Australian women's cricket team in England in 2005
Encyclopedia
The Australian women's cricket team
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934/5, when they lost to England two-nil in a three-Test series. Since then they have improved and are generally considered the best women's cricket team in the world...

toured England
English women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934–35, when they beat Australia 2–0 in a three-Test series. Their current captain is Charlotte Edwards, replacing Clare Connor after her five-year tenure, which she finished by leading England to their first Ashes series win since...

 in August and September 2005. They played five One-day Internationals (ODIs), two Test matches
Women's Test cricket
Women's Test cricket is the longest format of women's cricket and is the gender equivalent to men's Test cricket. Matches comprise four-innings and are held over a maximum of four days between two of the leading cricketing nations...

 and one Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...

 International. They also played one One Day International against Ireland
Irish women's cricket team
The Irish women's cricket team is the team that represents Ireland in international women's cricket matches. Unlike their male counterparts, they currently have both Test and ODI status...

, which they won easily. They won two of the three ODIs, and were also looking to win the third, but a good last over from Katherine Brunt
Katherine Brunt
Katherine Helen Brunt is an English cricketer and member of the current England women's team. In 2006, she was named England women's Cricketer of the Year and again in 2010 ....

, yielding only four runs, gave England victory. Brunt was also the heroine of the second Test, where she took nine wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...

s in the match and made 52 in England's first Test win over the Australians since December 1984. It also gave England their first win in the Women's Ashes since 1963. England also won their next ODI thanks to a century from Claire Taylor
Claire Taylor
Samantha Claire Taylor MBE is a former English cricketer and retired member of the England women's team. A determined batsman, with almost 3,500 runs in over a hundred One Day International appearances, she was the top ranked female ODI batsman in the world going into the 2009 Women's World Cup...

, but Australia took the series 3–2 after winning the last ODI by just four runs. The last match of the series was a Twenty20 International, which was Australia's first, and they won it by seven wickets.

ODIs in Ireland

Three ODIs in Ireland were planned (29, 31 July and 1 August), but only one was actually played - the other two were rained off. However, in the match that was played on 31 July, Australia beat the Irish women's cricket team
Irish women's cricket team
The Irish women's cricket team is the team that represents Ireland in international women's cricket matches. Unlike their male counterparts, they currently have both Test and ODI status...

 by 240 runs, Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and occasional left-arm medium-paced bowler, she has scored the most runs for Australia in women's Test cricket....

 and Lisa Sthalekar both making centuries as Australia made 295 for 3, and Cecelia Joyce top-scored for Ireland with a paltry 18 - Shelley Nitschke taking four for 15 as Ireland collapsed to 55 all out in 26 overs.

1st Test

England
English women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934–35, when they beat Australia 2–0 in a three-Test series. Their current captain is Charlotte Edwards, replacing Clare Connor after her five-year tenure, which she finished by leading England to their first Ashes series win since...

 got an excellent start to the first women's Test at Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...

, where two debutants were to take centre stage; but the match petered out into a draw.

In one of the highlights of the first day of play, Belinda Clark
Belinda Clark
Belinda Jane Clark AM is a former female Australian cricketer, who played international cricket from 1991 to 2005...

 — arguably Australia's
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934/5, when they lost to England two-nil in a three-Test series. Since then they have improved and are generally considered the best women's cricket team in the world...

 best batter — had been bowled by Jenny Gunn
Jenny Gunn
Jennifer Louise Gunn is an English cricketer and a member of the current England women's team. A medium pace bowler and lower middle order batsman, she is the daughter of former Nottingham Forest player Bryn Gunn. She plays for Nottinghamshire and Western Australia and made her Test debut at 17...

 for a two-ball duck. It was to be Gunn's only wicket of the day, but probably the most vital. All-rounder Rosalie Birch
Rosalie Birch
Rosalie Anne Birch is an English cricketer and a member of the current England team. An off spinner and lower middle order batsman, she was part of the England team that won the Ashes in 2005 and retained them in 2008.From 2003 Birch combined her cricketing career with full-time study at the...

 and 15-year-old debutante spinner Holly Colvin
Holly Colvin
Holly Louise Colvin is an English cricketer and member of the current England women's cricket team.She currently holds the record of being the youngest Test cricketer of either sex to play for England.-School level:...

 then took two wickets each as Australia crumbled to 115 for 7, Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and occasional left-arm medium-paced bowler, she has scored the most runs for Australia in women's Test cricket....

 being the only batter on top of the bowlers.

