Women's Ashes 2025: England dealt early warning as Australia show 'no room for weakness'

Despite winning the match with four wickets to spare and 67 balls remaining, the Australian team expressed dissatisfaction, which is a cause for concern. In the first match of the multi-format Women's Ashes series held in Sydney, neither team performed at their best, which is perhaps understandable given the limited preparation time for the series.

In the first One Day International, England were bowled out for 204 on a ground where the average first-innings winning score is a hefty 277. Australia also lost six wickets in their chase. However, what England must be wary of is that a dominant team like Australia will never be satisfied with simply "getting over the line." They are a powerful side that likes to win in a crushing manner.

Australian captain Alyssa Healy, after scoring 70 runs, stated, "I think we could have been a bit more clinical with the bat. It's a ground where you never feel 'in', so to chase that score down was good, but we could have been quicker and more clinical in getting to that target." Healy's immediate call for improvement after a victory is telling, while England captain Heather Knight was content with her team's performance.

Knight said, "We felt like we were in the game and very close. We won't be making too many changes, and I think we are not far away from a win. Another 20 runs and we are in control of the game." Of course, Knight won't be too disheartened by a loss, her job is to keep spirits high in a tour with a tight schedule: the two teams fly to Melbourne tomorrow for the second ODI the day after.

The series consists of three ODIs and three T20 matches, with two points awarded for each limited-overs match victory. This is followed by a single Test match, where the winner gets four points and a draw gives both teams two. England trail 0-2 after the first match, but should never be underestimated because of one loss. Remember, they came back from 0-6 down to draw a thrilling series in 2023.

While Australia may not have been at their best, it was still a statement – showing that they can comfortably win even on a rare off day. England must take more initiative when opportunities arise. The difference between the two teams is that Australia can punish England’s mistakes, showing a decisiveness that Knight’s team lacks.

England’s three senior batters – Knight, Amy Jones, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge – all got to 30, but failed to take responsibility to go on and score big, with their last five wickets falling for just 47 runs. In contrast, Healy’s excellent knock of 78 laid the foundation for victory. Moreover, England's fielding was also poor, with Alice Capsey dropping all-rounder Ellyse Perry on 7 and Sophie Ecclestone – although she bowled well – dropping Ash Gardner on 31.

Perry only went on to score 14, but it gave Australia a chance to build momentum and hurt England, scoring 19 runs in the following over. Gardner took her second chance and ended up 42 not out, guiding her team to victory. "The Capsey drop of Perry, while it didn't cost a huge amount of runs, it set the tone," former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent said on TNT Sports. "If Filer gets Phoebe Litchfield out early and then Capsey takes that catch a few balls later, you're feeling like 'hey, we're on top in this game and we're pushing forward'."

"But instead, you lose that momentum. England have to be sharper because there's no room for error, especially against Australia. They have a lot of work to do, but they must be more clinical." There were positives for England too, including a brilliant spell from Lauren Bell with 1-25, showing great control and discipline in the absence of Kate Cross, and perhaps the quick turnaround can help them as they don't have much time to dwell on the disappointment.

Knight said before the match that it is difficult for teams that fall behind early to “wrestle back momentum,” and England found themselves in that position immediately. They cannot retreat, especially with Australia threatening to surge ahead.