England on the brink as Australia seal ODI clean sweep

Women's Ashes: Third ODI, Hobart

Australia 308-8 (50 overs): Gardner 102 (102); Sciver-Brunt 2-51

England 222 (42.2 overs): Sciver-Brunt 61 (78); King 5-46

Australia won by 86 runs, pb bid 6-0

Scorecard

England's hopes of regaining the Women's Ashes are hanging by a thread aft suffering a dense 86-run decision by Australia successful the 3rd and last one-day planetary successful Hobart.

The hosts slipped to 59-4 arsenic England's bowlers dominated the aboriginal stages, but Ash Gardner's sparkling run-a-ball 102 and half-centuries from Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath led a sensational betterment to assistance them station 308-8.

England were braver and much proactive with the bat than successful the erstwhile 2 matches but nary of their apical bid could lucifer Gardner's match-winning contribution, with 4 players passing 30 and Nat Sciver-Brunt's 61 the apical people successful their 222 each out.

Australia present clasp a 6-0 pb successful the points-based multi-format bid and Heather Knight's broadside indispensable triumph each 3 T20s (worth 2 points each) and the Test lucifer (worth 4 points) successful bid to regain the Ashes, arsenic a drawn bid would spot them retained by the holders.

While England's nonaccomplishment to pursuit 181 successful the 2nd ODI was a effect of their ain mistakes - incapable to capitalise connected a uncommon Australian disconnected time - present was a timely reminder from the satellite champions of their people and staggering spot successful depth.

Unbothered by much top-order failures, Gardner added a diligent 95 for the 5th wicket with Mooney and 103 for the sixth with McGrath, who smashed 55 from 45 balls.

It was a perfectly-paced innings to acceptable up Georgia Wareham, who was making her archetypal quality successful the bid successful favour of seamer Darcie Brown, to decorativeness the innings with a brutal 12-ball 38 arsenic England conceded 104 from their last 10 overs.

England kept gait with Australia's innings passim their chase, with an achievable 120 required from the last 15 overs, but the last six wickets were blown distant for 22 runs done a operation of sensational fielding and relentless accuracy with the ball.

The T20 bid begins connected Monday 20 January (08:40 GMT) astatine the Sydney Cricket Ground.

After 2 below-par showings with the bat successful the bid truthful far, determination was a consciousness that Australia could not beryllium kept quiescent for agelong and that a connection innings was due.

England's bowlers again started the innings with fantabulous subject arsenic Australia stuttered to 46-3 aft the 10-over powerplay. They removed openers Phoebe Litchfield and Alyssa Healy for 15 apiece, Ellyse Perry was caught down the limb broadside for 2 and Annabel Sutherland fell soon aft for conscionable 10.

But Gardner and Mooney delivered a masterclass successful speechmaking the conditions and absorbing the unit done their proactive innings, adding 95 from 107 balls with exceptional judgement successful moving betwixt the wickets and astute usage of their feet to the spinners.

They took fewer risks, with Gardner hitting 1 six and 8 fours successful her archetypal ODI hundred, and Mooney striking conscionable 4 boundaries successful her 64-ball 50.

Their level subsequently allowed the explosive McGrath and Wareham to flourish and sound the upwind retired of England, the erstwhile uncovering signifier astatine a invaluable clip aft a thin commencement to the series.

Sciver-Brunt, Charlie Dean and Lauren Bell took 2 wickets apiece but it was an unusually mediocre time for Sophie Ecclestone, who was targeted by Australia and conceded 76 from her 10 overs, including 17 from the last implicit of the innings by Wareham.

It was much an innings which highlighted Australia's brilliance arsenic opposed to mediocre bowling from England but the mode successful which the hosts dominated volition spot them participate the T20 bid with an alarming confidence.

England skipper Knight called for much bravery from her batting line-up aft a timid attack successful the 2nd ODI successful peculiar and contempt the borderline of victory, this was a immense betterment successful their intent.

They were successful pursuit of the highest tally pursuit successful women's ODI past and erstwhile Maia Bouchier perished tamely successful the opening over, determination was a interest they could slump to different disappointing defeat.

Through Tammy Beaumont's 54 astatine the apical of the bid and Sciver-Brunt's 61, England kept successful interaction and the lively contributions of 35 and 30 from Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones respectively ensured the run-rate did not tally distant from them.

But if the Australians felt immoderate nerves, they were not connected display.

Instead, they stepped up a cogwheel with stunning diving catches from Litchfield to region Wyatt-Hodge and Kim Garth to region Jones, earlier Gardner added a sprinkling of genius to her time with a one-handed relay drawback from wrong the bound rope.

Such was the breathtaking quality of the catches, Alana King's 5-46 went nether the radar, portion Wareham added a captious 2 wickets to her batting cameo arsenic England mislaid different 7 wickets to spin.

England tin bespeak connected a much-improved show and judge they were outplayed by the world's top team, but they person nary clip oregon prime to dwell connected their disappointments arsenic their task is present wholly wide - win, oregon spot the Ashes enactment down nether for the sixth bid successful a row.

Former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent connected TNT Sports: "It lone feels similar 5% of quality betwixt the teams, but it's not conscionable 1 country - it's crossed the board.

"England are going to beryllium hurting due to the fact that they had Australia 59-4. I deliberation different 5% mightiness beryllium successful Australia's ruthlessness. No uncertainty determination is simply a gulf."

England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt: "We made immoderate improvements, but astir apt weren't our champion successful the field.

"They bat precise debased down, it makes it truly hard for us. We thought with the commencement we had, we'd enactment unit connected them but they had a truly bully partnership.

"I deliberation a alteration of format volition assistance the spirits. There's caller recruits who volition bring america energy, we look guardant to going backmost to Sydney."

Australia all-rounder Tahlia McGrath: "We ever speech astir our extent and taking the crippled on.

"We were disappointed with however we batted successful Melbourne and it felt similar we were a spot timid with the bat and fto them vessel to america truthful it was astir showing bully intent, being proactive and putting the unit backmost connected England."