England Women’s Academy lost their two-match Twenty20 series to Australia Women Shooting Stars following a closely-fought eight-run defeat in Dubai.
Australia posted 169 for four on the back of an Elyse Villani half-century and, despite a valiant chase, it prove just out of reach as England finished 161 for six.
Tammy Beaumont top scored with 41 while Fran Wilson knitted the chase together with 38.
The Somerset right-hander shared partnerships of 37 with Beaumont, and then 59 with Nat Sciver, to give England hope of a series-levelling win.
But after Wilson and Sciver fell within five runs of one another England were always second favourites to pull off the win.
“I just think that we let them get a few too many runs,” Wilson told ecb.co.uk.
“We just didn’t bowl straight enough maybe. They have got some really good batters. “It was very difficult to contain them. The pitch is very good to bat on and we couldn’t break their partnerships.”
Tash Farrant made a couple of early breakthroughs, bowling both Beth Mooney and Grace Harris, but Ashleigh Gardner and Villani – who inspired Australia’s eight-wicket win in the opening game - accelerated the scoring in an 85-run stand.
Delissa Kimmince then added an unbeaten 35 from 20 balls, including two sixes, but Wilson felt England could still have won the game from there if one of the top order batted through the chase.
“Yeah it was definitely chaseable,” she said.
“It was a competitive score. As a batter you think it’s my opportunity to score. If we had batted through we probably would have won.
"I think the overall series has been very evenly matched. There was not that much between the two teams.
For myself, it’s about going on and getting a big score. I feel like I’ve batted well and it’s just about going on and seeing the team home.”