Alex Hartley admits England were outfought by Australia in pressure moments after Women's Ashes clean sweep
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Published 01/02/2025 at 12:48 GMT
TNT Sports cricket expert Alex Hartley believes the gap between England and Australia was clearest during the biggest moments of the 2025 Women's Ashes. Australia secured a 16-0 clean sweep of the series after winning the Test match by an innings and 122 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. However, her fellow pundit Mark Robinson believes Jon Lewis deserves more time as England head coach.
England look dejected after day three of the Women's Ashes Test Match between Australia and England at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 01, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia.
Image credit: Getty Images
Alex Hartley believes Australia's ability to out-perform England in high-pressure scenarios was the difference after they completed a clean sweep of the Women's Ashes.
The hosts won the one-off Test by an innings and 122 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to wrap up an emphatic 16-0 series victory.
Beth Mooney produced a stunning performance to hit 106 and become the first Australian woman to score a century in all three formats of the game.
TNT Sports expert Hartley insisted England had the talent to challenge Australia but lacked the composure to shine in the big moments.
"I think that the gap in pressure situations is the gap that is telling, to be completely honest with you," she said.
"If you look at both teams, they have both got highly skilled players, and it is not like the Australians go and play in the WPL and go and play in The Hundred and absolutely dominate.
"The England players dominate The Hundred, and there are some Indian players that dominate the WPL as well.
"So England's skills are up there, but it is those crunch moments, those pressure situations where Australia just have the upper hand.
"Obviously we know what a fielding outlet they have been as well."
Australia's clean sweep has increased the pressure on England head coach Jon Lewis.
TNT Sports pundit Mark Robinson believes that England should stand by Lewis despite the 16-0 defeat, insisting that it would be wrong to assign blame.
"It is just the modern world, blame, blame, sack the coach," he said.
"It is just how we have gone, we have got to go deeper, I think.
"When you talk about reviews, we have got to try and take away blame, it is about how we get better.
"We have got to try and make sure we take away some blame and find out how we bridge the gap. Professionalism has been in the English women's game for a while now.
"We keep getting close to Australia and then they keep stretching it away, so what can we do better as a whole game?
"I would [stick with Lewis], I will always defend coaches and players; it is his first Ashes.
"Sometimes we cheat people out of the chance to improve, to learn, to grow."
Robinson: Player of the Series King is major threat
Alana King was named Player of the Series after a stunning set of displays during the series.
Robinson insisted that she has been a threat throughout and admitted that England struggled to live with her spin bowling.
"She has been the star of the whole series hasn't she, Alana King," he added.
"She was a major threat today. We talked about the drift and the spin she got, and she was a major threat.
"I think you were right with what you said, there was a lot of good stuff that England were able to do, but what they weren't able to do was sustain it and progress it.
"It was not about today though, was it? It was about the tour as a whole and where England go next."
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