Australia Women lose their first ODI since September 2021: Stats
England defeated Australia by two wickets in the opening Women's ODI to keep their Ashes dream alive. The contest went right down to the wire as the hosts chased down the 264-run target with 11 balls to spare. Skipper Heather Knight starred with an unbeaten 75. Meanwhile, this was Australia's first defeat in a Women's ODI since September 2021. Here are further details.
How did the game pan out?
Beth Mooney scored an unbeaten 81 as the Aussies finished at 263/8 in their 50 overs. Ellyse Perry (41) and Phoebe Litchfield (34) also made vital contributions. Top-order batters Tammy Beaumont (47) and Alice Capsey (40) got England off to a good start. However, a sudden collapse added a twist to the tale. Knight remained till the end and ensured her side's win.
Australia's first ODI defeat since September 2021
As mentioned, this was Australia Women's first defeat in the 50-over format since September 26, 2021. Their previous defeat came against India in Queensland by two wickets. The Women in Yellow won 15 games on the trot between these two losses. Meanwhile, Australia have not lost any other ODI match since November 2017. They have won 41 games in this period.
A long-streak broken
England brought an end to Australia's 15-match-winning streak in WODIs, the fourth-longest in the format's history. The top-three spots on this list also belong to the Aussies as they have previously won 26, 17, and 16 games on the trot on three different occasions. They share the third place with India. England's longest winning streak in WODIs is 13.
Best win percentage since November 2017
Australia boast a remarkable win percentage of 95.34 in WODIs since November 2017, having won 41 of the 43 games in this period. South Africa trail the Aussies in this regard with a win percentage of 66.66 (excluding washed-out games). The third place belongs to England, who have won 34 of the 56 concluded WODIs played in this period (60.71 %).
England's Ashes dream alive
England have kept their dream of winning the multi-format Ashes series alive. Notably, the team gets four points for winning a Test and two points for clinching limited-over games in the Women's Ashes. After winning the one-off Test and the opening T20I, Australia lost three games on the trot as both teams now own six points apiece with two ODIs to go.
