Beth Mooney shines as Australia Women seal thrilling win against England

In a final over T20 encounter at Edgbaston, Beth Mooney shepherded the Aussies to a victory against England. The match came down to the wire as the T20 world champions managed to chase down their target of 154 with just one ball to spare.

With tension mounting, England captain Heather Knight entrusted the final over to Sophie Ecclestone, widely regarded as the world's top bowler, with Australia requiring five runs for victory. Annabel Sutherland opened the over with a powerful shot down the ground for four. Although Ecclestone managed to save the single with a diving effort, Sutherland's subsequent shot was caught by Amy Jones, who took a tricky high catch.

In a heart-stopping finish, Georgia Wareham punched the next delivery through cover, and together with the unbeaten Beth Mooney, they ran hard to secure the winning single. Despite considering themselves underdogs throughout the series, Australia's victory provided a thrilling reminder that the gap between the teams is narrowing, as expressed by Amy Jones.

The match enthralled the crowd, surpassing attendance figures from the previous year's Commonwealth Games. Australia seemed in control as they needed 24 runs from the final 19 balls with Beth Mooney and Ash Gardner at the crease. However, a sudden turn of events saw Gardner edging the ball to Jones off Ecclestone's bowling, followed by Grace Harris being bowled by Sarah Glenn on her first delivery. Mooney valiantly kept chipping away, but England's Lauren Bell executed a perfect back-of-the-hand slower ball to dismiss Ellyse Perry, setting up a tense final over where England came agonizingly close to toppling Australia.

Earlier in the match, despite Sophia Dunkley's resilient half-century off 42 balls, England found themselves in trouble at 118 for seven in the 18th over. However, an exhilarating late charge by Amy Jones, who remained unbeaten with a quickfire 40 off 21 balls, injected momentum into the innings and helped England post a competitive total.

Australia's fielding performance was uncharacteristically below par, with missed run-out opportunities and dropped catches. Jess Jonassen missed an easy chance to run out Jones, while Georgia Wareham dropped a catch at deep midwicket when Jones was on 15. Jones capitalized on these chances, smashing a six into the Hollies Stand and scoring 18 runs off the penultimate over.

Jones described her innings as one of her best for England, expressing confidence and a desire to replicate such performances in every game. The match started slowly for England in the powerplay, with only four boundaries, three of them coming from Dunkley's bat. The loss of early wickets further hindered the hosts, as Danni Wyatt lost her off-stump to Megan Schutt, and Nat Sciver-Brunt was caught at deep midwicket off Jess Jonassen's bowling in the eighth over. Alice Capsey received a warm reception from the crowd but was unfortunate as Darcie Brown ran her out with a direct hit.

Following a fifty partnership between Heather Knight and Sophia Dunkley, both batters fell in quick succession, with Dunkley's catch finally taken at short third after two previous chances were missed. Debutant Dani Gibson survived Schutt's hat-trick ball but soon sent a leading edge to extra cover, leaving England in a precarious position. However, Jones emerged as the savior for England.

With the next T20 match scheduled at the Oval on Wednesday, England faces the daunting task of winning all five remaining matches in the series to reclaim the Ashes. The electrifying clash between the two teams left spectators on the edge of their seats and served as a testament to the competitive nature of women's cricket.