We’re not far off – Heather Knight encouraged by England display in Ashes opener
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The tourists fell to a four-wicket loss in the first ODI at the North Sydney Oval as Australia took a two-point advantage in the multi-format series. Heather Knight believes there are little things England can “sharpen up on” following their defeat to Australia in the Women’s Ashes opener.
![[England were all out for 204 (Rick Rycroft/AP)]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/12/08/12-a49bd046b5fa476fbd5d8eb2010a4811.jpg)
The tourists fell to a four-wicket loss in the first ODI at the North Sydney Oval as Australia took a two-point advantage in the multi-format series. After being sent into bat first, England were all out for 204, with skipper Knight top-scoring with 39.
Spearheaded by captain Alyssa Healy, who posted 70 before being bowled by Charlie Dean, Australia chased down the target with 67 balls to spare. The second ODI takes place at Junction Oval in Melbourne on Tuesday and ahead of that contest, Knight believes her side are “not far off”.
When asked about England’s bowling performance at the post-match presentation, Knight replied: “Really pleased, it fell over really in that game, if we could nab a few of those wickets we felt we could really squeeze them and be on top. “Bad toss to lose, I think, it seamed around a little bit at the top and the pitch dried out as the day went on, but really pleased with how the bowlers went about it, that wicket-taking mindset.
