England clinch ODI series against Australia in Women’s Ashes 2023
The Women’s Ashes 2023 finally came to an end with England clinching the ODI series in a rain-curtailed chase. Despite the Aussies retaining the Ashes, Heather Knight-led England would be satisfied with their performance throughout the multi-format series.
The third and final ODI of the series was played at the County Ground in Taunton on Tuesday, July 18. Coming in to bat after losing the toss, England got off to the worst of starts to their innings as openers Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont were sent packing early for just two and four runs, respectively.
The early setback, however, was stabilized by skipper Heather Knight and all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt. Knight amassed 67 runs in 72 deliveries, and Sciver-Brunt followed it up with a masterful knock of 129 runs in 149 balls. Furthermore, Danni Wyatt’s late push of 43 runs helped the hosts post 285 runs on the board in the first innings.
Ashleigh Gardner and Jess Jonassen were the highest wicket takers for Australia in the first innings with three wickets each, with Megan Schutt and Alana King taking one wicket each.
Ellyse Perry’s efforts in vain in rain-ridden run chase
As rain disrupted play, Australia aimed to chase down a shortened target of 269 runs in 44 overs. However, it seemed like the visitors were not ready for what England had in store for them. Openers Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield had a horrid outing, only managing to score seven and one run, respectively.
It was Ellyse Perry who played a resilient knock after the early dismissal of the openers. She amassed 53 runs in 58 deliveries. Furthermore, Tahlia McGrath also added 26 runs to the scoreboard. However, as the batting order looked to collapse after the top order’s failure to go big. Ashleigh Gardner stepped up and scored 41 runs in 24 deliveries.
Despite the joint effort of the Australian batters, it was not enough to chase the target down. They were bundled out for just 199 runs, and England won the game by 69 runs through the DLS method in a rain-curtailed end to the Women’s Ashes 2023. The Ashes series eventually ended in an 8-8 draw, but Australia being the defending champions retained the trophy.
