Battered England left to reassess as Aussies eye whitewash at the 'G

Australia have vowed to continue their ruthless pursuit of an unprecedented Ashes whitewash, as a battered England try and pick themselves for this week's showpiece day-night Test at the MCG.

Saturday night's 72-run drubbing in the third T20I at Adelaide Oval handed Australia a 12-0 lead in the points-based series, and they have their sights set on making it 16-0 with a win in the sole Test of the series.

They have already equalled the largest winning margin since the introduction of the multi-format Ashes in 2013. On three occasions the scoreline has read 12-4, with England achieving the feat in 2013, and Australia in 2019 and 2022.

"(A whitewash) has been spoken about a little bit in the last few days," Australia opener Beth Mooney said on Saturday.

"The Test match is going to offer a different challenge for both teams, I think, across that four-day period.

"But certainly we won't be wanting to let England back into the series at all.

"The ruthless nature of this group is that we want to compete and really drive it home.

"England will have a bit to think about in the next few days, and I'm sure they'll come out really hard and want to get a Test match win, as we would as well."

For England, the tour to date has been a disaster after the hope – and hype – that was generated by their come-from-behind 2023 campaign, when they recovered from 6-0 down to level the series 8-8.

Coach Jon Lewis conceded on Saturday night that after promising early signs, when England caused Australia to wobble chasing 204 at North Sydney Oval, then bowled them out for 180 at Junction Oval only to fall 21 runs short, Australia had asserted their dominance.

"We disrupted them a little bit over in England last time and we came here with confidence that we could do the same here, but they haven't let us do it through their skill and through their discipline," Lewis said.

"There isn't a lot of time between games to go away and think and work and make changes.

"We have pretty honest conversations behind closed doors, the players are really honest with how they're going.

"One of the things that stood out for me across this tour is actually, we've practiced really, really well, but we haven't played very well, so the bit that we're missing is the bit when we cross the line, as to how we go and perform.

"This was a great opportunity for us to show what a good cricket team we are and we haven't been able to do that."

Lewis said the fast-paced nature of the series had not helped, with a maximum of two days between each of the white ball games – each played at a new venue in a different city – and on two occasions, with just a day's break.

He also suggested Australia's ruthlessness was a product of their disappointment at failing to win the 2023 edition outright.

"They're a really good cricket team, we're really aware of that," he said.

"We knew this was going to be a really hard-fought competition, but also a really hard competition for us to come out on top in.

"I think our performance in England last time probably stimulated the Australians into making some decisions about how they wanted to play and they've come out and they've showed some real changes, some differences in they how they approach their cricket, and they've been really impressive."

Lewis was adamant however it would not take a lot for England to pick themselves up and steel themselves for the four-day Test, given the rarity of the format in the women's game.

This is the first time the Test has been played at the end of the multi-format Ashes, and players from both teams will need to rally ahead of the most demanding fixture on the schedule.

"We've got a really resilient group of players who are really excited about the opportunity to play Test cricket and under lights at the MCG," he said.

"I don't feel like we'll need to work hard with the players to get them in a space where they want to go and attack that game."

England will be sweating on the availability of key fast bowler Lauren Bell for the Test.

The right-armer has enjoyed a breakout tour, playing every game before missing Saturday's through illness.

Lewis revealed she had been struck down by a severe migraine, which forced her briefly from the field during the second T20I in Canberra and had not abated.

"She hasn't been able to really get out of bed for the last couple of days," he said. "Hopefully she can rest up and come good by Thursday."

Lewis has been forced to defend the fitness of some of his players throughout the tour, following comments made by England World Cup winning spinner turned commentator Alex Hartley following the T20 World Cup last October.

Those thoughts – which have been aimed at England's agility and athleticism in the field compared to Australia's – have been echoed not only by Hartley but by other past players as well as journalists throughout this series.

Speaking to media during a lengthy, 40-minute dissection of England's tour on Friday, Lewis – somewhat bizarrely – attributed the athletic differences between the squads to Australia's climate and outdoor lifestyle, while defending the work ethic of his own players.

"You guys need to come watch (England train), I promise you, I cannot defend them more around how hard they work on their physicality," he said.

"They are incredibly dedicated to what they do. I've never seen a cricket team work like this cricket team, and I've worked in professional cricket for 31 years.

"I walked from Bondi to Coogee last Sunday evening and pretty much every Australian in the eastern suburbs is in the water, doing Surf Lifesaver, playing touch rugby.

"For me, that's a cultural difference. I definitely think Australia have an advantage in terms of athleticism, and also our talent pool at the moment is small, so it's important for us to grow the game."

Commbank Women's Ashes 2025

Australia lead the multi-format series 12-0

First ODI: Australia won by four wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by 21 runs

Third ODI: Australia won by 86 runs

First T20I: Australia won by 57 runs

Second T20I: Australia won by six runs (DLS Method)

Third T20I: Australia won by 72 runs

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: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

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 until Feb 2. Learn about the remarkable 90-year history at the Women's Ashes Hub