A first whitewashing of the women's Ashes in the multi-format era has left huge question marks over the futures of Heather Knight and Jon Lewis. A humiliating innings and 122 runs defeat to Australia in the Melbourne Test took the series scoreline to 16-0, leaving the ECB's managing director of women's cricket Clare Connor with decisions to make on England captain Knight and coach Lewis. Last week, Knight, who has been in the role since 2016, said that talk of her position was 'not for now', but the capitulation from 79 for one, starting with her dismissal, to 148 all out on Saturday made it a pressing issue.

Afterwards, she simply praised the standards of England's opponents, saying: 'Its been a tough month, Australia have played some remarkable cricket. We've competed at times, but unfortunately we weren't quite good enough.'. That was an understatement whenever leg-spinner Alana King was thrown the ball across the series. King went into this floodlit Test match with four wickets in as many appearances at a cost of more than 60 runs apiece, but preyed on English vulnerability against the turning ball to finish with five second-innings victims, nine in the match and 23 in all. The same total bagged by fellow spinner Ash Gardner.

England's Ashes defeat raises questions over the future of captain Heather Knight (right). Scrutiny may also increase on coach Jon Lewis after the humilating 16-0 whitewash. The manner of the whitewash could leave the ECB with big decisions to make. Lewis, who unequivocally dismissed ex-England international Alex Hartley's claim last month that some players were 'letting the team down when it comes to fitness,' oversaw the drawn 2023 Ashes, but the gap has clearly widened between the two rivals since.

England started day three impressively at the MCG, taking five for nine in the opening hour and dismissing Australia for 440 - Sophie Ecclestone finished with a five-wicket haul. However, things went downhill not long after King was introduced for the 22nd over of England's second innings. Gardner began the implosion by having Knight caught at short leg, but the 29-year-old King took the plaudits for a display that included a delivery that pitched outside leg and hit the top of Sophia Dunkley's off stump.

The batting flop followed a horrendous day two in the field when England dropped seven catches, gifting three lives to Beth Mooney alone. She later became the first Australian woman to score centuries in all three international formats. 'I don't think we'll see anything like it soon,' said Mooney of the 16-0 scoreline that has ramped up the pressure on England's captain-coach combination of Knight and Lewis.