HomeSportsThe mistakes that cost England a dramatic Women's Ashes defeat

The mistakes that cost England a dramatic Women’s Ashes defeat

England’s batting line-up failed to fire again – Shutterstock/James Ross

The elation from the English camp as the Australian batsmen departed one by one could not have been more different from the frustrated and lethargic look of the English batsmen as they trudged back to the pavilion with wickets falling.

Sophie Ecclestone and Alice Capsey bowled together to take seven wickets between them in the second one-day international of this Women’s Ashes series in Melbourne. Ecclestone’s dismissal of Phoebe Litchfield and Beth Mooney at the top of the order caused the Jenga tower to wobble. Capsey’s wickets proved just as crucial: the core of Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland and Ash Gardner departed, causing the tower to collapse. Australia’s bowling for 180, their lowest score in a one-day international at home since 2009, put England in a strong position to level the series, but their batting line-up fell short as the hosts won by 21 runs.

It was a close match, but England’s inability to capitalize on a winning position is becoming a familiar story. Here, Telegraph Sports looks at the most important moments…

Sciver-Brunt’s departure

The big turning point was the fifth wicket. The little England fans probably all suspected it would be over when Nat Sciver-Brunt threw the ball to Beth Mooney to do some catching practice. It meant England dropped to 84 for five at the 23-over boundary. By comparison, Australia’s fifth wicket came in the 29th over, when they had already put 149 on the board.

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After Sciver-Brunt left, Australia was like a boa constrictor suffocating its prey. As the number of balls remaining became smaller, the runs required could not decrease at a comfortable rate. It again exposed England’s over-dependence on Sciver-Brunt and the weakness under her.

King two in two

There is an aura of invincibility surrounding this Australian team, with their trophy cabinet packed to bursting, from World Cups to Ashes. As a result, there is both the physiological challenge and the cricketing challenge for the opposition when they face Australia.

Clearly, Australia are a team full of match winners who go the extra mile on several occasions, knowing there is always a way back into the game. Alana King was Australia’s weapon of choice to rescue them from the low-total pits.

The successive departures of Charlie Dean and Ecclestone thrilled the spectators who basked in the afternoon sun, with their full attention on King’s leg-spin masterclass, fitting against the backdrop of Shane Warne’s stand.

“I don’t think I’m cut out for hat-tricks, I’ve missed a few,” King said after the match. “To be honest, I’m pretty happy with the way it looks, so hat-trick or no hat-trick, I’m pretty happy with this win.”

Struggling to deal with the pressure… again

Success does not make a team immune to pressure; if anything, it piles it up. Still, the hosts seem much more comfortable absorbing that pressure and staying focused on the task at hand. On several occasions the Australians bounced back from missed catches or missed opportunities.

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England, on the other hand, seem to be struggling with the pressure. Instead of embracing it, it seems to have led to mistakes and they failed to take advantage of the openings Australia presented to them.

“I don’t know who had more pressure: us or them,” King said. “I think we were a lot calmer than maybe they were. I can only go by how we were in the field – I can tell you my heart rate was through the roof. It was just a great game of cricket, that’s why we love the Ashes.

“Everyone was pretty clear about what their plan was and I think we kept the spirits up for a lot longer.”

Filer is empty

Quick work in the field by Darcie Brown, Alyssa Healy and Megan Schutt allowed Australia to capitalize on Lauren Filer’s key call to run with the aim of Amy Jones staying at the striker’s end. Filer and Lauren Bell are somewhat interchangeable within the batting line-up, but Filer’s departure did not provide England with a safety net.

With one wicket remaining, a win was within the Aussies’ grasp and it was clear the visitors were under immense pressure. Jones was reluctant to move, making England’s task more difficult with each delivery.

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Jones misses a crucial point

The match was still going in the 48th over – and two ‘no balls above waist height’ from Sutherland, the latter protesting vehemently, presented England with a crucial chance. It meant Sutherland couldn’t complete her late in the match, so Tahlia McGrath stepped up to bowl the free hit to Amy Jones to complete the over.

Jones was caught pulling the ball to deep square leg, but as it was a free hit she and Bell were still able to run to ensure Jones went on strike for the penultimate over. England needed 22 runs to win from the last two overs – and they needed Jones to strike.

Instead, Jones and Bell stood still. Jones may not have realized it was the last ball of the over, it may have been a lapse in concentration, but from a game management perspective, more should be expected from such an experienced player.

As King said: “Very surprised that Jonesy [Amy Jones] didn’t run, but that’s what pressure does, right?

It was an expensive mistake. Bell could only block for so long and Schutt steamed in to take that crucial last wicket with the first ball of the 49th over.

Game over for England – and their chances of regaining the Ashes are slipping further away as they now trail 4-0 in the series.

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