Pressure-filled win bodes well for World Cup: Lanning

Meg Lanning believes her team's backs-to-the-wall performances in Canberra will only make Australia a more formidable opponent in the upcoming ODI World Cup.

The world No.1 ranked Australians officially retained the Ashes with two one-dayers to spare on Thursday, bowling England out for 175 after earlier being kept to 9-205.

That followed the thrilling final day of the one-off Test, when Australia were staring down the barrel before England lost 6-27 and the game ended in a draw.

Those close calls – alongside the fiercely contested series against India earlier this summer – may provide their rivals with hope ahead of the tournament in New Zealand, with several chinks in the Australians' armour seemingly exposed.

But in Lanning's eyes, the confidence boost that comes from winning those tough moments will only make her team better.

"It's huge," Lanning told cricket.com.au. "It's not going to be all our own way.

"There's going to be times where we're going to have to fight, where there's maybe a tricky wicket or it's swinging a lot and with the bat, we're going to have to find a way to fight.

"It's not going to be free flowing the whole time and to be able to scrape our way to 200, which seemed to be a relatively competitive total, and then knowing our bowling line-up could back that up … I think going forward, the final day of the Test match and also today, it really does fill us with a lot of confidence."

Australia now have their sights set on winning the Ashes outright, something they were unable to do in the 2017-18 edition when England claimed the final two matches to draw level.

There are two one-dayers remaining to be played in Melbourne, before the Ashes rivals again go toe-to-toe in their opening World Cup match in Hamilton on March 5.

"I think today was a really massive game," Lanning continued. "I think if we'd have let England get some momentum in the series, it could have gone either way.

"But to be able to take a bit of pressure there with the bat, push through, and then to come back and really dominate with the ball, I think's really impressive and very resilient from the group."

For England, the Ashes are lost after playing just three completed matches.

Australia's win in the first ODI followed victory in the opening T20I, two T20 washouts and the drawn Test, handing them an unassailable 8-4 lead.

England captain Heather Knight refused to dwell on what might have been, if not for the rain in Adelaide, and would instead focus on ruining the hosts' party in Melbourne.

"In the three games that we've played, we haven't been able to string the batting and bowling together in a complete performance," Knight said.

"I'm proud of the way the lower-order fought and kept the hope alive, but unfortunately the Ashes are gone.

"But we're still in with the chance of drawing the series, which will obviously be our focus now."

Commonwealth Bank Women's Ashes v England

Australia Ashes squad: Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Stella Campbell, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes (vc), Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland

England Ashes squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver (vc), Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt

Australia lead the multi-format series 8-4

First T20: Australia won by nine wickets

Second T20: No Result

Third T20: Match Abandoned without a ball bowled

Test match: Match Drawn

First ODI: Australia won by 27 runs

Feb 6: Second ODI, Junction Oval, 10.05am AEDT

Feb 8: Third ODI, Junction Oval, 10.05am AEDT