Women's Ashes 2025: Ash Gardner leads Australia to four-wicket win in opening ODI

In the first One Day International of the Women's Ashes series in Sydney, Ashleigh Gardner's all-round brilliance helped Australia defeat England by four wickets. Gardner not only took 3 wickets for 19 runs but also contributed an unbeaten 42 runs, guiding Australia to victory with 11.1 overs to spare.

England showed some bright spots in the match, while Australia also displayed some vulnerability when losing six wickets. However, Heather Knight's team paid the price for wasteful batting and errors in the field, including a missed catch by Sophie Ecclestone when Gardner was on 31. Despite strong bowling performances from Lauren Bell and Ecclestone, Australia rarely faced scoreboard pressure during their chase, as England's batters were frequently dismissed cheaply.

England were bowled out for 43.1 overs, with captain Knight top-scoring with 39 runs, followed by a gritty 38 from Danni Wyatt-Hodge and 31 from Amy Jones, but none of the three could capitalize on their starts. Asked to bat first, England had established a decent position at 91-2 but then Australia struck in quick succession with Gardner dismissing both Knight and star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, both caught by Ellyse Perry from sweeps.

A 51-run rebuilding partnership between Jones and Wyatt-Hodge looked promising, and Wyatt-Hodge's performance contrasted with a mediocre showing from the middle and lower order, with the last five wickets adding just 47 runs. Australia's bowling performance was not flawless, conceding 24 extras, including a no-ball that gave Maia Bouchier a reprieve after being bowled in the first over, but England lacked the ruthlessness to punish them. Similarly, in the second innings, Annabel Sutherland was dismissed for 10 in the 24th over, again offering an opening at 124-4, but Gardner showed the resilience and discipline that the England batters lacked.

The compact schedule of this series means that England don't have much time to turn things around, with the second ODI taking place at Junction Oval in Melbourne on January 13. This victory gives Australia a 2-0 lead in the multi-format series, and England need a clean sweep to regain the Ashes. Australia bowled well, with Gardner’s spell and Kim Garth’s economical opening being highlights, but England's frustration will be that they gave away wickets too easily. The match started like a nightmare, with Bouchier bowled by Megan Schutt off the first ball, only for the bowler to be saved by a no-ball, but this blemish did not unsettle the world champions as the opener was caught out by the end of the fourth over.

Tammy Beaumont was then caught in the mid-wicket for 13 off 31 balls. Knight and Sciver-Brunt's inexplicable lapses in concentration allowed Australia to take control when they had looked settled. Jones hit 4 fours and a huge six in her innings before chipping the ball back to leg-spinner Alana King, while Alice Capsey's 4 off 20 balls marked the beginning of a tough day as she later dropped a simple catch off Perry when on 7. Wyatt-Hodge curbed her usual aggression as wickets fell regularly, but despite all looking good, starts were never enough against a disciplined team like Australia.

This chase also served as a reminder of Australia’s strength in the field, as they didn’t give away any chances. The pressure they exerted in saving boundaries and their athleticism led to a lot of frustration for England, which ultimately led to wickets. England suffered a significant blow before the match with experienced bowler Kate Cross ruled out with a back injury, but Bell performed well in her absence, finishing with 1-25, including the key wicket of Perry, and her 1-6 start in the first five overs. Her new-ball partner Lauren Filer bowled with lively pace, troubling Australia's top order – dismissing Phoebe Litchfield with a beautiful lifter caught in the second over – but lacked control at times, which England could ill afford early on when defending a below-par total.

But unfortunately for England, the catching issues that plagued them in the T20 World Cup in the autumn remain a concern, and these errors are made more glaring when compared to Australia’s excellence. Capsey’s drop of Perry, a straightforward chance at deep square leg, wasn’t costly in terms of runs, but it led to a sense of frustration among the players, while small errors like overthrows also started to occur more frequently. When Gardner was dropped, Australia needed only 22 more runs, so the result was probably inevitable, but they have to take their chances against a team that rarely offers them.

Healy set the platform for the victory with 11 fours in her 78-ball innings, but the frequent stumbles from the middle order should give England hope that they may not be far away if they can tighten up their discipline.