Australia has expanded its lead in the women’s ashes and won a four-goal victory over England in the second one-match international at Leicester’s Grace Road.
Ellyse Perry scored the most goals with 62, when Australia reached the goal of 218 with 28 balls. The Queensland couple Beth Mooney (43) and Jess Jonassen (31) saw the tourists coming home after a mediocre shake.
Previously, Delissa Kimmince had scored five goals for restricted England as the first national player, although Tammy Beaumont was awarded 115 hits by the English opener.
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The result means Australia has taken the lead 4-0 in the multi-format, point-based series. This is where the rivals of Ashes meet in a third ODI before a one-off test and three T20Is.
There are two points for each Limited Overs victory and four for a win in the Test Match.
After their bowlers had blocked England for a second game in a row, their chase stalled early, as opener Nicole Bolton (1) narrowly lagged in the second round, before Anya Shrubsole in the next round won one of the world’s biggest wickets in the form of Alyssa Healy for nine.
Meg Lanan’s disappointing start to the series continued as the Australian captain was defeated by a slower delivery of 18 for Katherine Brunt. It followed the 16, which they scored in the opening game, and let the Australians wobble after 13 overs with 3-59.
But Brunts rapture quickly turned to fear – they jumped into the air, then clumsily landed on their right ankles and fell to the ground in pain.
The 34-year-old veteran was helped off the field, but in a welcome glimpse of the hopes of England’s ashes, the speedster was soon seen jogging and crossing the border before returning to roll the 31st.
Perry and Rachael Haynes (30) have come together to reach the finish, but their 53-run stand was broken when Haynes hit a return-catch against off-spinner Laura Marsh.
Perry was looking for the key to Australia and the No. 4 seemed to be absolutely solid when she made her 27th ODI half century out of 72 deliveries.
But they find the most unlikely deliveries, they have a wide half tracker from Shrubsole and have a cut from the toe of the racket, their 79-ball innings ended at 62.
Ashleigh Gardner got a life-long eight when Shrubsole had a chance to return, but the all-rounder added just five more before the Englishmen could quickly remedy and bowl for 13.
With 6-158 years and still 60 runs to win, Beth Mooney began working in partnership with Queensland’s Jess Jonassen, to bring Australia home without further shaking.
The shrubs finished the race with 3-47 of the Eight Over, the Ironwoman Brunt – The Return on the Field, another three over the battle with a sore ankle and numbers of 1-27 of this.
England used to be hit before a ball was thrown. Star wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor was knocked out of play due to a slight ankle injury. Amy Jones took off her gloves.
Captain Heather Knight decided on the first strike and a second hit followed as Perry made another early breakthrough. Knight moved up from her favorite spot to fourth place and struggled to crawl from 46 deliveries to 17 before beating Gardner in 16th.
In stark contrast to her skipper – and the rest of the top order, where Nat Sciver (15) and Fran Wilson (8) also did not fire – opener Beaumont seemed to be in the middle of the game.
Beaumont preferred to push for singles instead of attacking the border, and used the momentum perfectly to produce first half a century of 44 deliveries, then their sixth one-day international century and their first against Australia.
Her prudent 115-ball strike finally ended with 114 when she slashed Spinner Jonassen. Kimmince opened the door to the stern and dashed for four gates in nine deliveries to wrap the English innings at 217 in 47.3 overs.
She netted two wickets in a row with Brunt (11) Stump and Shrubsole (12) before Marsh (2) and Ecclestone (4) dropped out to end the innings.
Kimmince’s 7,4 Overs 5: 26 was her first 5-wicket circuit in international cricket – with her 14th ODI she achieved a stop-start career in Australia that lasted 11 years.
Jonassen (2-42 out of eight) was the other multiple wicket taker while Megan Rubble was again stingy (1-30 out of nine).
Action Ashes moves to Canterbury, where the third ODI will be played on Sunday at 11am local time (8pm CEST).
