Australia win Women's Ashes with Perry-inspired victory

Ellyse Perry has had a quiet month by her standards but took three wickets before anchoring Australia's run-chase to give her country an unassailable lead ahead of the final match of the multiformat series

Melbourne: England 129, Australia 131-5 - Australia win by five wickets

Australia maintained their Women's Ashes dominance with a five-wicket victory over England in the second ODI of the multiformat series.

The hosts have already retained the trophy, but they ensured they won it outright by bowling their visitors out cheaply before chasing down their target with 14.4 overs to spare.

On a decent pitch with a rapid outfield, Meg Lanning would have been expecting a challenging chase after electing to field at Junction Oval. Instead, they were scarcely tested.

That Sophie Ecclestone top-scored for England told its own story, with the tourists never recovering from a collapse of 40 for 1 to 68 for 7.

For the second ODI in succession, Australia found a way of dismissing Tammy Beaumont cheaply, before the house of cards began to tumble when Lauren Winfield-Hill – without an international half century in 47 innings – missed a paddle-sweep off Alana King to be the first of five players dismissed lbw.

A period of consolidation followed, with Heather Knight and Nat Sciver content to bed themselves in. But Sciver, who made eight off 25 balls without finding the boundary, succumbed to the mounting pressure by chipping Jess Jonassen to mid-off. Knight fell to the same bowler two overs later, trapped in front on review.

Not for the first time on this tour, Sophia Dunkley then fell after shuffling across her crease to Ellyse Perry only to be hit on the pad. Perry came into this match without an ODI wicket since October 2019 but left with figures of 3 for 12.

^{Ellyse Perry starred with bat and ball for Australia (Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images)}

Danni Wyatt and Charlie Dean both went for four-ball ducks – the former courtesy of a world-class slip catch from Meg Lanning, the latter to a botched pull shot.

Only a 39-run rearguard partnership between Ecclestone and Amy Jones dragged England into three figures, with Jones registering her highest score against Australia in the process. But when she was trapped in front by Tahlia McGrath, who picked up 3 for 4 in 20 balls, the end was nigh.

There was time for Ecclestone to hit the innings' only six, before Kate Cross and Anya Shrubsole were dismissed to end a below-par effort.

In response, England's bowlers – without Katherine Brunt – fought gamely but didn't have enough runs on the board to pose any real questions.

Rachael Haynes edged Shrubsole behind and Cross cleaned up Lanning once again, but the damage had already been done. Perry hit her first two balls for four to ease any nerves on the back of a golden duck at Manuka Oval, and she was imperious until being run out by a Cross direct hit for 40.

That came after the wickets of Alyssa Healy – caught by Winfield-Hill off Sciver at mid-off – and McGrath, who was bowled to give Cross her second wicket.

The lack of runs, though, meant there was never much jeopardy for the home side, with Charlie Dean only in her third over when the winning runs were scored.