternoon, coming after the Australia captain brought up 4000 career one-day international runs.

Mooney’s sensational knock included eight fours and a six. She stuck fat as wickets tumbled around her.

She was taken from the field with quad tightness during the run chase and did not return.

“You come out here and obviously the goal is to try and get the Ashes back and there’s bound to be a bit of disappointment losing it,” England skipper Knight said after another failed attempt to reclaim the trophy.

“We can be proud of some of the stuff we’ve done but ultimately we need to start winning games. We’ll be disappointed and try and reassess and go again for the next game and turn things around pretty quickly, obviously with the World Cup coming up.”