The Australian women’s cricket team is in unfamiliar territory.
Having dominated the sport over the past five years, they were understandably tipped to reclaim the women’s Ashes in the United Kingdom despite the absence of captain Meg Lanning.
After winning the lone Test match and first T20 against England, the Australians only needed one victory from the remaining five white-ball games to retain the trophy. However, England has pulled off a stunning resurgence, winning three consecutive matches to even the multi-format series at 6-6.
Heather Knight’s side secured back-to-back T20 triumphs in London before chasing a record 264-run target during the first fifty-over contest in Bristol. It marked the first time England had defeated Australia in a women’s ODI since October 2017.
Australia has suddenly lost its aura of invincibility, while momentum is firmly in England’s favour ahead of the second ODI in Southamptom, which gets underway on Sunday evening.
“We’re pretty disappointed and pretty frustrated in our own performances,” Australian spinner Jess Jonassen told reporters on Friday.
“For the last few games haven’t really put our best performances out there.”
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All three of Australia’s defeats were determined by small margins, with the visitors left to rue some sloppy fielding and unforced errors with the ball. During the Bristol ODI, Australia leaked 17 wides and three no-balls — two of the subsequent free-hits found the boundary rope.
It’s become a frustrating trend for Australia’s bowlers this year, with 84 wides conceded across four ODIs — no team has delivered more wides or no-balls in women’s ODIs in 2023.
“The Australians have been a little bit off … they’ve sometimes been a little bit loose with the ball,” former Australian vice-captain Rachael Haynes, who is speaking on a Kayo panel at the Women In Sport Summit on the Gold Coast next week, told Fox Cricket.
“As the tour wears on, a little bit of fatigue starts to creep in … it’s making sure in between games they’re taking times to freshen up, but when it is their opportunity, to focus on executing what’s in front of them.
“They let England off the hook with a little bit of ill-discipline.”
Most wides and no-balls in women’s ODIs/T20s this year
172 — Australia
108 — West Indies
86 — Ireland
86 — New Zealand
85 — Sri Lanka
77 — Zimbabwe
66 — India
52 — South Africa
51 — Bangladesh
43 — Pakistan
45 — England
England’s top order has effectively attacked the new ball, plundering 84 runs during the Powerplay of Wednesday’s run chase in Bristol. They’ve been unafraid to put Australia’s seamers on the back foot — and nobody has embodied their aggressive mindset more than Alice Capsey.
The 18-year-old, batting at No. 3 for the first time in ODIs, smacked a career-best 40 from 34 balls during the first ODI, helping England reach the target with 11 balls to spare.
Capsey, who was two when Ellyse Perry made her international debut, struck a quartet of boundaries during the Australian all-rounder’s fourth over, also hitting Megan Schutt over long-on for six.
It comes after the teenager’s match-winning 46 from 23 balls during the rain-affected third T20 at Lord’s, where England chased the DLS target with four balls to spare.
“She embodies everything (England) are trying to bring to life,” Haynes said.
“Their new coach Jon Lewis has really tried to encourage players to play that fearless brand of cricket, and she’s doing that.
“She’s naturally looking to take on the game — even when the field is out, she’s still trying to hit it over their heads.
“It’s really exciting to watch — she’s hit form at a good time.
“The other night, to be able to break the game open early for England against the new ball was really pivotal in the end.
“She’s going to be a really important player for many years to come in that England line-up, and she’ll probably drag some players with her, encouraging the wider group to take the game on.”
Highest strike rate in women’s ODIs
116.09 — Ash Gardner (AUS)
102.17 — Jess Kerr (NZ)
100.84 — Alice Capsey (ENG)
100.34 — Alyssa Healy (AUS)
100.00 — Chloe Tryon (RSA)
* Minimum five innings
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Alyssa Healy’s side needs just one victory from the final two ODIs in Southampton and Taunton to retain the trophy, which they have held since 2015. Australia has not lost a bilateral ODI series since 2013, while their most recent winless 50-over series was back in 2009.
“They’re still very positive, they’re still very much in the series,” Haynes continued.
“They’ve got heaps of experience in that side, so it’s just about drawing on that and keeping that positivity around the group and keeping calm in those big moments.
“They’re probably not used to bouncing back from those consecutive losses, but I still think they’ve got a very strong side, and it’s just a matter of people stepping up in those big moments.”
The second women’s ODI between England and Australia gets underway at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl on Sunday, with the first ball scheduled for 8pm AEST.
Knight guides England to thrilling win | 02:21