Four wickets apiece for Jodie Dibble and Alex Hartley helped England Women’s Academy seal a dramatic three-run win over Australia Women Shooting Stars at the International Cricket Council Academy in Dubai.
England, needing a win to level the four-match 50-over series, could posted only 177 in the first innings and looked set for a comprehensive loss before a superb fightback ended the rubber at 2-2.
After electing to bat first, England made a shaky start and lost the early wickets of Tammy Beaumont and Sofie Luff to an excellent new-ball spell from Nicola Hancock.
Evelyn Jones and Fran Wilson stabilised the innings, but it looked to be heading for a premature end when they fell in quick succession to leave the score on 49 for four.
Georgia Elwiss, who has been in fine form throughout the series, once again batted with fluency and a crucially-timed partnership of 61 for the fifth wicket with Natalie Sciver rescued the innings.
Sciver and Alex MacDonald each hit 23 in support of Elwiss, who eventually fell 47, which included seven boundaries.
The lower order, aided by a total of 24 extras, added some useful runs to help England post a reasonable total.
Australia looked to be cruising towards victory having reached 80 for two, but Hartley and Dibble combined to skittle the middle order and reduce them to 129 for seven.
Game day! The decider! Final ODI! Come on girls! #bounceback#cricket #2-1 #letsmakeit2-2 #taaaappic.twitter.com/VezycdLHEl
— Alexandra Hartley (@AlexHartley93) April 8, 2015
Dibble finished with four of the top five to her name, and recorded figures of 4-35 before Stephanie Butler helped Hartley put the brakes on.
Hartley claimed the key wicket of Megan Banting for 24 en route to figures of 4-41 that took England to the brink of a dramatic victory, before Sciver entered the fray and sealed victory.
Beaumont admitted it had been a nervy end to the game, telling ecb.co.uk: "Luckily we stayed calm under quite a lot of pressure in the end. It was very nerve-wracking but perhaps worse for the coaches and girls on the side.
"We felt we batted under-par, but to defend 177 is a real achievement and something we can be proud of."
Incredible win today v shooting stars to level the series! Great fight from the team! #character #2-2 well bwd @AlexHartley93@jodiedibble48
— Tammy Beaumont (@Tammy_Beaumont) April 8, 2015
On her bowlers, the England captain added: "We tried to get them into the attack early and it worked. Jodie bowled really, really well and Alex and Steph Butler as well created pressure in the middle."
With the 50-over series finished, EWA will take on the Shooting Stars in two Twenty20 matches, on Saturday and Sunday, and Beamont is hoping to carry the momentum through.
"It’s a format we feel comfortable with. We will look to play a positive brand of cricket and hopefully it will be a good performance," she added.