Australia began their quest to retain the multi-format women’s Ashes title with a nervy two-wicket win over England in the first of the three ODIs of the series at the Fischer County Ground in Leicester on Tuesday.
The two teams will be engaged in three ODIs, a one-off Test and three T20Is over the next month and half with each match carrying a set number of points. While a win in the limited overs matches (ODIs and T20Is) will give the team two points, four points will be awarded to the team winning the only Test match.
Having been put in to bat on Tuesday, the hosts could barely get a hold of the proceedings on a slow pitch Leicester as they slipped to 19/4 before Nat Sciver's 64 helped get them to 177. Ellyse Perry was the pick of the bowlers for the Aussies with figures of 3-43 in her 10 overs.
Chasing a modest total, things seemed to work well for the Aussies as they managed to reach 41 for the loss of one wicket in the first powerplay. But later Katherine Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone ensured that they kept England in the hunt as they reduced Australia to 105/ 5.
However, that was the last of the nerve-jangling phase in the game as Australia ensured there were no more hiccups and reached the target in the 43rd over.
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Speaking to the BCC post the match, the English skipper Heather Knight admitted that she was disappointed with the side’s performance and that she wanted the side to be positive in their approach. “We fought hard, I’m disappointed with the way we batted, we lost too many early wickets. We want to be positive. It wasn't aggressive shots that got us out, it was soft dismissals today.”
Meanwhile, her counterpart Meg Lanning said that there were a few areas of concern in the team and that they were keen on working on those before the second ODI on Thursday (July 4). “It’s nice to get a win first up, our bowlers put England on the back foot early, but England bowled well too, so it's good to get over the line. Early wickets always put you under pressure, especially against a strong top order,” she said.
Alyssa Healy led the way as the Aussies got their #Ashes campaign off to a winning start last night pic.twitter.com/SPHBaXtGjN
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 3, 2019
“We didn't think it would be straightforward, but Alyssa Healy showed everyone how to bat - she played very straight and pounced on any width. We feel we've got a little bit to work on, and I'm sure England will too.”
Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @cricketcomau
