Australia clinched a low-scoring thriller in the 2nd ODI over England at the Junction Oval, Melbourne, to seal the three-match ODI series and go 4-0 up in the multi-format Women’s Ashes 2025. Alana King was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant all-round contributions, scoring 13 (39 balls) with the bat and returning with impressive bowling figures of 10-0-25-4.

The visitors, England, retained the same side that played in the 2nd ODI of the series in Melbourne. The home side, Australia, made one change as Georgia Wareham replaced Darcie Brown in the starting 11 for the 3rd and final ODI of the series at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart.
Fifties from Mooney and McGrath, and Gardner’s century powers Australia to 308
The home side Australia got off to a torrid start, finding themselves in a precarious position at 59/4 in the 15th over of the innings after skipper Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to bat first in the 3rd ODI at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart. Ashleigh Gardner joined Beth Mooney at the crease and the duo took their side past the 150-run mark with a much-needed 95-run partnership for the 5th wicket, leading an impressive recovery for the home side.
Charlie Dean picked up the wicket of Beth Mooney to provide the 5th breakthrough for England. The wicket-keeper batter completed her 18th ODI half-century (50 off 64 balls) before getting dismissed on the first ball of the 33rd over of the innings. The Australian vice-captain Tahlia McGrath joined Ashleigh Gardner at the crease and the duo capitalised on the platform provided by the previous partnership with another massive 103-run stand for the 6th wicket, taking them past the 250-run mark.
Ashleigh Gardner completed her well-composed maiden century in the ODI format off just 100 balls, becoming the first Aboriginal woman to score an international century. She also became the first batter to score a century batting at number 6 in Women’s ODIs. Lauren Bell eventually ended her stay at the crease (102 off 102 balls) on the last ball of the 46th over of the innings. Her knock included 8 boundaries and a maximum.
Australia eventually breached the 300-run mark as they posted a total of 308/8 in their quota of 50 overs, courtesy of a late flourish from Georgia Wareham (38 off 12 balls). It is also their 3rd highest total (308/8) for Australia in Women’s ODIs against England. The Australian vice-captain looked in good touch as she notched up her maiden half-century (55 off 45 balls) in the format against England.
The trio of Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath and Georgia Wareham accounted for a significant chunk (63%) of the team’s total. Nat Sciver-Brunt (10-1-51-2), Charlie Dean (10-0-53-2), and Lauren Bell (10-0-72-2) picked up a couple of wickets each and were the stand-out performers with the ball for England.
Alana King’s maiden five-wicket haul guides Australia to 6-0 series lead
Opening batter Maia Bouchier’s struggles with the bat continued, as Megan Schutt sent her packing in the 1st over of a tall run chase of 309. Megan Schutt returned and landed another blow by dismissing the opposition skipper Heather Knight in the 7th over of the run chase. Nat Sciver-Brunt joined opening batter Tammy Beaumont at the crease and the two of the most experienced batters in the England line steadied the ship with a much-needed 89-run partnership for the 3rd wicket.
The introduction of Georgia Wareham brought the vital breakthrough as she cleaned up Tammy Beaumont (54 off 77 balls) who was starting to look ominous at the crease. She completed her 23rd ODI half-century before getting dismissed. Danielle Wyatt-Hodge joined Nat Sciver-Brunt at the crease and the duo formed another crucial 33-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side past the 150-run mark.
Georgia Wareham returned and got the big scalp of Nat Sciver-Brunt (61 off 68 balls) in the 31st over of the run chase to provide the 4th breakthrough for Australia. She also completed her 22nd half-century before getting dismissed. It was also a potentially decisive point in the game. Wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones joined Danielle Wyatt at the crease and the duo took the visitors to the 200-run mark with a brisk 49-run partnership for the 5th wicket.
Alana King inflicted another blow to England’s hopes by sending Dani Wyatt-Hodge (35 off 32 balls) back to the pavilion. England suffered a horrible collapse as they lost their last five wickets for just 22 runs. As a result, they were bundled out for 222 with 46 balls to spare. Wicket-keeper Amy Jones (30 off 26 balls) looked settled but failed to guide her side over the line.
Alana King (8.2-0-46-5) triggered another collapse and was the top performer with the ball, as she claimed her maiden five-wicket haul in the ODI format. Megan Schutt (9-0-57-3), Georgia Wareham (5-0-27-2), and Kim Garth (8-1-20-0) played their part with the ball for Australia.
Ashleigh Gardner was awarded the Player of the Match for her maiden ODI century and a stunning grab on the boundary rope to send Sophie Ecclestone back to the pavilion. She alongside the likes of Alana King, Georgia Wareham and Kim Garth played a pivotal role in helping Australia inflict a comprehensive whitewash in the ODIs.
The home side Australia is strengthening their grip on the Ashes, with a scoreline of 6-0, going into the three-match T20I series from 20th January 2025 (Monday). The first T20I of the series will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from 1:45 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

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