As exciting as T20 can be sometimes, it’s also very random, with games often being decided by a single bit of luck, a single stand out performance, or even a single controversial umpiring call. With that in mind, it was always unlikely England would get the three T20 wins they needed to win the Ashes and thankfully, they didn’t leave us in suspense for long. England had a disastrous start to both innings – conceding a wicket-maiden in the first over, another wicket in the second over and being 16/4 with just 27 balls bowled (actually 30 if you included wides, which incidentally accounted for half those runs!). A half decent recovery was then undone with another disastrous start to the Aussie innings, Brunt giving up 14 runs, including a wide, a no-ball and a six – all without return. There was no coming back from that and the Aussies went on to win comfortably with 25 balls to spare an in doing so, retained the Ashes.
So the scoring in place for the Women’s Ashes is now at 8-4. As current holders, Australia “retain” the Ashes, but England can still draw the series. All they need is that one bit of luck, performance or umpiring decision, in both the remaining games.