England took a big step towards addressing their Ashes shortcomings with a batting display that threatened to steal the show from Australia in their opening World Cup clash in Hamilton on Saturday.
Nat Sciver's frustration was palpable in her post-match press conference after she had scored an unbeaten century at better than a run-a-ball and kept England in the contest right to the last over, when they needed 16 runs to overhaul a target of 311 and upset the tournament favourites. Jess Jonassen was entrusted with bowling the final over after she had been used sparingly, conceding 16 runs off her only two overs for the match to that point, including a six over long-off to Heather Knight and four thundered to long-on by Tammy Beaumont, the England pair putting on a 92-run stand for the second wicket.
Jonassen's 13th ball was a leg bye, while her return catch to dismiss Katherine Brunt on the next delivery was one of the best you'll see and had the bowler herself looking completely bemused after her left hand shot out above her head, seemingly of its own accord, and grasped the ball just as instinctively. Jonassen conceded just two singles off her next three deliveries before she had Sophie Ecclestone caught off the last ball to seal victory by 12 runs.
Given that Australia had bowled England out for well below 200 as they swept the ODI leg of their recent Ashes series 3-0, and that England's middle order had struggled to gel for some time, the fact that they strung together two more fifty-plus partnerships - Sciver with Sophia Dunkley and again with Brunt - showed their commitment to move on from the loss. Beaumont scored 74 and Knight 40, while the fact that Dunkley and Brunt also contributed valuable runs added further proof that their demoralising 12-4 series defeat in Australia was behind them.
Sciver had scored 108 as England defeated Bangladesh by 109 runs in a warm-up match before the tournament, but for England to take the match to the Australians was another thing entirely.
"From the Ashes we've wanted to make a shift as batters, a shift in our mindset really, and bringing that intent a bit more which, we had done during the warm-up game," Sciver said. "So to bring it out against Australia was really important and everyone did their job today in terms of that.
"I felt like we were [winning], we were going to get it. The first ball [of the last over], I wasn't really sure as to what lengths she [Jonassen] was going to bowl, obviously keep it tight to me, but I felt like if I got that one away, it would have happened a bit easier. Katherine had also come in and played spin really well so, I mean, that catch to get Katherine out was pretty special. That goes through her hand and goes for four, it might be different."
England had opted to play seven batters and rely on an experienced attack of four seamers and one spinner but, despite winning the toss and sending Australia in on a pitch that proved difficult to score on for the first quarter of the match, they struggled to make inroads as centurion Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning (86) and Beth Mooney (27* off 19) showed their class.
It then fell to England's batters to put into action the plans they had discussed during an intense post-Ashes review which included, among other things, scoring 250 or more.
"Us all agreeing amongst ourselves and committing to that was really important," Sciver said. "It feels frustrating, but also really encouraging. From where we were at the end of the Ashes, I think we were in a pretty low spot, but to be able to turn that around in a couple of weeks is really important.
"To be able to take that into the rest of the tournament - I think we've already seen a lot of high-scoring games - so it's important for us to do."
While England failed to get across the line against Australia, their next opponents, West Indies, upset host New Zealand in another thriller at Mount Maunganui on Friday. Hayley Matthews and Sophie Devine both scored centuries on opposite sides of the result, which was secured in the final over by Deandra Dottin's two wickets and hand in a run out as West Indies won by three runs. England will play West Indies in Dunedin on Tuesday.