THE 2023 Women’s Ashes series concluded overnight, with the drawn result seeing Australia retain the trophy, despite England claiming a big win in the final ODI.

The best the host nation could hope for coming into the match was a level series, given the Aussies won the previous match to earn Ashes retention at the worst. However, a win for England would take the sting out of the Ashes loss and give some cause for celebration by taking out the ODI series.

In a rain-affected match, England claimed a 69-run win via the DLS method.

Australia won the toss and elected to bowl, taking its chances on Taunton’s County Ground pitch and looking to keep the English to a respectable target.

It was a move that paid dividends, as opener Sophia Dunkley skied an Ash Gardner delivery, with Phoebe Litchfield standing under the ball and taking the catch. England’s aggressive mindset at the crease was hit or miss in the opening five overs, as demonstrated by Tammy Beaumont smacking a boundary before being bowled by Megan Schutt just a few balls later.

With England sitting at 2/12, the hosts looked in a bit of trouble. However, the partnership of Heather Knight and Natalie Sciver-Brunt broke the game open, with the pair dominating at the crease and suddenly turning the game in England’s favour.

The pair took on the Aussie bowling attack, coming down the wicket to flick the ball over the field and found the boundary on plenty of occasions. Both reached the 50-run mark within the first 25 overs of the match, and when Knight was dismissed by Alana King, Sciver-Brunt kept going, reaching triple-figures and guiding England to a score of 9/285.

Much like Australia, England struck early with ball in hand, as Aussie openers Alyssa Healy and Litchfield combining for just eight runs. Steadying knocks from Ellyse Perry (53 off 58) and Gardner (41 off 24) ensured Australia remained competitive for much of the match, but the remaining wickets fell too cheaply.

After a break due to rain, Australia collapsed at the crease, conceding the final four wickets for just nine runs. The Aussies could only muster up 199 runs, well short of the required total as England claimed a big win to round out the Ashes series.

The home side could not have performed so strongly at the crease if not for the performance of Sciver-Brunt, who was an immovable force at the crease and a massive factor for England in the first innings.

She finished the match with a total of 129 runs from 149 balls in a dominant display. Knight was not far behind with 67 runs of her own, combining well with Sciver-Brunt to make life difficult for the Australian bowlers, while Danielle Wyatt chimed in for an impressive knock of 43 runs from 25 balls.

Kate Cross did the most damage with the ball for England, picking up figures of 3/48, including the important scalps of Healy, Perry and Beth Mooney.

In terms of amount of runs to lose by, it was Australia’s worst effort since 2008, while England claimed its biggest win over the Aussies since 1973 in ODI form. Overall, the English won more games, but the series was tied at eight points apiece.

Despite losing the final match, the ODI series and the T20 leg, Australia has retained the Ashes trophy for 2023.

Scorecard

England (9/285) def. Australia (199)

First Innings

Natalie Sciver-Brunt 129 (149), Heather Knight 67 (72), Danielle Wyatt 43 (25)
Jessica Jonassen (3/30), Ash Gardner (3/39), Megan Schutt (1/34)

Second Innings

Ellyse Perry 53 (58), Ash Gardner 41 (24), Tahlia McGrath 26 (39)
Kate Cross (3/48), Charlie Dean (2/37), Lauren Bell (2/53)