Brown brilliance helps Australia retain the Ashes

Teenage quick Darcie Brown has led an incredible fighting effort from Australia's bowlers to defend 9-205 and officially retain the Ashes in a low-scoring opening one-day international at Manuka Oval.

A strong bowling display from England led by Kate Cross (3-33) and Katherine Brunt (3-40) had restricted Australia to what seemed a below-par total, despite Beth Mooney's fighting innings of 73.

But in a night to remember for the South Australians, Brown took 4-34, backed up by Megan Schutt 2-39 and Tahlia McGrath 2-34, to bowl England out for 178 in 45 overs and seal a 27-run win.

It sees Australia take an unassailable 8-4 lead in the points-based series with two ODIs remaining.

With Australia desperately needing early wickets, 18-year-old Brown delivered in the fourth over, with opener Tammy Beaumont caught at slip before the speedster trapped the in-form Heather Knight plumb lbw for a golden duck a ball later.

Megan Schutt, whose miserly bowling kept the pressure on the England top-order, lured Lauren Winfield-Hill (13 off 29) into an attacking shot that picked out Ashleigh Gardner at deep mid-wicket.

Natalie Sciver and Amy Jones looked to steady after the stuttering start, putting on 35 runs for the fourth wicket, before a significant call at the end of the 20th over when Jones was caught by Ellyse Perry in the deep off a Tahlia McGrath full toss.

Jones believed the ball was above waist height and stood her ground, but after a lengthy adjudication the television umpire deemed it a legal delivery, sending the wicketkeeper-batter on her way for 16.

McGrath picked up a second in her next over, trapping Sophia Dunkley (5) on the pads, leaving England wobbling at 5-83.

With Sciver the key for the tourists, having played with poise and patience to reach 45 from 65 deliveries, it was going to take something special to remove the England No.4 – and Brown produced exactly that, taking a stunning diving catch off her own bowling.

Schutt continued the South Australian flavour when she bowled Danni Wyatt for 20, and Brown got her fourth to dismiss Sophie Ecclestone lbw for three.

Australia were just one wicket away from retaining the Ashes when Jess Jonassen bowled Anya Shrubsole (1), leaving England 9-154.

The hosts and Jonassen thought it was mission accomplished when Kate Cross was adjudged lbw in the 41st, but the champagne was temporarily put back on ice as the England No.11 overturned it on review – and it remained there when Perry dropped Brunt the following over.

Jonassen then took matters into her own hands, hanging onto a return chance off Cross (17) to officially ensure the Ashes remain in Australia's keeping.

Earlier, Beth Mooney struck a fighting 73 as a superb performance with the ball saw England limit Australia to 9-205, their lowest first-innings total (unaffected by rain) since 2013.

Electing to bowl first, Brunt and Shrubsole found plenty of swing with the new ball to tie down openers Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes.

The latter scored a single boundary in her 13-ball innings before skying a short ball from Shrubsole into the safe gloves of Jones.

Healy dug in alongside captain Meg Lanning, who passed 4000 ODI runs, but scoring proved difficult against the disciplined England attack.

Their 47-run stand ended when Lanning was bowled by a brilliant delivery from Cross that jagged in, out for 28 from 51 deliveries.

Two balls later, Ecclestone had Perry caught and bowled for a golden duck – just the second of the allrounder's ODI career – leaving the hosts 3-61 in the 18th over.

That became 4-67 when the razor-sharp reflexes of Jones, keeping up to the pace of Cross, had Healy stumped for 27.

Runs came at a trickle through the middle overs as Australia crawled to 4-73 midway through the innings, with 68 balls passing without a boundary scored before McGrath finally broke the shackles in the 29th over.

Mooney and McGrath had found themselves in a similarly difficult situation against India earlier in the summer, when they produced a match-winning stand in Mackay.

They could not manage the same this time, despite briefly upping the ante with 22 runs coming from the 32nd and 33rd overs, with McGrath bowled by Brunt for 29 to end their 58-run stand.

Gardner started brightly, finding the boundary early, but was run out for 12 following a mix-up with Mooney, who fought on to reach her half-century from 73 balls.

The left-hander, who is still recovering after fracturing her jaw days before the start of the series, batted through to the final ball of the innings, when she was caught at mid-off for 73, ending a 91ball innings that featured eight fours and a six.

Alana King chipped in with 18 on ODI debut, as she and Mooney put 52 off 52 balls for the eighth wicket.

Commonwealth Bank Women's Ashes v England

Australia Ashes squad: Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Stella Campbell, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes (vc), Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland

England Ashes squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver (vc), Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt

Australia lead the multi-format series 8-4

First T20: Australia won by nine wickets

Second T20: No Result

Third T20: Match Abandoned without a ball bowled

Test match: Match Drawn

First ODI: Australia won by 27 runs

Feb 6: Second ODI, Junction Oval, 10.05am AEDT

Feb 8: Third ODI, Junction Oval, 10.05am AEDT