The defeat that spurred Australia to historic Ashes whitewash

Australia’s failure in the 2017 World Cup prompted deep reflection within the squad, sowing the seeds for a barnstorming run where they claimed the next four global titles. Their semi-final exit from last year’s Twenty20 World Cup is threatening to trigger another golden run.

Just over three months after the painful lessons of that defeat, Alyssa Healy’s team completed an unprecedented Ashes clean sweep by annihilating a hapless England in the historic day/night Test at the MCG on Saturday.

Annabel Sutherland and Alana King embrace after their starring efforts deliver Australia an emphatic Ashes Test victory over England. Credit: Getty Images

Spinners Alana King and Ash Gardner put the visitors out of their misery, pocketing nine wickets between them bowling in tandem for 47 overs as the rampaging hosts stormed to victory by an innings and 122 runs in three days.

There is no quarter given in Ashes series, in the men’s and women’s game, so few dared imagine a whitewash. Just three weeks ago, former England international Alex Hartley said the two sides were the most evenly matched in 15 years, but the hosts claimed all three ODIs, all three T20Is and the one-off MCG Test.

Australia won not because they are that much better than England, but little things add up and, compounded over seven games, the gap between the two teams became a chasm.

This match was a case in point. Australia held more of their chances than England, whose reprieves were costly. Annabel Sutherland and Beth Mooney made an extra 232 between them after they were first dropped. It was not the difference in a game decided by an innings and 122 runs but, at the least, it’s forcing Australia further away from their comfort zone.

Ash Gardner celebrates after dismissing England’s Lauren Filer of England. Gardner took five wickets in the Test and made a stylish 44 in Australia’s innings.Credit: Getty Images

The result was particularly sweet for captain Healy, who, turning 35 in March, is in the twilight of an illustrious international career that is now into its 16th and possibly final year. Her next two months will be spent nursing a stress reaction in her foot while the world plays in the Women’s Premier League in India.

When Healy was formally appointed by the Cricket Australia board to succeed Meg Lanning in December 2023, she looked no further than this year’s World Cup in August/September in India. On Saturday night, she again did not commit beyond that point.

“I’ve got some thoughts in the back of my mind about what it looks like for me moving forward,” Healy said.

“I think, most importantly, for me when I took on this role I wanted to get us to the ODI World Cup and get us to a place where we can be in a really great place as a group playing some really good cricket and hold the trophy at the end of it.

“That’s what I said in my four-point PowerPoint plan to present my case as to why I could be captain. For me, what I’ve enjoyed over the last 18 months, two years, is what we’ve been able to achieve, and the group’s come a long way. For me personally to play a role in driving that has been cool. We’ll wait and see what the future looks like.”

Defeat in last year’s T20 World Cup semi ended a run of four global titles for Australia that started in 2018 when, under the leadership of Matthew Mott and Lanning, they pledged to play the game in a more fearless manner.

Similar conversations have since taken place in the Australian dressing room since that game, in which heavy hitters Gardner and Sutherland did not face a ball after some tentative batting higher up the order.

“We’ve got the depth in our squad, in our team, if somebody doesn’t come off, your mate right behind you can do the job for you,” Healy said. “That’s been a real discussion point for us.”

Alana King was the dominant bowler in the Ashes series, and was named player of the series.Credit: Getty Images

When the big moments came in this series, Australia found a way: be it through the beguiling leg-spin of King, the reliability of Mooney, or batting masterclass from Sutherland in the Test.

The second one-day international in Melbourne, where King’s four wickets spun Australia out of trouble, was the moment Healy was confident her team would win this series.

“I genuinely believe this side can achieve anything,” Healy said. “It’s just whether or not we back ourselves to do it in any given occasion.

There were contrasting emotions for Australia and England as King completed the Test victory.Credit: Getty Images

“We’re somewhat spurred on by a little bit of disappointment in the T20 World Cup. We spoke quite heavily how we want to play the game and how we want to approach it. That’s been the most pleasing part for me. We’ve acted on that and showcased that.”

Unlike the 2006-07 and 2013-14 Ashes whitewashes by Australia’s men, which were achieved with ageing teams, this is a women’s side that has already invested in youth.

The top three in this Test of Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll and Sutherland are 23 or under, so too speedster Darcie Brown. There is more upside than down. Victory in this series was achieved with only minor roles from veterans Healy and Ellyse Perry. If Mooney and Sutherland’s performances in this Test are a guide, Australia already have ready-made replacements.

Of the numerous Ashes series Healy has been a part of, she rates this squad as the strongest.

“When you’re sitting Megan Schutt and Georgia Wareham on the sidelines for a pink-ball Test match it means you’ve got a strong side to pick from,” Healy said. “I’ve played in some really good teams but this one’s just got something quite special about it.”

This has been a red-letter summer for Australian cricket, with the women’s Ashes retained and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy joining it in the cabinet at Jolimont. Crowds flocked to the Tests and the Big Bash League enjoyed a resurgence.

A world record crowd for a women’s Test of 35,365 came across the three days, numbers that may appear small in a stadium as big as the MCG but are too big for the boutique venues the women usually play at to accommodate.

“Hopefully, they just don’t bump us to 7Mate next time instead of the boys!” Healy quipped in the presentation.

For England, defeat in three days put them out of their misery.

They came into this series after winning 30 of 36 completed white-ball games last year. Perhaps their meltdown in the T20 World Cup, when they lost their final group game to West Indies in an unofficial quarter-final and bowed out after dominating earlier matches, was a sign of things to come under pressure in Australia.

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