England retain the Ashes trophy.

Yes, you have read that right! England have finally managed to win a trophy Down Under this winter as the England women’s team have retained the Ashes after winning the first Twenty20 international comfortably.

They have outplayed Australia throughout the series, and with Charlotte Edwards putting in some fine displays, they have managed to keep hold of their trophy – something the men’s team will be very envious of.

Australia won the toss, and captain Meg Lanning finished with a score of 78 not out. 67 of those runs came within a partnership with Ellyse Perry (29 not out) that saw them finish the innings with a score of 150-3. Danielle Wyatt fell early on for England and fans could have been mistaken for fearing an almighty swing in the series, but the woman’s team were not having that. The second wicket pairing of Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor forged an unbeatable partnership, managing 92 and 50 runs respectively without getting out, seeing them to victory.

Australia had begun to claw back the series, winning the last two ODI’s but this convincing victory means that England now lead the  series 10-4 with two Twenty20 matches remaining.