Matthew Mott: "The result we’ve had is incredibly special"

NICK FRIEND AT BRISTOL: Mott stressed that the next step is retaining the World T20 crown that his side won in the West Indies, with the competition taking place on home soil in Australia and the final at the MCG

Matthew Mott praised his squad after Australia retained the Women’s Ashes, despite ending their seven-match series with a defeat against England at Bristol.

After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Meg Lanning’s side restricted England to 139 for five from their 20 overs, leaving Australia requiring seven runs per over to complete a limited-over sweep against their great rivals - a win that would have seen Australia go unbeaten through all three formats.

However, despite being asked to chase what Mott saw as a below-par target, England took regular wickets as only Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy entered double figures for the visitors.

The loss – Australia’s only reversal of the tour – was mere consolation for England, with Mott’s side leaving as 12-4 winners over Mark Robinson’s team. The final scoreline may well have flattered England in the end, having taken two points from the drawn Test match at Taunton – a game ultimately beaten by the weather, but one dominated for long periods by Lanning’s charges.

“We came in with a lot of energy trying to complete the sweep but full credit to England,” Mott said of a game that turned on the second over of debutante Mady Villiers’ international career. She had Alyssa Healy caught on the long-off boundary, before dismissing Ashleigh Gardner two balls later.

“They played like the number two team in the world. They put us under pressure, I think it was a good bowling and fielding unit today. We felt pretty good going into the break. We just never really settled with the bat.

“We played some poor shots and lost our shape which is something we always talk about. We put ourselves under pressure.

“It was a bit disappointing but overall very satisfied with a great tour.”

Head coach Mott pinpointed the number of key contributions made by squad members throughout his team as being central to Australia’s success.

While Ellyse Perry’s all-round brilliance – for which she was named the player of the series – and Lanning’s supreme century at Chelmsford often took the headlines, Beth Mooney and Rachael Haynes provided a regular supply of runs, while the spin of Jess Jonassen, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham and Gardner was key in tying England down.

“We’ve had contributors at different times with the bat and the ball,” he added. “Even the way players were throwing themselves around tonight. The energy and effort was always there.

“We knew it was going to be hard work to get the full sweep but I thought England looked a different team tonight. They came out and hit hard lengths which we try to do.”

Mott saved some recognition for Delissa Kimmince, whose unbeaten 14 in the first ODI of the series dragged Australia over the line in a tight game that gave the visitors a crucial opening win.

“Thinking back to Leicester and how long ago that seems now, Delissa Kimmince’s contribution at the start was a real big one and allowed us to get momentum,” he recalled.

Mott’s team have lost just three times across all three formats since the beginning of 2018, winning both the World T20 and Women’s Ashes in that time.

He stressed that the next step was retaining the World T20 crown that his side won in the West Indies, with the competition taking place on home soil in Australia. The final will be staged at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“It’s incredibly ambitious,” he said of ambitions to fill the 100,000-seater arena. “It just shows how much confidence they’ve got in the group and the way the women's game is going.

“It’s not only the calibre of players we’ve got but the calibre of people. I think every team in the world thinks about the All Blacks as being the benchmark. We’ve all read the book ‘Legacy’ and it’s something we’ve aspired to. We’re very proud of our record albeit in a different sport.

“Certainly, our high win percentage rate is something we’re very proud of over the last couple of years, this team has been a very strong team for a long time.

“We came into the series expecting a great contest and we’ve had it at different times but to get the result we’ve had is incredibly special for this group and not something we’ll take lightly.”

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