A record-breaking crowd at the MCG saw Australia complete a historic 16-0 whitewash over England as they defeated their old foes by an innings and 122 runs in the day-night Test.
Beth Mooney reached her hundred in the first over of the day before an Australian collapse brought their innings to a swift conclusion.
England started strongly in their innings, despite a 270-run deficit. However, in a similar style to the rest of the series, England’s batting let them down. Alana King and Ash Gardner took five and four wickets respectively, bowling Australia to a clean sweep as no English batter passed 50.
Before this series, the biggest defeats in the Women’s Ashes had been 12-4. Australia blew the record out of the water, becoming the first side ever to claim a whitewash in the multi-format era.
Magic Mooney completes historic ton
As Sophie Ecclestone came in to bowl the first over, all thoughts were on when Australia would declare, rather than if. Instead, what followed was their best impression of England.
They started the day on 422-5 with Mooney on 98*, alongside the more than capable Tahlia McGrath.
Mooney swiftly brought up her century. She cut a short ball from the left-arm spinner for two and became the first female Australian to score an international ton in all three formats – a brilliant feat.
The keeper had offered a few chances to England early into her innings yesterday but made the most of the drops. Her final fifty runs were a showcase of chanceless, clinical batting. Mooney finished the series as the leading runs scorer with 409 to her name. She averaged almost 70 from her seven innings and passed fifty on four occasions, including this historic hundred.
Australia channel their inner England
Mooney fell amid an anticlimactic end to Australia’s innings. The hosts lost their final five wickets for just nine runs in about half an hour.
McGrath was the initial wicket in the collapse, looking to muscle Ecclestone down the ground. Instead, she offered an easy catch at mid-on for Lauren Bell. Kim Garth came and went, nicking off to Lauren Filer, before King was trapped in front by Ecclestone.
Ellyse Perry was finally sent out to bat, having been demoted down the order to protect her from a possible injury she picked up on day one, but she was unable to have an impact as both Mooney and she went in quick succession. Filer bowled the centurion with one that moved away before Ecclestone claimed her fifth.
This was her third five-fer in just nine Test matches, taking 5-143. While she left something to be desired on day two, her performance was on another level today. She offered no freebies and beat the bat on a number of occasions.
Australia were all out for 440 in the end. They only added 18 on day three, well below expectations. England required 270 to avoid an innings defeat but there seemed little hope around the MCG.
England had an hour to bat until tea and made slow going of it. Maia Bouchier was the sole victim, ending her torrid tour of Australia. Darcie Brown angled one in, and it flew between bat and pad, crashing into middle stump. The English opener scored 41 runs from seven innings down under, averaging under seven.
Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont batted watchfully until the break but pounced on opportunities when offered. After the interval, they shifted gears and took a few more liberties. Knight brought up the team fifty and fifty partnership with back-to-back boundaries, 21 overs in.
England’s batting fails them again
Having battled for two hours at the crease, Knight gave her wicket away in a slightly soft fashion, glancing a simple catch to short-leg for 32.
Nat Sciver-Brunt replaced her at the crease and looked to counterattack. The vice-captain made 18 at better than a run-a-ball before King got her again. This was the fourth time the leggie dismissed her in the series and the sixth time she had fallen to spin.
This commenced a mini-England collapse as they lost 9-4. King’s wicket of Dunkley would have made Shane Warne proud, drifting onto leg stump before ripping past the outside edge and clattering into off-stump. Textbook.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge soon followed as she picked out short fine leg while sweeping Gardner before Beaumont chopped on. The opener had put up a strong fight but a dangling bat against the leggie was her downfall.
Amy Jones fell on the stroke of dinner giving Gardner her third of the innings. The keeper feathered an edge behind after the ball slid on with the arm. Another piece of smart bowling from Gardner. At the break, England trailed by 149 and were on the brink of the whitewash. Three wickets to victory.
Australia canter to victory
There was little hope for England after the interval. Ryana MacDonald-Gay fell in the 53rd over to arguably King’s worst delivery of the day. Looking to dispatch a full toss, the all-rounder picked out Brown at cow corner. Two wickets to victory.
Ecclestone lasted exactly 50 balls, playing within herself, but a genius surprise bouncer sent the spinner packing as she looked to hoick it over the leg side. Instead, she found King at midwicket for another simple dismissal. One wicket to victory.
Lauren Bell and Filer managed to hang on for over ten overs, but in the end, a leading edge from Filer gifted a catch for Annabel Sutherland the star of the Test. England lost by an innings and 122 runs.
Questions will be asked of this England leadership group. Heads will likely roll and an inquest into the performance is inevitable.