Sutherland, top order give Australia unbeaten Ashes campaign

All-conquering Australia crushed England by eight wickets to complete an unbeaten Ashes triumph in the third and final ODI at the Junction Oval.

Having restricted hapless England to an underwhelming 163, a confident Australia overhauled the target in the 37th over to send an ominous warning ahead of the upcoming World Cup. Captain Meg Lanning, coming off a duck, struck a commanding 57 not out off 70 balls to again underline her chasing prowess.

Australia shakily chased down a paltry 130 in the second ODI but showed intent from the get go here with opener Alyssa Healy smoking a boundary off the first ball. After a scratchy display on Sunday, Healy was in a belligerent mood and smashed a trio of boundaries off left-arm quick Tash Farrant in the sixth over.

She received a life on 24 when dropped by wicketkeeper Amy Jones off seamer Freya Davies' first delivery and Healy made her pay with a thundering pull to the boundary two balls later. But Davies got her revenge when she dismissed Healy for 42 to end the 74-run opening stand, and then Rachael Haynes fell in the next over to provide England with a glimmer of hope.

But Lanning and No. 4 Ellyse Perry, who made a fluent 40 two days ago, shut the door on England's unlikely attempts at a consolation victory. Perry started aggressively and then was overtaken by Lanning, who sealed Australia's dominant Ashes campaign in style with a six.

Having claimed the Ashes outright after a five-wicket victory in the second ODI at the same venue, Australia won the multi-format series 12-4 to ensure England - like their male counterparts - endured a barren Ashes campaign.

Australia, who have lost just one of their last 30 ODIs, swept the three-match ODI series and gained another psychological edge ahead of the World Cup, where the teams meet on March 5.

In a familiar tale of woe, England struggled after electing to bat in sunny conditions and were bowled out for a meagre 163 in the final over. They crawled for much of the innings and were unable to break the shackles with only an 88-run partnership between opener Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver offering any resistance.

The pair had given England hope of mustering a competitive total but suffered a shocking collapse of 8 for 56 after Beaumont fell for 50. In a major headache for England, their batting frailties resurfaced with only three batters reaching double figures.

A ruthless Australia took full advantage and their relentless bowlers shared the wickets with young quick Annabel Sutherland finishing with her first ODI four-wicket haul. Australia's seamers tortured England with menacing full-length deliveries while Perry continued her rejuvenation after a starring role on Sunday with 1 for 18 off eight overs.

England were dealt a blow when quick Kate Cross was ruled out of the series finale with a wrist injury sustained in the field on Sunday. It was a precautionary measure ahead of the World Cup, where England will go into their title defence short on confidence after a miserable Ashes campaign.