"Putting in an effort to defend that was a confidence boost": Lauren Bell on England's fight against Australia

Having posted a below-par total of 204, with their innings wrapped up in just 44 overs, England struggled against some smart Australian bowling, especially Ashleigh Gardner, who took 3 for 19. The hosts, led by Gardner and Alyssa Healy, chased down the target with ease, finishing the game with 67 balls to spare.

Lauren Bell, the England seamer who took 1 for 25 in nine economical overs, felt her team deserved a lot of credit for making Australia's chase slightly more challenging than they would have expected. However, England's chances were hindered by crucial dropped catches. Alice Capsey missed a chance to dismiss Ellyse Perry off Lauren Filer's bowling but was fortunate when Bell later removed Perry. A bizarre fumble by Sophie Ecclestone, when Gardner was on 31 and Australia needed just 22 runs with six wickets down, also proved costly.

"We got 200 on a pitch that I think the par score batting first was about 250, so putting in an effort to almost defend that was, I think you can take a lot of confidence from it," Bell said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"There are a few things that we could definitely work on moving forward. Obviously Australia caught very well and we dropped a few in at important moments. Moving forward, there's a few places we can work on and really focus on the next game, but I think as a whole we can take a fair amount of confidence from the game," she added.

Lauren Filer gave England an early breakthrough, removing Phoebe Litchfield for just 4, and took the key wicket of Annabel Sutherland in the deep, finishing with figures of 2 for 58 from eight overs. Ecclestone also played a vital role, dismissing Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath to finish with 2 for 38. However, England will need a better all-round performance to avoid going four points down in the second ODI at Junction Oval on Tuesday.

"We're one game into a pretty long series and we're two-nil down, but we're going to have to start the next game and imagine it's nil-nil and go again," Bell said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"We'll sit down as a team and review. Our batting group will get together and it will obviously be different conditions over in Melbourne, so we'll have to adjust to them. But we'll get together as a group and work out the little bits we can tidy up and hopefully put on a better performance," she added.

With the series consisting of three ODIs, followed by three T20Is and a four-day Test match in just 22 days, England will need to adapt quickly.

"It's definitely tough," Bell noted.

"We're just going to have to adapt really quickly, communicate with the girls that maybe have played at Junction Oval and try and get as much information as we can about the pitch. Then the opening batters, if we bat first, or the opening bowlers, it's just really important to communicate what the pitch is doing as soon as we get there," she said

One takeaway for Bell from the Sydney match is to trust her instincts. Her confidence in reviewing a decision when she was convinced that Perry was out, despite England already having burned one review, proved crucial. The DRS confirmed her initial judgment, showing she had Perry plumb in front.

"I was obviously really happy to get her and I had to stand my ground a little bit and tell Heather and Amy that I thought it was out," Bell said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"It was two v one. I really, really thought it was out. Heather and Amy weren't sure and I didn't want to be the one to lose our last review, but yeah, I'm really glad I stood firm," she added.

England's batting, led by Heather Knight and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who top-scored with 39 and 38, wasn't enough to challenge Healy's smart knock of 70 from 78 balls. Combined with a bowling attack that struggled to stop Healy and a fielding performance that missed key opportunities, it's clear that for England to turn things around in this series, they will need to dig deep and perform under pressure. (ANI)