Australia held on to the Women’s Ashes title in a nail-biting encounter against England during the second one-day international in Southampton. Despite a remarkable unbeaten century from England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, the Australian team emerged victorious by a slender margin of three runs.

Chasing a target of 283 runs, England fell agonizingly short, finishing at 279/7. With five runs needed off the final delivery, Sciver-Brunt could only manage a single against Jess Jonassen, ending her innings at an unbeaten 111.

This triumph propelled Australia, the reigning double white-ball world champions, to an insurmountable 8-6 points lead in the multi-format series. Even if England were to win the third and final ODI, they could only hope for a draw at 8-8, allowing Australia to retain the Ashes.

A pivotal moment in the match came during Australia’s last over, where Georgia Wareham smashed an impressive 26 runs off England’s fast bowler, Lauren Bell.

“We still haven’t played our best cricket yet, which is a little bit scary at times, but we’re obviously really chuffed,” expressed Australia captain Alyssa Healy. Leading the team in the absence of regular skipper Meg Lanning, Healy emphasized their determination to secure the Ashes.

England captain Heather Knight praised Sciver-Brunt’s exceptional performance and expressed disappointment at falling short. Despite their comeback with three consecutive victories after being 6-0 down, England still yearned for their first Ashes series win since 2014.

Australia, after being sent in to bat, posted a total of 282/7, with star all-rounder Ellyse Perry contributing 91 runs and Annabel Sutherland adding a solid 50. Wareham’s explosive hitting in the final over propelled her to an unbeaten 37, including three sixes.

England’s chase began strongly with Tammy Beaumont scoring 60 runs. However, Australia’s leg-spinner Alana King, named the player of the match, picked up crucial wickets, finishing with figures of 3/44 from her allotted 10 overs.

Sciver-Brunt’s valiant effort kept England’s hopes alive, but the target of 15 runs from Jonassen’s final over proved insurmountable for the all-rounder.

Australia faced a precarious situation at 158/5 before Sutherland’s partnership with Perry, worth 81 runs for the sixth wicket, stabilized the innings. Sophie Ecclestone denied Perry a century, dismissing her after being dropped twice, and later claimed the wicket of Sutherland as well.

England, who had previously achieved a record ODI chase, faced a similar task this time but fell short. King played a crucial role, dismissing Knight and then deceiving Beaumont with a well-spun delivery, causing England to slump from 107/2 to 144/5.

Sciver-Brunt’s impressive hundred, comprising nine fours, made for a tense finish. However, her last-ball attempt to win the game with a six only resulted in a single run.