However, as the day wore on, England lost their stamina, and the lower order
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...

 batters took over. No. 7 Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick is a former Australian cricketer. She was recognised as the world's fastest women pace bowler, bowling at up to 125 km/h...

, No. 9 Julie Hayes and Test debutante No. 10 Shelley Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke is a female cricketer who plays for South Australia and Australia. A left-handed batsman and left arm orthodox spinner, she is one of the leading all-rounders in the world....

 all made fifties as Australia eked out 223 more runs before the end of the first day, losing only two more wickets, and Nitschke was 70 not out overnight. She finished on an unbeaten 81, as Australia added a further 27 before Clea Smith was lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...

 to Katherine Brunt
Katherine Brunt
Katherine Helen Brunt is an English cricketer and member of the current England women's team. In 2006, she was named England women's Cricketer of the Year and again in 2010 ....

, to end with 355. England scored slowly after losing Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Laura Kelly Newton is an international cricketer . She appeared in 13 Test matches, 73 one day internationals and 3 Twenty/20 games for the England women's team...

 for 24, as they used 129 overs to make 273 — Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Marie Edwards MBE is an English cricketer and current captain of the England women's team....

 top-scoring with 69, while Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle is an English cricketer and member of the England Women's team.She represented England women in 9 Test matches and 58 one-day internationals from 2000-2005, scoring a century in the First Test against Australia at Hove in 2005 and 8 ODI fifties...

 made her second Test half-century with 54.

Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke is a female cricketer who plays for South Australia and Australia. A left-handed batsman and left arm orthodox spinner, she is one of the leading all-rounders in the world....

 and Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Carprini Sthalekar is a female cricketer who plays for Australia, and captains New South Wales. One of the key players in the team, she is a right-handed all rounder who bowls off spin, and was rated as the leading all rounder in the world when rankings were introduced...

 took three wickets each, but England fought back. Gunn
Jenny Gunn
Jennifer Louise Gunn is an English cricketer and a member of the current England women's team. A medium pace bowler and lower middle order batsman, she is the daughter of former Nottingham Forest player Bryn Gunn. She plays for Nottinghamshire and Western Australia and made her Test debut at 17...

 took two more wickets, removing both openers for ducks, as Belinda Clark
Belinda Clark
Belinda Jane Clark AM is a former female Australian cricketer, who played international cricket from 1991 to 2005...

 recorded a pair, but Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and occasional left-arm medium-paced bowler, she has scored the most runs for Australia in women's Test cricket....

 and Sthalekar
Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Carprini Sthalekar is a female cricketer who plays for Australia, and captains New South Wales. One of the key players in the team, she is a right-handed all rounder who bowls off spin, and was rated as the leading all rounder in the world when rankings were introduced...

 took the score beyond England's grasp. Rolton was finally run out for 97, but she had led the Australians to a 254-run lead at the end of day three. Australia added a further 51 to that on the fourth morning - slow left arm bowler Clare Connor
Clare Connor
Clare Joanne Connor OBE, is an English all-round cricketer who bats right-handed and bowls slow left arm spin. She made her England One Day International debut in 1995 and played her first Test match that winter. She took a hat-trick against India in 1999 and captained England from 2000 until her...

 taking four for 68 in a marathon bowling effort. England quickly determined 306 in 95 overs was too tough after they crumbled to 14 for 3, but Brindle
Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle is an English cricketer and member of the England Women's team.She represented England women in 9 Test matches and 58 one-day internationals from 2000-2005, scoring a century in the First Test against Australia at Hove in 2005 and 8 ODI fifties...

 stood firm at the crease, taking four hours for a maiden Test century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...

, and England made it to the end of the scheduled time having only lost seven wickets. Thus, the second Test would now decide the series.

2nd Test

Despite rain washing out parts of the first day at New Road
New Road, Worcester
New Road, Worcester, England, has been the home cricket ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Immediately to the northwest is a road called New Road, part of the A44, hence the name.- Overview :...

