Australia has retained the Women's Ashes yet again, with a victory in the first of three one-day internationals making it impossible for England to do anything either than tie the multi-format series.
The victory sees Australia take an unassailable 8-4 points lead, with one T20 victory, followed by two washouts and a drawn Test.
It marks the fourth straight time Australia has claimed the trophy.
The Aussies have Beth Mooney and Darcie Brown to thank for the victory in Canberra, with Mooney scoring 73 off 91 as Australia struggled to 205 off their 50 overs.
Mooney's effort with the bat was then superbly backed up by the bowling attack, with Brown taking the wickets of opener Tammy Beaumont and captain Heather Knight in successive deliveries in the fourth over, finishing with 4-34 in her fourth ODI.
Brown found genuine swing to have Tammy Beaumont caught at first slip, while ever-dangerous captain Heather Knight followed her back to the sheds after falling plumb lbw.
Nat Scivers and Lauren Winfield-Hill set about the repair job but the latter pulled Megan Schutt straight to Ashleigh Gardner in the deep to leave England 3-39 in the 11th over.
And in a pivotal moment, Amy Jones was caught spooning a Tahlia McGrath full-toss to deep mid-wicket, with the third umpire controversially judging the delivery was not a waist-high no-ball.
It was 5-83 shortly after as McGrath struck again to get Sophia Dunkley lbw, but Sciver and Danni Wyatt pressed on and passed the 100-run mark in the 26th over.
But Brown's broke the camel's back with an acrobatic caught-and-bowled to get Sciver's vital wicket, gone after a classy 45 with England 6-103 and still needing another 103 for victory.
A perfect leg-cutter from Schutt bowled Wyatt for 20 and Brown made it four with Sophie Ecclestone lbw, although Katherine Brunt (32 not out) and Kate Cross (17) did add late runs before England were all out for 178.
Earlier, having been reeling at both 4-67 and 7-152, Mooney steered Australia to a defendable total after the tidy bowling saw star bats Meg Lanning (28) and Alyssa Healy (27) fail to push on.
An absolute jaffa from Kate Cross — who finished with three wickets — that jagged back off the seam and knocked over Lanning was the ball of the afternoon, coming after the Australia captain brought up 4,000 career one-day international runs.
Mooney's sensational knock included eight fours and a six, and saw her stick fat as wickets tumbled around her.
She was taken from the field with quad tightness during the run chase and did not return.
The series continues with one-dayers in Melbourne on Sunday and Tuesday.
ABC/AAP
