That brings us to the end of our coverage for this match. The caravan will now move to Canberra for the second T20I, that will be played on Thursday. Remember, England can no longer win the multi-format series. Though, they have their pride to salvage.
We hope you will join us for the action on January 23rd. For now, it is time for the troika of Darpan Tikiya, Deepak Prakash and Manish Bishnoi to sign off. Keep following Crex for more cricketing action from around the world.
Tahlia McGrath (Australia Captain): "I am very happy. A lot has happened over the last 24 hours. But the girls stepped up and took up different roles and showed great depth. We just see it as an opportunity. There is a lot of depth and hunger in this team. (Georgia) Voll came out with unreal intent, (Beth) Mooney was fantastic, our leggies were quite handy too. Really looking forward to Manuka (Oval). England came hard at us in the powerplay. So, that is an area we have to work on."
Heather Knight (England Women Captain): "An outstanding innings by Moons—she’s incredibly tough to bowl to when she’s in that form. Too many runs; 20-30 less and we would have been in with a chance. Sophia Dunkley gave us a shot and made us feel like we were in it. She was smart with her shot selection, and we built a good partnership. Unfortunately, I went for the wrong option. She has such a beautiful swing, and when she hits the ball well, it’s a pleasure to watch."
Beth Mooney (Player of the Match): "Yeah, I'm obviously feeling very confident with the score of 198. We probably lost our way a little in the middle and towards the back end, if I'm being really critical. However, I thought our bowlers did an excellent job of containing the England batters, who batted exceptionally well too.
The wicket was very flat and didn’t offer much assistance. I had to work my way through the innings, but I got a lot of help along the way. It was really cool. I've seen a lot of Voll, and I couldn’t be prouder of her. She came out and took control of the game from ball one."
Player of the Match: Beth Mooney
4:59 PM IST, 10:29 PM LOCAL TIME | Australia win by 57 runs and lead the series by 8-0 (points).
Despite the injuries and shuffling of the line up coming into the match, Australia put up a clinic and registered what is a comprehensive victory in the end. With this, they now have 8 points in this multi-format series. Remember, even if England win the remaining two T20Is as well as the Test Match, they will only draw level. Hence, the Aussies would once again, retain the Ashes.
Up until half an hour ago, Sophia Dunkley threatened to take the game away from the hosts. Her whirlwind fifty had thrown a spanner in the works for Tahlia McGrath and co. But then, the skipper took matters in her own hands, knocked Dunkley's stumps over and momentum never shifted back. On either side of that sparkling knock, England lost wickets in clumps. In the end, they fell well short of the finish line.
Before this, Mooney's sturdy knock of 75 (in 51 balls) had helped Australia put up a big score on the board. She went about her business in a manner that has become synonymous with her name. Steadfast in her defence, crafty in picking gaps, effervescent with her running between the wickets and unrelenting against anything loose. She held one end up and that allowed others to come out and play their shots. Voll got an 11-ball-21, the skipper got a 9-ball-26, Harris got an 8-ball-14 and Litchfield made our jaws drop to the floor with some magnificent reverse hits.
Chasing the target of 199, England were rocked early with both the openers dismissed for ducks. Two fighting partnerships held the fort together before the flood gates were pushed open once again as Dunkley lost her stumps. England went from 110/4 to 141 all out and thus lost the game.