, England
English women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934–35, when they beat Australia 2–0 in a three-Test series. Their current captain is Charlotte Edwards, replacing Clare Connor after her five-year tenure, which she finished by leading England to their first Ashes series win since...

 took their first Test victory over Australia
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934/5, when they lost to England two-nil in a three-Test series. Since then they have improved and are generally considered the best women's cricket team in the world...

 since December 1984, and their first Ashes series win since 1963
1963 English cricket season
The 1963 English cricket season marked the beginning of limited overs cricket at List A level with the inauguration of the knockout competition that was originally called the Gillette Cup. It also included a memorable Test series against West Indies...

. Having won the toss, England captain Clare Connor
Clare Connor
Clare Joanne Connor OBE, is an English all-round cricketer who bats right-handed and bowls slow left arm spin. She made her England One Day International debut in 1995 and played her first Test match that winter. She took a hat-trick against India in 1999 and captained England from 2000 until her...

 opted to bowl, and after Belinda Clark
Belinda Clark
Belinda Jane Clark AM is a former female Australian cricketer, who played international cricket from 1991 to 2005...

 had slashed 18 runs she was trapped lbw by pacer Katherine Brunt
Katherine Brunt
Katherine Helen Brunt is an English cricketer and member of the current England women's team. In 2006, she was named England women's Cricketer of the Year and again in 2010 ....

. Wickets were shared out among the entire England team, no Australian passed 40, and by the end of the day they had crashed to 126 for 7. It took 33 deliveries
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...

 for Australia to be all out on the second morning - for 131, as the efforts from the last Test, when the last three wickets outscored the rest of the batting line-up, were not repeated. Brunt took care of that, having Nitschke and Price caught behind to complete her five-wicket-haul. Batting was clearly difficult, but Jenny Gunn
Jenny Gunn
Jennifer Louise Gunn is an English cricketer and a member of the current England women's team. A medium pace bowler and lower middle order batsman, she is the daughter of former Nottingham Forest player Bryn Gunn. She plays for Nottinghamshire and Western Australia and made her Test debut at 17...

, Clare Connor
Clare Connor
Clare Joanne Connor OBE, is an English all-round cricketer who bats right-handed and bowls slow left arm spin. She made her England One Day International debut in 1995 and played her first Test match that winter. She took a hat-trick against India in 1999 and captained England from 2000 until her...

 and Claire Taylor
Claire Taylor
Samantha Claire Taylor MBE is a former English cricketer and retired member of the England women's team. A determined batsman, with almost 3,500 runs in over a hundred One Day International appearances, she was the top ranked female ODI batsman in the world going into the 2009 Women's World Cup...

 all dug in to make scores above 30, before a vital partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...

 between Taylor and Beth Morgan took England to a relatively comfortable lead, as they moved to 196 for 6 before Emma Liddell struck twice and Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick is a former Australian cricketer. She was recognised as the world's fastest women pace bowler, bowling at up to 125 km/h...

 once to leave England at 222 for 9 at close of play of day two. Liddell and Fitzpatrick bowled 59 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....

 between them on the second day, out of a total of 101, and although they shared seven wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...

s, they failed to remove either of Brunt or Isa Guha
Isa Guha
Isa Tara Guha is an England cricketer who played in the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa . A right arm fast medium bowler, she made her Test debut at the age of 17 against India in 2002 when she was named BBC Asian Network Sports Personality of the Year...

, and the last English pair added 18 before the end of day two.

On the third day, England powered on, Brunt staking her claim for Player of the Match with a vital, powerful 52 - her first Test fifty - as she eked out 83 runs with Guha for the tenth wicket, Guha making 31 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...

. Leading by 158 on first innings, England got a dream start by dismissing Lisa Keightley
Lisa Keightley
Lisa Maree Keightley is an Australian cricketer. She was born on 26 August 1971 in Mudgee, New South Wales and was a right-handed batsman and occasional right arm medium pace bowler....

 for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...

