Before we get into any kind of Ashes attack on England, it’s worth accepting how well Australia performed.

After sweeping their opponents in the Women’s Ashes ODI, Southern Stars claimed victory in the first T20 match and retained the Ashes Cup, but captain Alyssa Healy and star all-rounder Ashgar Ash Gardner is out with foot and calf injuries respectively.

These high-profile absences did not affect Australia unduly, with Healy’s replacement, debutant Georgia Wall and Gardiner’s Grace Harris both contributing 57 runs in the middle to a dominant victory The host team won the victory. Sydney.

Australia’s batting line-up has deeper pockets than a miser, and they have more men who are good at spin than a political party. Simply put, they are better than England.

In 2023, England fought back from 6-0 down to draw 8-8 at home and, while the gap seemed to be closing, there is now a world of difference between the two teams.

The tourists trail 8-0 after four games, although they still have a chance of reaching an 8-8 draw again – if they win the last two T20s and the only Test match – a bruising defeat like 2019 A 12-4 comeback in 2022 and 2022 is possible, maybe possible.

Australia retain Ashes, England pays for sloppiness

Frustratingly for England, Australia continues to be a strong force – a team that has not lost an Ashes since 2014 and has won six of nine T20 World Cups and seven of 12 ODI editions. champions – they find themselves in a precarious position partly through their own fault. Blame it on your own hastiness. Their own bad decisions.

Take Monday’s T20 opener as an example. Two overs from Freya Kemp in the first over helped Australia score 11 runs. Then Lauren Bell got wayward in the second and Sophia Dunkley let the ball go through her legs to steal a home run from the hosts.

Bell went on to bowl Wall at short leg in the third over and wicketkeeper Amy Jones bowled out Beth Mooney, who scored 75, for 16 in the seventh over. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Charlie Dean connected for one another in Mooney’s 23-run eighth inning.

All this, coupled with Australia’s performance – Phoebe Litchfield’s six off Sarah Glenn was a dazzling one – meant the hosts Leading 90-1 at halftime.

Although Dunkley threatened to steal at one point with 59 off 30 in England’s run-chase, Australia would not squander the dominance. In the end, they won with a big score. A beating, in fact.

England needed a win (or a rain) to keep the Ashes alive, but neither came as Heather Knight’s side again underperformed in a crucial game and that’s becoming a cause for concern trend.

England again find shortcomings in big game

They have squandered the chance to win the second ODI in this multi-format series by taking too many penalties, ill-advised shot selection and an ill-judged non-single by Jones that exposed No. 11 Bell to Fatally accurate Megan Shute.

Prior to this, England suffered a large number of soft penalties and defensive deficiencies in the opening ODI, which ended with England losing by four wickets.

Australia showed rare signs of weakness in both games but the visitors were unable to pounce and they were then beaten in the third, Ash Gardner scoring a century for the home side. He made a wonderful catch in an amazing defensive performance.

Australia know how to win when it counts, England don’t.

We’ve seen over the last two T20 World Cups, Knight’s side collapse in the semi-finals against South Africa in 2023 and then languish against the West Indies in 2024, when Knight He missed the game due to a calf strain in the group stage. stage.

Are Knight and Lewis under pressure?

Now another chance to win the Ashes has slipped away, which is sure to raise questions about the future of Knight and coach Jon Lewis.

England have not won a trophy at a major tournament since the 2017 50-over World Cup, and Lewis’ Jonball approach – a focus on aggression he learned while working with Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes in the early days of Bazball – has brought Fun cricket, but no trophies, which is what he was appointed to deliver.

Knight has been captain since 2016 so may have felt it was time to hand over the reins and focus on batting, but there is no obvious successor – her failure against West Indies showed a lack of leadership elsewhere – as well The carrot of the T20 World Cup 2026, at home, she might be tempted to move on.

She has the support of her players – Dunkley said the team are “100 per cent” behind Knight – but some changes may need to be made, both in terms of captain and coach, if England are to get over the hump of this important game. or performers.

Australia may be too strong, but England need to be stronger.

Women’s Ashes – Results and Fixtures

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