Australia level Women's Ashes Series at Bristol
23 July 2015
England were unable to pull off a record chase as a Meg Lanning-inspired Australia levelled the Women’s Ashes Series at 2-2 with a 63-run victory.
Lanning hit her sixth one-day international ton before ending England’s opening partnership with a superb run-out at the Bristol County Ground.
Charlotte Edwards scored 58 in response, with Sarah Taylor adding 43, but Megan Schutt took 4-47 as England were ultimately bowled out for 196.
Edwards put Australia in to bat after winning the toss but the tourists, looking to hit back from their defeat at Taunton, batted brilliantly to post 259 for six, setting England a target they had never before successfully chased.
Edwards and Heather Knight gave England a fine start with a 92-run opening partnership.
Knight survived in the seventh over when on 11, nicking behind to Alyssa Healy, who appeared to take a fine catch to her right until television replays proved the ball had grounded.
Edwards reached fifty for the 46th time in one-day internationals as England reached the end of the 20th over 92 without loss.
But Australia hit back with the first ball of the next over when Knight was sent back by Edwards after attempting a quick single but she was not quick enough and Lanning gathered the ball well before throwing the stumps down from midwicket.
Edwards departed for 58 after being bowled by Schutt just after the halfway mark of the England innings when trying to pull to the leg side.
Jess Jonassen was brought back for her second spell in the following over and ended it by castling Amy Jones for nought to leave England 123 for three.
Sarah Taylor raced towards a fifty as England remained narrowly ahead on Duckworth/Lewis with the light fading but she fell seven runs short of the personal landmark when she was adjudged lbw to Jonassen.
That brought Natalie Sciver together with Lydia Greenway – the heroes from the first ODI at Taunton – but there was to be no match-winning contribution from the pair this time as Greenway added 20 before being trapped lbw by Sarah Coyte.
Greenway’s wicket was the first of six in the space of seven overs. Georgia Elwiss was bowled by Schutt before Sciver was beaten by Coyte having made three.
Schutt also had Anya Shrubsole lbw before bowling Kate Cross for two, and despite an entertaining 21 from Katherine Brunt, Erin Osborne rounded off the match by castling Becky Grundy.
Schutt was one of two changes in the Australia side, with opener Nicole Bolton also coming in.
Bolton earlier combined with Elyse Villani to put on 65 for the opening wicket.
England finally made a breakthrough in the 16th over, as Villani cut behind to Taylor when trying to cut Grundy.
That brought Lanning to the crease and she started slowly, taking 10 deliveries to get off the mark.
Bolton went to 37 before she was bowled by a fuller delivery from Anya Shrubsole, but Ellyse Perry, who had top-scored at Taunton, came out to forge a brilliant partnership with Lanning that saw the pair racked up 132 runs in 23 overs.
Lanning went to her eighth format fifty in the 35th over and survived being dropped on 72 when a thick edge off Brunt was shelled by Taylor, who had gone to her right one-handed, and again on 83 when she fizzed a shot straight back at bowler Cross, who was unable to keep hold of the ball.
Cross required a precautionary x-ray on the injury but Lanning raced on to her hundred before being stumped for 104 off Sciver.
Perry was two runs short of a seventh successive ODI fifty when she was bowled by Knight, who also accounted for Alex Blackwell, while Jonassen was stumped after charging down her crease and missing a wide one from Sciver in the final over.