, and wickets just kept falling. Gunn and Brunt took two wickets each as the Australians faltered to 18 for 4, before the twin sisters Kate and Alex Blackwell fought back. However, Isa Guha removed Alex, another two wickets fell, and by tea Australia were 67 for 7. An attritional partnership for the seventh wicket between Kate Blackwell and Shelley Nitschke, which yielded 112 runs in four hours, carried Australia past 100, but still they were only 21 ahead with three wickets in hand at the close of day three. The last day started just like England wanted, Katherine Brunt dismissing Kate Blackwell and wicket-keeper Julia Price
Julia Price
Julia Clare Price is a cricketer for the Australian women's cricket team. She made her first class debut in 1995 for Queensland Women and her Test debut against New Zealand at Melbourne in February 1996...

 with successive deliveries, and all that was left was to take the last wicket. England toiled, but the Australians defended for nearly two hours and faced 35 overs, until number 11 Emma Liddell finally edged behind to Jane Smit
Jane Smit
Jane Smit is an English cricketer and former member of the England team. A wicket keeper, she was formerly married to Australian-born Derbyshire and Northamptonshire cricketer Matthew Cassar but she has reverted to her maiden name...

 and was out for 24. Shelley Nitschke made her second fifty in two Tests and was left stranded on 88 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...

, while slow left arm bowler Clare Connor ended with the bowling analysis
Bowling analysis
In the sport of cricket, a bowling analysis usually refers to a notation summarising a bowler's performance in terms of overs bowled, how many of those overs are maidens , total runs conceded and number of wickets taken...

 of 26-20-25-1. Brunt finished with four wickets in the second innings, for a match total of nine for 111.

England were thus left to chase 75 for the Ashes, but Emma Liddell didn't want to be beaten, and her pace
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...

 trapped Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Laura Kelly Newton is an international cricketer . She appeared in 13 Test matches, 73 one day internationals and 3 Twenty/20 games for the England women's team...

 and Jenny Gunn
Jenny Gunn
Jennifer Louise Gunn is an English cricketer and a member of the current England women's team. A medium pace bowler and lower middle order batsman, she is the daughter of former Nottingham Forest player Bryn Gunn. She plays for Nottinghamshire and Western Australia and made her Test debut at 17...

 lbw in the second over as England lost their first two wickets for one run. However, Liddell couldn't get any further breakthroguhs, and even though England lost Connor and Edwards to Fitzpatrick - both lbw - Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle is an English cricketer and member of the England Women's team.She represented England women in 9 Test matches and 58 one-day internationals from 2000-2005, scoring a century in the First Test against Australia at Hove in 2005 and 8 ODI fifties...

 batted out an hour for 24 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...

 to see England to the target about three hours before the scheduled close.

1st ODI

England
English women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934–35, when they beat Australia 2–0 in a three-Test series. Their current captain is Charlotte Edwards, replacing Clare Connor after her five-year tenure, which she finished by leading England to their first Ashes series win since...

 set themselves up well against Australia
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934/5, when they lost to England two-nil in a three-Test series. Since then they have improved and are generally considered the best women's cricket team in the world...

, but failed to hit out in the last over thanks to some accurate and fierce bowling from Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick is a former Australian cricketer. She was recognised as the world's fastest women pace bowler, bowling at up to 125 km/h...

, who had earlier hit 38 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...

 with the bat to lift Australia to 222 for 7 after three for 39 from Clare Connor
Clare Connor
Clare Joanne Connor OBE, is an English all-round cricketer who bats right-handed and bowls slow left arm spin. She made her England One Day International debut in 1995 and played her first Test match that winter. She took a hat-trick against India in 1999 and captained England from 2000 until her...

. Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle is an English cricketer and member of the England Women's team.She represented England women in 9 Test matches and 58 one-day internationals from 2000-2005, scoring a century in the First Test against Australia at Hove in 2005 and 8 ODI fifties...

 continued on her magnificent form from the first Test, when she made a fifty and a hundred, and in partnerships with Jenny Gunn
Jenny Gunn
Jennifer Louise Gunn is an English cricketer and a member of the current England women's team. A medium pace bowler and lower middle order batsman, she is the daughter of former Nottingham Forest player Bryn Gunn. She plays for Nottinghamshire and Western Australia and made her Test debut at 17...

 and Claire Taylor
Claire Taylor
Samantha Claire Taylor MBE is a former English cricketer and retired member of the England women's team. A determined batsman, with almost 3,500 runs in over a hundred One Day International appearances, she was the top ranked female ODI batsman in the world going into the 2009 Women's World Cup...

 she lifted the English to 198 for 4 with her score of 81. With only 25 runs left to hit for the last six wickets, it was there for the taking. But Fitzpatrick returned, having taken the wicket of Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Laura Kelly Newton is an international cricketer . She appeared in 13 Test matches, 73 one day internationals and 3 Twenty/20 games for the England women's team...

 earlier on, and she took three more wickets as the English lower order were strangled - and collapsed to 210 all out with five balls remaining in the innings. Fitzpatrick ended with figures of four for 19 from 10 overs, and Emma Liddell also took three for 29.

2nd ODI

Slow left arm bowler Shelley Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke
Shelley Nitschke is a female cricketer who plays for South Australia and Australia. A left-handed batsman and left arm orthodox spinner, she is one of the leading all-rounders in the world....

 bowled Australia
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934/5, when they lost to England two-nil in a three-Test series. Since then they have improved and are generally considered the best women's cricket team in the world...

 to a win and a 2–0 series lead in the second match of the ODI
Women's One-day International cricket
Women's One Day International cricket is the limited overs form of women's cricket. Matches are scheduled for 50 overs, equivalent to the men's game. The first women's ODIs were played in 1973, as part of the first Women's World Cup which was held in England...

 series, after good bowling from the English women
English women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934–35, when they beat Australia 2–0 in a three-Test series. Their current captain is Charlotte Edwards, replacing Clare Connor after her five-year tenure, which she finished by leading England to their first Ashes series win since...

 had limited Australia to 193 for 8 in 50 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....

. Kate Blackwell
Kate Blackwell
Kathryn Anne Blackwell in Wagga Wagga, but raised in Yenda, a small rural town outside of Griffith, NSW. She and her identical twin sister Alex Blackwell were part of the Australian national team that won the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa...

 and Lisa Keightley
Lisa Keightley
Lisa Maree Keightley is an Australian cricketer. She was born on 26 August 1971 in Mudgee, New South Wales and was a right-handed batsman and occasional right arm medium pace bowler....

 both made fifties for Australia, while Belinda Clark
Belinda Clark
Belinda Jane Clark AM is a former female Australian cricketer, who played international cricket from 1991 to 2005...

 continued her poor run of form - two ducks in the Tests and 16 in the first ODI was followed up with a 45-ball 10 today. England wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...

 Claire Taylor
Claire Taylor
Samantha Claire Taylor MBE is a former English cricketer and retired member of the England women's team. A determined batsman, with almost 3,500 runs in over a hundred One Day International appearances, she was the top ranked female ODI batsman in the world going into the 2009 Women's World Cup...

 made three stumpings, two off medium pace bowler Isa Guha
Isa Guha
Isa Tara Guha is an England cricketer who played in the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa . A right arm fast medium bowler, she made her Test debut at the age of 17 against India in 2002 when she was named BBC Asian Network Sports Personality of the Year...

. England's reply started well, with Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Laura Kelly Newton is an international cricketer . She appeared in 13 Test matches, 73 one day internationals and 3 Twenty/20 games for the England women's team...

 and Claire Taylor
Claire Taylor
Samantha Claire Taylor MBE is a former English cricketer and retired member of the England women's team. A determined batsman, with almost 3,500 runs in over a hundred One Day International appearances, she was the top ranked female ODI batsman in the world going into the 2009 Women's World Cup...

 making their way to 80 for 1 after Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Marie Edwards MBE is an English cricketer and current captain of the England women's team....

 had been dismissed initially, but the English bowler just couldn't play the spin
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...

 of Nitschke, who recorded a career-best analysis
Bowling analysis
In the sport of cricket, a bowling analysis usually refers to a notation summarising a bowler's performance in terms of overs bowled, how many of those overs are maidens , total runs conceded and number of wickets taken...

 of 7 for 24, despite six wides. Only Newton and Taylor passed 10, while Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle is an English cricketer and member of the England Women's team.She represented England women in 9 Test matches and 58 one-day internationals from 2000-2005, scoring a century in the First Test against Australia at Hove in 2005 and 8 ODI fifties...

