Women’s Ashes 2025: Australia wins series after rain-affected T20 in Canberra
While England remained winless in the Women’s Ashes, Australia sealed the series with a dramatic six-run win in the second T20 in a rain-affected match.
Set a challenging target of 186 runs to win in Canberra, England needed 18 runs from the last five balls, with Heather Knight unbeaten on 43, but no further play was possible due to heavy rain.
England finished on 168–4, six runs short of the required score determined by the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method.
The result gave Australia a 12–0 lead in the points-based multi-format series, ending England’s hopes of a draw.
Rain also disrupted the tourists’ chase after 8.4 overs, with England two runs ahead of DLS at 69-1, but this made play easy enough for play to resume without losing any overs.
Knight’s brilliant partnership of 65 in 6.5 overs with Nat Sciver-Brunt kept England in contention throughout, before the final result slipped out of their hands and the captain walked away clearly disappointed.
At the top of the order, opener Danny Wyatt-Hodge’s 52 off 40 balls began England’s valiant effort, which was supported by Sophia Dunkley’s 32, but they ultimately had to suffer poor bowling in the last three overs of their innings. Had to bear the brunt, with 48 runs lost.
They were in the game when the hosts faltered at 137-5 after 17 overs, only for Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris to take them to 185-5.
McGrath, standing in for captain Alyssa Healy due to a leg injury, scored unbeaten 48 off 35 balls and Harris hit three sixes in her 35 off 17 balls.
Off-spinner Charlie Deans was the pick of the bowlers with 2-28, but he dropped McGrath for 42 in another poor night for England’s catching figures, with Lauren Bell and Freya Kemp also taking wickets for Georgia Woll and Annabel Sutherland. Chances created – They weren’t particularly costly in terms of runs, but that remains a big concern for Knight’s team going forward.
The third and final T20I will be held in Adelaide on Saturday, followed by the one-off Test match in Melbourne on January 30.
