England’s hopes of regaining the Women’s Ashes are already on the verge of reaching a critical stage.

Tuesday’s 21-run defeat in Melbourne went down as an opportunity missed, as Heather Knight’s side failed in their pursuit of 181 and slumped to successive ODI defeats.

It saw Australia establish a 4-0 lead in the multi-format series, and means England must win at least three of the remaining four white-ball clashes to retain any hope of clinching The Ashes ahead of the series-ending Test match.

‘Clumsy’ England not coping with pressure

This was England’s moment to issue a statement of intent, but when the opportunity to level the series came knocking, the magnitude of what could be achieved, as it so often does against Australia, crippled the tourists.

Brilliance with ball in hand – Sophie Ecclestone’s 4-35 and Alice Capsey’s 3-22 – was tempered by a flurry of poor moments in the field, and yet despite the dropped catches, England were still able to dismiss Australia for 180 to set a more-than-chaseable target for victory.

England recovered to 69-2 following the dismissals of openers Tammy Beaumont and Maia Bouchier, but in a carbon copy of their defeat in the first ODI, a middle-order collapse littered with poor shot selection and misjudged running between the wickets saw them needlessly give up wicket after wicket.

“England were clumsy, they weren’t overly cricket smart,” said Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain. “They made some errors and if you are going to beat Australia, you can’t afford that.”

Australia are simply stronger

England’s latest attempt to wrestle back The Ashes for the first time since 2014 was supposed to be different. Two games into the series, however, a familiar story is unfolding.

Knight’s team already have a sizeable mountain to climb down under, with the first two ODIs serving as a reminder to former England captain Hussain that Australia remain the dominant force in women’s cricket.

“Australia do look stronger,” he said. “England came back last time in The Ashes [to draw 8-8 at home in 2023], but they have got a mountain to climb away from home.

“Why do they look stronger? Well, they have been stronger for a long time in world cricket. I know they had a poor T20 World Cup in the UAE but, in general, they look the stronger side.

“There is so much depth within the side. You look at the middle order, which hasn’t actually fired and played their best yet, they have Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner and Tahlia McGrath.

“Outside of the side you also have young Georgia Voll who cannot get in. There is just so much strength in depth to their team and their cricket.

“I always feel there isn’t quite yet that depth with England. If Nat Sciver-Brunt fires, if Sophie Ecclestone fires, they have a good chance.”

Win-or-bust for England

With teams earning two points for a victory in white-ball matches, England have little room for manoeuvre.

As holders coming into the series, two more Australian victories would see them move up to eight points, enough to retain The Ashes irrespective of what England do.

One more victory for Australia would leave England walking a tightrope throughout the remaining white-ball fixtures before they have the chance to compete for the four points on offer in the Test match.

The fast-paced nature of the 2025 Women’s Ashes means England are approaching now-or-never territory, with victories the currency needed to keep their dreams alive.

‘We were six down last time’ – Capsey defiant

England fought back valiantly from 6-0 down in the drawn 2023 Women’s Ashes, and it is precisely that spirit all-rounder Capsey wants to channel ahead of the third and final ODI in Hobart.

“We’re four down but last time we were six down,” Capsey said. “We’ve got so much more time to regroup and get better.

“It’s not the best start to our campaign but at the same time we’ve shown glimpses of what we can do so far.

“All it would have taken was one partnership to get us over the line, but we couldn’t do that.”

Women’s Ashes 2025 schedule

All dates and times UK and Ireland

• First ODI: Saturday January 11 – North Sydney Oval – Australia won by four wickets
• Second ODI: Monday January 13 – Junction Oval, Melbourne – Australia won by 21 runs
• Third ODI: 11.05pm, Thursday January 16 – Ninja Stadium, Hobart
• First T20I: 8.40am, Monday January 20 – Sydney Cricket Ground
• Second T20I: 8.40am, Thursday January 23 – Manuka Oval, Canberra
• Third T20I: 8.10am, Saturday January 25 – Adelaide Oval
• Test: 3.30am, Thursday January 30-Sunday February 2 – MCG, Melbourne