SYDNEY: Home side Australia crushed England by 57 runs in the first T20I of the three-match series here at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Monday and retained the women’s Ashes with three matches to spare.
The dominant hosts, who registered a clean sweep 3-0 victory over arch-rivals England in the preceding ODI series, continued their winning momentum in the shortest format and secured an unassailable 8-0 lead in this year’s women’s Ashes.
The teams are scheduled to lock horns in two more T20Is, followed by the one-off Test.
With two points for a limited-overs fixture and four for the red-ball game, England, who have not won the women's Ashes since 2014, can still draw the multi-format series but Australia would still retain the prestigious title as holders.
Put into bat first, the home side registered a massive total of 198/7 on the board, courtesy of Beth Mooney’s quickfire half-century.
The left-handed opener top-scored for Australia with a 51-ball 75, studded with 11 boundaries. Besides her, skipper Tahlia McGrath (26), Phoebe Litchfield (25) and Georgia Voll (21) made important contributions.
For England, Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone picked up two wickets each, while Charlie Dean and Freya Kemp struck out one batter apiece.
In response, England could amass 141 before getting bowled in 16 overs despite a spirited half-century from Sophia Dunkley.
The top-order batter waged a lone battle for the touring side with a 30-ball 59, laced with six fours and four sixes.
Georgia Wareham was the standout bowler for Australia as she claimed three wickets for 25 runs in three overs.
"The girls are pretty pumped, but the job's not done, we want to win it outright. We always strive to keep on winning games, that'd be great," Australia spinner Wareham said.
"Mooney was so good with the bat, kicked us off really nicely. Dunkley whacked them today, that was a bit nerve-wracking."
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