England captain Charlotte Edwards was disappointed to end the Women’s Ashes series with defeat to Australia but insisted it should not deflect attention away from the team’s accomplishment.
Having wrapped up the series with a win at Hobart in the first Twenty20 international, England fell to defeats in the final two fixtures, meaning the final score in the series was 10-8 to the tourists.
And the latest seven-wicket defeat in Sydney, which saw England score 101, was a frustration for Edwards.
“Every game we go out and play we want to go out and play to our potential but we’ve not done that over the two games. It’s bitterly disappointing,” she said.
“The batters didn’t put enough runs on the board.
“Sitting here now it’s easy to think about the last two games but we’ve got to look back and think about how the Ashes were won and be very proud of that.
“For both teams it’s been a fantastic series. It has ebbed and flowed and probably been one of the best series I’ve been involved in, both home and away. I think you’ve all seen how evenly matched both teams are.
"We’ve loved it but I think we’ve got a huge amount to take out of it, especially our younger players (and) the way they’ve performed.”
The series victory was set up with a stunning victory in the Test match, giving England a 6-0 lead going into the limited-overs games. Edwards believes the performance in Perth was key to the team’s success.
“That Test win was the difference between the two teams,” she said.
“I said from the word go it would be two evenly matched teams competing for it and I think it’s shown that. They’ve obviously ended the series well but we won the key moments which I think was the most important thing in this series.”
In the final game at Stadium Australia, Jenny Gunn returned from injury to give Edwards 12 fit players to choose from, having been left with only 11 from the squad of 15 for the defeat in Melbourne on Friday.
Edwards conceded the injuries had proved a hindrance during the Ashes but believes there will be a full squad to choose from for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.
She said: “It’s been a huge headache. When you lose two world class bowlers like (Katherine) Brunt and (Anya) Shrubsole... that’s what’s made this achievement even more special; we’ve managed to do it without two front-line bowlers and arguably one of the best spinners in the world in Laura Marsh.
“So to come here and perform the way we have done is really pleasing for us as a squad.
“We were missing a number of key players towards the end of the series and I think we’ve got players at home as well that we feel can come into this squad. We’ll get back, have a look at the injuries and see where we’re at. I’m pretty certain they will be fully-fit coming into Bangladesh.”