VIDEO: England record consolation win in final T20I of Women’s Ashes 2015

The England Women’s cricket team managed to register a consolation victory at the end of their Ashes 2015 campaign when they defeated Australia Women by five wickets with 11 balls to spare in the third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Monday. Anya Shrubsole and Natalie Sciver played the...

The England Women’s cricket team managed to register a consolation victory at the end of their Ashes 2015 campaign when they defeated Australia Women by five wickets with 11 balls to spare in the third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Monday. Anya Shrubsole and Natalie Sciver played the key roles in securing the victory for their side with ball and bat respectively. Shrubsole’s destructive figures of 4 for 11 helped bowl the visitors out for 111 off 20 overs. England then found themselves in a sticky situation when they lost their first three wickets with just 22 runs on board.

Sciver struck 47 runs off 44 balls, hitting two fours and a six during her innings that helped steady the innings for the hosts. Katherine Brunt (17) and Lydia Greenway (20 not out) pitched in with contributions, providing valuable support from the other end as Sciver continued to get the runs flowing. England were well-within reach of their target by the time Sciver was run out by wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy. Greenway hitting the winning boundary towards square-leg as the hosts managed to regain some satisfaction at the end of the series.

Australia were reeling at 25 for 4 after being put to bat by their opponents. Shrubsole did much of the damage work early in the innings, thanks to some movement that she managed to get in that phase. Star all-rounder Ellyse Perry tried to steady the innings for a while, before she dragged a Sciver delivery onto her stumps to depart for 16. Alex Blackwell and Grace Harris scored 24 each to help the Southern Stars, as the visitors are popularly known, past the 100-run mark.

The Southern Stars won their first Ashes tournament in England since 2001, collecting 10 points across the three formats in this year’s edition compared to England’s six. While Sciver was adjudged Player of the Match, Perry and Shrubsole were declared the Players of the tournament from Australia and England respectively.

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