Australia A Overcome England A in Thrilling Finish to Secure 25-Run Victory

Australia A 343 (109.4 overs) & 353-6 dec (93 overs): Knott 123; Villiers 3-97

England A 407 (127.5 overs) & 264 (62.2 overs): Armitage 75; Cheatle 2-30

Australia A won by 25 runs

England A's hopes of victory evaporated as they suffered a dramatic collapse, losing by 25 runs with just four balls remaining in their four-day match against Australia A in Sydney.

Chasing 289 for victory, England A were well-positioned at 181-2 and later 252-5. However, a devastating final-hour collapse saw them lose their last five wickets for just 12 runs, ultimately being dismissed for 264.

Hollie Armitage top-scored with 75, Alice Capsey contributed 55, and Paige Scholfield's rapid 39 off 24 balls seemed to have England on track for a successful chase. But Scholfield's dismissal sparked the dramatic collapse, leaving England needing just 37 more runs.

In the penultimate over, Georgia Davis and Issy Wong, who had been fighting to hold on for the draw, were undone by a mix-up. Wong was run out for 9 off 21 balls, and two balls later, Davis was bowled by Charli Knott, handing Australia A the victory.

Earlier, Knott had been the anchor of Australia's second innings, scoring 123 runs to extend Australia's lead to 115 at the start of the final day. She declared on 353-6 after lunch, leaving England with 63 overs to chase the target.

England had earlier taken a 64-run first-innings lead, thanks to impressive centuries from Capsey (108) and Scholfield (164), contributing to their total of 407.

However, Knott's century, along with valuable half-centuries from Rachel Trenaman and Nicole Faltum, helped Australia A recover from 110-3. Their efforts, coupled with an all-round strong bowling performance, made the chase increasingly difficult for England.

The final day's bowling saw Lauren Cheatle, Tess Flintoff, Lilly Mills, and Knott each taking two wickets, providing Australia A with the necessary breakthroughs.

England had claimed the rain-affected T20 series 1-0, while Australia had won the preceding one-day international series 2-1.