England take down Australia at Lord's as Ashes battle heats up
Teenager Alice Capsey was the hero for England with a quickfire 46 in the third T20I of the multi-format series, as the hosts overcame London's fickle weather to successfully chase down a revised total of 119 off 14 overs with four deliveries remaining.
It meant England claimed a 2-1 series victory over Australia in the T20I component of the Women's Ashes and stayed in the hunt to pull off an unlikely overall victory ahead of the three ODIs that commence in Bristol on Wednesday.
England close out the rain-affected chase at Lord's!
— ICC (@ICC) July 8, 2023
They claim the #ENGvAUS T20I series and keep the multi-format #Ashes series alive 👊
Scorecard: https://t.co/kpaPuMY0S4 pic.twitter.com/Cqms3NZq6U
Australia lead the multi-format series 6-4 following victories in the one-off Test and first T20I and require just one win during the three ODIs to retain the Ashes.
England will need to win all three ODIs to claim the Ashes and their task will be difficult given Australia currently holds a 15-match winning streak in the format and are the reigning ICC Women’s World Cup champions after they claimed a seventh crown in New Zealand last year.
The ruthless Australian side | CWC22
But England will be high on confidence following a drought-breaking T20I series triumph in front of yet another record-breaking crowd in London.
More than 20,000 fans packed into Lord's to watch the rivals and Australia compiled a good total of 155/7 on the back of decent knocks from experienced trio Ellyse Perry (34), Beth Mooney (32) and Ashleigh Gardner (32).
Player of the Series Danni Wyatt (26) got the home side off to another quick start in reply and Capsey combined well with Nat Sciver-Brunt (25) to ensure England claimed the victory and stayed in contention to win the Women's Ashes.