Australia outwit, outlast England with never-say-die attitude

Alana King says Australia's uncanny ability to hold their nerve in dire situations handed them the edge they needed to outwit and outlast England in Tuesday's weird and wonderful second Ashes ODI in Melbourne.

Australia were bowled out for 180 – their lowest ODI total on home soil since 2009 – but their aggression with the ball, and calmness as a dogged Amy Jones tried to single-handedly rescue England alongside her No.11 in the dying stages of the game, secured another two points in the multi-format series.

In the aftermath, captain Alyssa Healy hailed it as one of the most satisfying wins she had been part of, while King reflected on Australia's grit.

"We knew it was subpar when we walked off in the first innings, and we knew it was going to take a bit of grit … (we were) pretty stoked the way Kimmy Garth started, she had the ball on a string," King said.

"We knew we just needed to build some partnerships at both ends and tie them down.

"That's the beauty of this group. We never back down, no matter when our backs are against the wall."

Despite Kim Garth's early strikes to remove both England openers in the first six overs, the tourists looked solid at 2-68 with their two best batters, Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt, set.

But much like in Sunday's first ODI, it was their dismissals that then put pressure on the middle-to-lower order, and a collapse ultimately left it to No.6 Jones to try and farm the strike battling alongside No.10 Lauren Filer and No.11 Lauren Bell.

Her determination to keep the strike, combined with Filer and Bell's contentedness to simply block it out from their end and Australia's discipline with the ball, saw the required run-rate rise from three per over to 12 by the dying stages.

When Jones seemingly miscalculated how many balls were remaining in a wild 48th over that saw Annabel Sutherland dragged from the attack after bowling two waist-high no balls, and bafflingly failed to take an easy single that would have given her the strike for the start of the 49th, Megan Schutt took her chance, bowling Bell to seal victory.

"I don't know who had more pressure, if it was us or them, but the way that 'Jonesy' was playing, we just knew she needed to get boundaries," King said.

"She was hitting it out to the sweepers and not running, so I think we were probably a lot calmer then maybe they were.

"(I was) very surprised that Jonesy didn't run ... but that's what pressure does, right?

"Everyone was pretty clear on what their plan was and I think we just held our nerve a lot longer."

For England, it was the game that got away and allrounder Alice Capsey conceded it was a result they would need to reflect upon ahead of Friday's third ODI in Hobart.

Capsey joined Jones in the middle when England were 5-84, and while the pair steadied, they only managed to put on 36 runs in 12.5 overs before Capsey was dismissed.

However, she backed in England's slow and steady approach to the chase, and Jones' tactics while batting with the lower order.

"Me and Jonesy just knew that with one partnership, we'd get over the line, so for us, it was just about playing the ball on merit and really trying to get ourselves in.

"Potentially, we could have put the bowlers off their lines and lengths a little bit more, that's something that we'll have to reflect on."

Capsey also insisted England would take confidence from their performances with the ball to date, which she said were the equal of Australia's.

Nor would they let their four-point deficit in the series faze them as they look to brush off their disappointment as they travel to Hobart.

Neither team have been able to produce a significant individual score or partnership across the two games to date – although Australia have had two players hit half-centuries, while England's highest score has been Jones' 47.

"From a bowling and fielding point of view, we're there," Capsey said.

"We've done some amazing things over the last two games.

"I think how Lauren Bell has opened the bowling for England has been super and just the way that all of the bowlers have really joined as a unit, and they're bowling in partnerships, and really building a lot of pressure, which is just great seeing the fielders backing it up.

"We're one or two partnerships away from getting over the line with the bat.

"We're all getting starts ... it's just about when someone gets in, going big, which will be the icing on the cake to get us over the line.

"And yep, we're 4-0 down, but at the same time, we've still got so many opportunities over the next two, three weeks to get those 10 points."

Commbank Women's Ashes 2025

Australia lead the multi-format series 4-0

First ODI: Australia won by six wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by 21 runs

Third ODI: January 17: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 10.05am AEDT

First T20I: January 20: SCG, Sydney, 7.15pm AEDT

Second T20I: January 23: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7.15pm AEDT

Third T20I: January 25: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 6.45pm ACDT (7.15pm AEDT)

Australia squad (ODI/T20Is): Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris+, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

England squad (ODI/T20Is): Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross*, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson+, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath+, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp+, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith+, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

* ODIs only; + T20Is only

Day-night Test: January 30 - February 2: MCG, Melbourne, 2.30pm AEDT

Australia Test squad: TBC

England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

The rivalry resumes with a blockbuster series in Australia from Jan 12 - Feb 2. Learn about the remarkable 90-year history at the Women's Ashes Hub