Aussies suffer ugly 50-year first as women's Ashes ends with 'dirty' feeling

The Australian women's cricket team have suffered their first ODI series loss in a decade, with the women's Ashes finishing in an 8-8 draw after England romped to victory in the third one-dayer on Tuesday. Having already retained the trophy thanks to victory in the second ODI, the Aussies were thrashed by 69 runs in the final game of the series in a disappointing end to the Ashes.

Set a revised target of 269 off 44 overs in Taunton, having initially been asked to make their second-highest successful chase of 286, Australia stumbled after the rain break. The tourists crumbled from 6-190 to 199 all out off 35.3 overs as England won the ODI series 2-1.

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It marked Australia's worst loss in terms of runs since 2008, and their biggest defeat to England since their first ODI against the old enemy in 1973. Victory in Southampton on Sunday meant Australia had already retained the Ashes, but their loss on Tuesday meant the series was drawn 8-8 on the points format.

England actually won more matches throughout the Ashes (four to three), taking eight of the last 10 points on offer. However Australia earned four points for winning the Test match, and another two in the T20s.

Aussie captain Alyssa Healy said she was happy to be going home with the Ashes trophy, but added: "We haven't lost an ODI series for a very long period of time. It feels a bit dirty of the end of the day. We've got the trophy but we're not happy about not winning this series."

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who anchored England's total of 9-285 with a second-successive century, said: "It feels like a moral victory". She hit 129 off 149 balls as the hosts recovered from a bad start to post their highest ODI score.

Ellyse Perry fires with the bat again for Australia

Only Ellyse Perry (53 off 58 balls), and Ashleigh Gardner with a blazing 41 off 24, mustered any serious resistance for the Aussies as they suffered a huge loss. Australia have only ever chased a higher total to win once, but the Somerset ground is a high-scoring venue so they had reason to believe.

Healy had put England in and opened with spinner Gardner, who soon dismissed the out-of-form Sophia Dunkley. Megan Schutt then bowled the in-form Tammy Beaumont cheaply, which brought England's most experienced pair (Heather Knight and Sciver-Brunt), to the crease. They rebuilt, then accelerated towards a century partnership.

Sciver-Brunt was dropped by Tahlia McGrath on 54 on a sharp return chance, and moved on to a 126-ball century. She became the first player to make four centuries against Australia - all scored in her last five Ashes ODIs. Gardner finished with 3-39 off 10 overs and Jess Jonassen took 3-30 off five as England's tail wagged limply.

The Aussies were then reduced to 2-15 in their chase, with Phoebe Litchfield (1) caught at first slip and Healy bowled for seven. Perry and McGrath (26) took the score to 68 before the latter was stumped. Beth Mooney joined Perry but nine runs later rain arrived.

When the teams returned Australia needed another 172 runs from 148 balls. Perry moved past her half-century, smashing a no-ball free-hit for six but was then caught off a leading edge. Mooney went soon after for 16 but Gardner came in to smack a number of sixes before she was run-out.

with AAP

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