's good form (with 236 runs in three innings so far in the series) came to a halt as she was bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...

 by Nitschke for a golden duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...

. England's final score was 128 all out, with more than 10 overs potentially remaining in the innings.

3rd ODI

England needed a victory to keep the five-match One-day International series alive, and with Australia needing six runs off the last over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....

, it looked like the Australians would secure the series with two matches to spare. However, Katherine Brunt
Katherine Brunt
Katherine Helen Brunt is an English cricketer and member of the current England women's team. In 2006, she was named England women's Cricketer of the Year and again in 2010 ....

 had the last say, as she first had Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick is a former Australian cricketer. She was recognised as the world's fastest women pace bowler, bowling at up to 125 km/h...

 stumped and then helped to run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...

 Julie Hayes for a duck. Suddenly, Australia needed four from the last ball to win, and they could only get one, as England went into scenes of jubilation - having secured their first victory over the Australian women since 1993
1993 English cricket season
The 1993 English cricket season saw the dramatic arrival on the scene of Shane Warne and his incredible "Gatting Ball". Australia, led by Steve Waugh, now had one of the strongest teams ever known and won the Ashes with plenty to spare....

. Earlier, Claire Taylor
Claire Taylor
Samantha Claire Taylor MBE is a former English cricketer and retired member of the England women's team. A determined batsman, with almost 3,500 runs in over a hundred One Day International appearances, she was the top ranked female ODI batsman in the world going into the 2009 Women's World Cup...

 had lifted England to 200 for 7 with her 82, taking on Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick is a former Australian cricketer. She was recognised as the world's fastest women pace bowler, bowling at up to 125 km/h...

 who conceded 61 runs in her 10 overs. All the six Australian bowlers got one wicket, however, with the seventh being a run out. Australia's opener Belinda Clark
Belinda Clark
Belinda Jane Clark AM is a former female Australian cricketer, who played international cricket from 1991 to 2005...

 recorded another poor score with a six-ball duck, and Australia continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Yet, at 195 for 5 with an over to spare, the wise money would normally have been on the tourists, but thanks to Brunt, it went England's way instead.

4th ODI

England won by four wickets

England
English women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934–35, when they beat Australia 2–0 in a three-Test series. Their current captain is Charlotte Edwards, replacing Clare Connor after her five-year tenure, which she finished by leading England to their first Ashes series win since...

, buoyed by having won their first Ashes Test series in 42 years, tied the series at 2–2 with a victory at The County Ground, Taunton. Australia
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934/5, when they lost to England two-nil in a three-Test series. Since then they have improved and are generally considered the best women's cricket team in the world...

, however, made a good start with Laura Keightley and Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and occasional left-arm medium-paced bowler, she has scored the most runs for Australia in women's Test cricket....

 making fifties to propel the team to 142 for 1. Two quick wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...

s from Clare Connor
Clare Connor
Clare Joanne Connor OBE, is an English all-round cricketer who bats right-handed and bowls slow left arm spin. She made her England One Day International debut in 1995 and played her first Test match that winter. She took a hat-trick against India in 1999 and captained England from 2000 until her...

 slowed them down, however, and they finished with a total on 215 for 5. Chasing that total, England lost Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Marie Edwards MBE is an English cricketer and current captain of the England women's team....

 for 1 in the second over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....

, but Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Laura Kelly Newton is an international cricketer . She appeared in 13 Test matches, 73 one day internationals and 3 Twenty/20 games for the England women's team...

 and Claire Taylor
Claire Taylor
Samantha Claire Taylor MBE is a former English cricketer and retired member of the England women's team. A determined batsman, with almost 3,500 runs in over a hundred One Day International appearances, she was the top ranked female ODI batsman in the world going into the 2009 Women's World Cup...

 put them back with a 65-run partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...

. Spinner Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Carprini Sthalekar is a female cricketer who plays for Australia, and captains New South Wales. One of the key players in the team, she is a right-handed all rounder who bowls off spin, and was rated as the leading all rounder in the world when rankings were introduced...

 then took two quick wickets, and England were set back to 79 for 3 after 19.3 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....

