Heather Knight, the England captain, played a vital unbeaten knock of 75 to guide her team to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Australia in the first ODI at the County Ground in Bristol. This win was England’s third in succession in the multi-format Ashes series and leveled it at six points each with two ODIs left to be played. It was England’s highest successful ODI run chase ever and their first ODI victory over Australia, the world champions, since 2017.
After Alyssa Healy gave Australia a quick start, Ellyse Perry, their star all-rounder, and Phoebe Litchfield formed a solid partnership before Litchfield was dismissed by a brilliant catch from Sophie Ecclestone. Perry and Beth Mooney built another strong partnership until Perry’s departure. Mooney played a standout innings despite lack of support from the other end. Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner made useful contributions, but it was the partnership between Mooney and Jess Jonassen that took Australia to a competitive total of 263-8 in 50 overs.
England began their chase aggressively, with Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey making significant contributions during the powerplay. However, wickets fell, and with England needing 29 runs with only two wickets in hand, Knight remained steady. Australia’s fielding was uncharacteristically sloppy, offering 16 extras in the first four overs. Despite a lower-order collapse, Knight found support from Kate Cross and their partnership of 32 led England to victory. The Australian spinners, Ashleigh Gardner and Georgia Wareham, applied pressure, but Knight’s resilience ensured England’s triumph.
Australia’s loss put an end to their 15-match winning streak in ODIs, while England can regain the Ashes for the first time since 2014 if they win the two remaining ODIs.