There is a striking difference between England’s and Australia’s XI – and that difference told as the hosts were the first to put points on the board in the 2025 Women’s Ashes when winning the opening one-day international by four wickets in Sydney.

Ashleigh Gardner's all-round brilliance and Alyssa Healy's composed knock guided Australia to a commanding four-wicket win over England in the Women's Ashes opener, setting an early tone for their dominance in the multi-format series.

England already playing catch up in the Womens Ashes after losing the first two points of the series in the first of three ODIs; multi-format series, which also features three T20s and one Test, continues in Melbourne on Monday night;