. Despite two maiden overs from left-arm bowler Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and occasional left-arm medium-paced bowler, she has scored the most runs for Australia in women's Test cricket....

, Taylor kept hitting boundaries
Boundary (cricket)
Boundary has two distinct meanings in the sport of cricket:# the edge or boundary of the playing field, and# a manner of scoring runs.-Edge of the field:...

, ending with 116 before finally letting a ball from Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick is a former Australian cricketer. She was recognised as the world's fastest women pace bowler, bowling at up to 125 km/h...

 onto her stumps
Stump (cricket)
Stump is a term used in the sport of cricket where it has three different meanings:# part of the wicket# a manner of dismissing a batsman# the end of the day's play .-Part of the wicket:...

 - bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...

 for 116. By that time, though, she had made the first century of the series, and England only needed five more runs to win. Lydia Greenway
Lydia Greenway
Lydia Sophie Greenway is an English cricketer . She is a left-handed batsman and an occasional off spin bowler. She has appeared for England in seven Tests and 32 ODI's. In the first Test against South Africa in August 2003 she put on a world record 203 for the fourth wicket with Claire Taylor...

 and Jane Smit
Jane Smit
Jane Smit is an English cricketer and former member of the England team. A wicket keeper, she was formerly married to Australian-born Derbyshire and Northamptonshire cricketer Matthew Cassar but she has reverted to her maiden name...

 carried England over the target with nine balls to spare, setting up the fifth and final match, also at Taunton, to be a series decider.
(Cricinfo scorecard)

5th ODI

Australia won by four runs

England's
English women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934–35, when they beat Australia 2–0 in a three-Test series. Their current captain is Charlotte Edwards, replacing Clare Connor after her five-year tenure, which she finished by leading England to their first Ashes series win since...

 run of victories - with three, their longest successive streak of wins over Australia - came to an end at The County Ground, Taunton as Australia
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934/5, when they lost to England two-nil in a three-Test series. Since then they have improved and are generally considered the best women's cricket team in the world...

 recorded their first win in four matches against the English. It was another close bout, with the match result uncertain till the very last over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....

. Australia batted first, and made 260 for 6, with Lisa Keightley
Lisa Keightley
Lisa Maree Keightley is an Australian cricketer. She was born on 26 August 1971 in Mudgee, New South Wales and was a right-handed batsman and occasional right arm medium pace bowler....

, Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and occasional left-arm medium-paced bowler, she has scored the most runs for Australia in women's Test cricket....

 and Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Sthalekar
Lisa Carprini Sthalekar is a female cricketer who plays for Australia, and captains New South Wales. One of the key players in the team, she is a right-handed all rounder who bowls off spin, and was rated as the leading all rounder in the world when rankings were introduced...

 all making fifties, and Belinda Clark
Belinda Clark
Belinda Jane Clark AM is a former female Australian cricketer, who played international cricket from 1991 to 2005...

 recording her highest score of the tour with 36. Leg-spinner
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...

 Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Marie Edwards MBE is an English cricketer and current captain of the England women's team....

 took three for 47 to set Australia back somewhat in the late overs, however.

When England batted, Edwards shared an opening partnership of 94 with Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Laura Kelly Newton is an international cricketer . She appeared in 13 Test matches, 73 one day internationals and 3 Twenty/20 games for the England women's team...

, and both made half-centuries as England paced themselves well, keeping the required run rate just around six per over. However, fast bowler
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...

 Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick is a former Australian cricketer. She was recognised as the world's fastest women pace bowler, bowling at up to 125 km/h...

 took four wickets to trouble the English middle order, having Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle
Arran Brindle is an English cricketer and member of the England Women's team.She represented England women in 9 Test matches and 58 one-day internationals from 2000-2005, scoring a century in the First Test against Australia at Hove in 2005 and 8 ODI fifties...

 bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...

 for 50 to see England to 240 for 6. England only needed 20 for the last four wickets, and with England's captain Clare Connor
Clare Connor
Clare Joanne Connor OBE, is an English all-round cricketer who bats right-handed and bowls slow left arm spin. She made her England One Day International debut in 1995 and played her first Test match that winter. She took a hat-trick against India in 1999 and captained England from 2000 until her...

 hitting a couple of fours after being forced down the order
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...

