Nat Sciver-Brunt finally achieved a century against Australia, playing a pivotal role in England’s triumph by 69 runs in the third one-day international at Taunton on Tuesday. With this victory, the multi-format Women’s Ashes series concluded in a draw at 8-8.
The match was affected by rain, and the result was determined by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, resulting in Australia’s first bilateral ODI series loss since 2013, despite being double white-ball world champions.
Sciver-Brunt’s exceptional performance saw her scoring 129 runs, making it her second century against Australia in just three days, after an unbeaten 111 in the second ODI in Southampton, although it ended in an agonizing three-run defeat. Her innings of 129 was instrumental in England’s total of 285-9.
Australia faced a revised target of 269 from 44 overs but fell short, getting dismissed for 199. England’s seamer Kate Cross played a significant role, taking 3-48.
However, Australia had already secured the Ashes with an 8-6 lead before the match, having won the lone Test in the series.
England’s Kate Cross expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, believing they were closing the gap to Australia. The series ending in a draw was seen as a testament to England’s improvement.
Sciver-Brunt, who had consistently scored centuries against Australia but without securing a win before, was elated to see her efforts finally lead to an England victory.
Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner acknowledged England’s superior performance, highlighting their fearless brand of cricket, which Australia should take note of.
During the match, England lost early wickets but recovered well thanks to the partnership between captain Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt. The latter scored a magnificent hundred, receiving cheers from the crowd.
After a rain delay, Australia needed to score at a brisk pace, but England’s bowlers, especially Kate Cross, kept the pressure on. Ellyse Perry played a fighting innings of 53, but her dismissal ended Australia’s hopes.
Despite the draw in the series, England showcased a strong comeback after falling 6-0 down, managing to level the score at 6-6 by winning four of the seven matches and both white-ball series.
While England couldn’t reclaim the Ashes from Australia this time, there were discussions about possible adjustments to the points system to avoid series ending in a tie in the future. England’s captain, Heather Knight, suggested the idea of having an odd number of points for certain aspects to prevent draws in long series. However, concrete decisions were yet to be made.
