Aussies not satisfied despite first-up win

Last month, Alyssa Healy made the bold – and very tongue-in-cheek – suggestion Australia would win all seven matches of the multi-format women’s Ashes.

That call came very close to being disproved at the first hurdle on Tuesday when Australia edged home by two wickets chasing 177 at Leicester’s Grace Road to claim the first two points in the opening ODI of the series.

It was a game where both teams made nervy mistakes, but it’s set the scene for what Healy now believes will be one of the closest Ashes she’s ever been part of.

"I was wondering when that (question) was going to come at me," a laughing Healy said when asked about her pre-series prediction.

"We started alright. I said this morning I was fairly realistic that (winning every game) was going to be incredibly difficult to do.

"The English have been playing consistent cricket and we were going to have to come out and put our stamp on the series early on.

"We didn’t quite do that today, but to get the two points, we’ll take it.

"I think it’s going to be one of the closest Ashes series I’ve been a part of. There’s been a little bit written about us being on top, but I think it’s actually going to be a really tight series and hopefully we can get a leg-up. But we’ll have to wait and see."

Healy’s 71-ball innings of 66 provided the blueprint for how to bat on the Grace Road wicket and both teams will no doubt be taking a close look at her approach before the second one-dayer at the same venue on Thursday.

England allrounder Natalie Sciver was the other player to pass fifty in the low-scoring encounter, with batters from both teams falling to rash shots in the midst of excellent bowling.

"It was just a really simple ‘play straight’ sort of wicket," Healy said.

"Sciver showed us how to do that. That was my mindset, it’s my game plan quite often and I look to capitalise on anything full.

"I thought they bowled well, they came really hard at us and never let us grab the momentum at any point.

"It was nice to get the win, but we would have liked to chase it a bit better."

The Australian squad will meet on Wednesday to review Tuesday’s game, while England will quickly need to put aside the disappointment of almost stealing a win.

"We’re a really honest group … I think we’ll be really honest in our assessment of how we went about it and hopefully we can come out the bigger side on Thursday and show what we can do," Healy said.

The result was Australia’s 10th straight ODI win and ended England’s run of 14 consecutive victories, a streak that began in India in February.

But for England captain Heather Knight, the character shown by her bowlers to push Australia all the way is something they will draw confidence from as they look to regroup.

Veteran quick Katherine Brunt was impressive on her 34th birthday with figures of 1-37 – despite leaking the five wides that ended the game on a somewhat anticlimactic note – but stealing the show for the hosts was 20-year-old Sophie Ecclestone.

Image Id: 89855E49789246D2AE1017EB10B63F73 Image Caption: Eccelstone gave England a chance at Grace Road // Getty

The tall left-arm spinner piled the pressure on Australia during a 10-over spell that reaped 3-34, including the wickets of Rachael Haynes, Ashleigh Gardner and Jess Jonassen.

"Her talent is amazing, she’s brilliant to have up your sleeve as a captain,” Knight said. “She can take a wicket out of nowhere, she’s got a lovely action … and she keeps getting better.

"I think we’re a very good side and (Australia are) a very good side as well.

"We are evenly matched, and I think it was really important that today we put in a really good fight in and won some little battles with a long series ahead.

"I think we did that, I think it be a great series between the best two teams in the world."

CommBank Ashes Tour of England

Australia lead England 2-0

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

England ODI squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Jenny Gunn, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt 

July 2: Australia won by two wickets

July 4: Second ODI, Grace Road, Leicester

July 7:  Third ODI, St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury

July 11-13: England Academy v Australia, Marlborough College, Swindon

July 18-21: Only Test, The County Ground, Taunton

July 26: First T20, County Ground, Chelmsford

July 28: Second T20, The County Ground, Hove

July 31: Third T20, Bristol County Ground, Bristol

A Test victory is worth four points (two each for a draw), two points are awarded for ODI and T20 wins