, England needed six off the last over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....

 to win with one wicket in hand - having suffered two run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...

s as well. Isa Guha
Isa Guha
Isa Tara Guha is an England cricketer who played in the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa . A right arm fast medium bowler, she made her Test debut at the age of 17 against India in 2002 when she was named BBC Asian Network Sports Personality of the Year...

 hit the first ball for a single, bringing Connor on strike with five needed. However, Kirsten Pike
Kirsten Pike
Kirsten Elizabeth "Piker" "Pickles" Pike is an Australian cricketer who has played 1 Women's Test, 18 Women's One-day Internationals and three Women's Twenty20s for Australia....

 held a catch off Connor's top-edge, and England were all out for 256, five short of their first ODI series victory over Australia since 1976
1976 English cricket season
The 1976 English cricket season saw Clive Lloyd's new approach to Test cricket as a battery of pace bowlers was used to intimidate the England batsmen. Lloyd adopted the tactic after his own team's experiences against Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee the previous year...

.
(Cricinfo scorecard)

Women's Twenty20 International: England v Australia (2 September)

Australia won by seven wickets

Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
Cathryn Lorraine Fitzpatrick is a former Australian cricketer. She was recognised as the world's fastest women pace bowler, bowling at up to 125 km/h...

, playing her last international match in England, combined with Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and occasional left-arm medium-paced bowler, she has scored the most runs for Australia in women's Test cricket....

 to be the main reasons for Australia
Australian women's cricket team
The Australian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934/5, when they lost to England two-nil in a three-Test series. Since then they have improved and are generally considered the best women's cricket team in the world...

 a comfortable victory in the second women's Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...

 international of all time. England
English women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1934–35, when they beat Australia 2–0 in a three-Test series. Their current captain is Charlotte Edwards, replacing Clare Connor after her five-year tenure, which she finished by leading England to their first Ashes series win since...

 batted first, and Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Marie Edwards MBE is an English cricketer and current captain of the England women's team....

 and Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Laura Kelly Newton is an international cricketer . She appeared in 13 Test matches, 73 one day internationals and 3 Twenty/20 games for the England women's team...

 added 77 for the first wicket, but when Newton and Edwards departed England began to struggle. Fitzpatrick's economical bowling yielded only 14 runs from four overs, including a maiden over to Rosalie Birch
Rosalie Birch
Rosalie Anne Birch is an English cricketer and a member of the current England team. An off spinner and lower middle order batsman, she was part of the England team that won the Ashes in 2005 and retained them in 2008.From 2003 Birch combined her cricketing career with full-time study at the...

 (who made one run off seven balls in the last three balls). Some boundaries in the late overs from Clare Connor
Clare Connor
Clare Joanne Connor OBE, is an English all-round cricketer who bats right-handed and bowls slow left arm spin. She made her England One Day International debut in 1995 and played her first Test match that winter. She took a hat-trick against India in 1999 and captained England from 2000 until her...

 and Katherine Brunt
Katherine Brunt
Katherine Helen Brunt is an English cricketer and member of the current England women's team. In 2006, she was named England women's Cricketer of the Year and again in 2010 ....

, however, saw England to a total of 151 for 7.

Brunt then took three early wickets for England as Australia faltered to six runs for three wickets, and England's hopes were increasing. No one could support Brunt with the ball, however, and Karen Rolton
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton is a former Australian cricketer. A left-handed batsman and occasional left-arm medium-paced bowler, she has scored the most runs for Australia in women's Test cricket....

 slashed 16 fours and one six in an unbeaten
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...

 96 to guide Australia home with fourteen deliveries
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...

 remaining. Kate Blackwell
Kate Blackwell
Kathryn Anne Blackwell in Wagga Wagga, but raised in Yenda, a small rural town outside of Griffith, NSW. She and her identical twin sister Alex Blackwell were part of the Australian national team that won the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa...

supported her well, making 43, and no one except Brunt could keep the run rate below 8 an over.
(Cricinfo scorecard)
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