All-round Gardner, Healy star as Australia bag first points

All-round Gardner, Healy star as Australia bag first points

Australia clinched the first two points of the 2025 Women's Ashes following a four-wicket win in the opening ODI at the North Sydney Oval.

Ashleigh Gardner starred with both bat and ball, while captain Alyssa Healy scored a solid 70 in the chase. England, who were put into bat, were restricted to 204. Australia chased down the target with 67 balls and four wickets to spare.

Healy's decision to chase was vindicated by her bowlers who produced a strong performance. England struggled to make the most of their starts, with several players falling after building promising partnerships.

Gardner was the pick of the bowlers, dismissing Heather Knight for 39 and Nat Sciver-Brunt in similar fashion. England's innings veered off track after these dismissals and they folded with nearly seven overs to spare.

Australia's chase was not without its wobbles, but Healy and Gardner added another 40-run stand to push the hosts closer to the target. Healy was eventually dismissed for 70, but Gardner saw the chase over the line with an unbeaten 42.

Brief scores:

England 204 in 43.1 overs (Heather Knight 39, Danni Wyatt-Hodge 38; Ashleigh Gardner 3-19) lost to Australia 206/6 in 38.5 overs (Alyssa Healy 70, Ashleigh Gardner 42*; Sophie Ecclestone 2-38) by four wickets