England’s hopes of regaining the Women’s Ashes Cup have reached a critical stage.

A 21-run losing streak ended with missed chances in Melbourne on Tuesday as Heather Knight’s side failed to chase down a target of 181 and suffered back-to-back ODI defeats.

Australia lead 4-0 in the multi-format series, meaning England must win at least three of the remaining four white-ball games to keep their hopes of sealing the Ashes ahead of the series-ending Test match.

‘Clumsy’ England unable to cope with pressure

This was England’s moment to make a statement of intent, but when the chance to level the series came, the enormity of what could be achieved, as so often happened against Australia, left the visitors stunned.

The ball-carrying talents of Sophie Ecclestone (4-35) and Alice Capsey (3-22) were marred by a series of poor moments on the field, despite receiving The ball was lost and England still beat Australia for 180 to tie the score. -Victory goals to chase.

England chased down 69-2 after openers Tammy Beaumont and Maya Butcher were dismissed, but their defeat in the first ODI was repeated due to poor shot selection and three A misjudged run between the stumps led to an unnecessary defeat for England. Wicket after wicket.

“England are clumsy and they are not very clever at cricket,” said sky sports’ Nasser Hussein. “They made some mistakes and you can’t afford that if you want to beat Australia.”

Australia is just stronger

England’s latest attempt at a first Ashes Cup since 2014 was supposed to be different. Two games into the series, however, a familiar story is unfolding.

Knight’s side already have a big mountain to climb down, with the first two ODIs reminding former England captain Hussain that Australia remains the dominant force in women’s cricket.

“Australia does look stronger,” he said. “England came back last time out in the Ashes (8-8 draw at home in 2023) but they still have a mountain to climb away from home.

“Why do they look stronger? Well, they have been strong in world cricket for a long time. I know they did not perform well in the T20 World Cup in UAE, but overall, they look stronger.

“There’s so much depth in the team. You look at the middle of the lineup and they haven’t really been at their best yet, they’ve got Annabelle Sutherland, Ashley Gardner and Talia McGrath. .

“Outside of the team, you have young Georgia Wall, who they can’t get into. They have so much depth in their team and their plate.

“I always feel England don’t have that depth yet. If Nat Seaver-Brent fires, if Sophie Ecclestone fires, they have a good chance.”

england’s victory or defeat

With a team earning two points for winning a white-ball match, England had little room to maneuver.

As the defending champions heading into the series, two more wins for Australia would take them to eight points, enough to retain the Ashes no matter what England do.

If Australia pulls off another win, England will have to walk a tightrope in the remaining white-ball games before having a chance to fight for four points in the Test series.

The fast pace of the 2025 Women’s Ashes means England are approaching ‘now or never’ territory, with victory the currency needed to realize their dreams.

“Last time we were six points behind” – Kapusi defiant

England put up a brave fightback from 6-0 down in the 2023 Women’s Ashes draw and spirit all-rounder Kapusi will be hoping to score in the third and final ODI in Hobart Get ahead.

“We were down by four points, but last time we were down by six,” Kapusi said. “We have more time to regroup and get better.

“It’s not the best start to our campaign but at the same time we’ve seen what we can do so far.

“We just needed one collaboration that would have allowed us to cross the line, but we couldn’t.”

2025 Women’s Ashes Schedule

All dates and times in the UK and Ireland

• First foreign direct investment: Saturday 11 January – North Sydney Oval – Australia wins by four wickets
• The second foreign direct investment: Monday 13 January – Junction Oval, Melbourne – Australia won by 21 points
• The third overseas direct investment: Thursday 16 January 11.05pm – Hobart Ninja Stadium
• First T20I: Monday 20 January 8:40am – Sydney Cricket Ground
• Second T20I: Thursday 23 January 8.40am – Manuka Oval, Canberra
• Third T20I: Saturday 25 January 8am – Adelaide Oval
• test: Thursday 30 January to 3.30am Sunday 2 February – MCG, Melbourne