BRISTOL: England skipper Heather Knight was full of joy and ecstasy after she guided her side to a two-wicket victory but she admitted that they made the job tough for themselves.
Knight's 75* took England across the finishing line but their job could have become easier if they ended up taking the opportunities that came their way.
The home team now sit level with Australia at six points each, and still need to come out on top in the remaining two one-day internationals to secure the series, The Guardian reports.
Heather Knight somehow shepherded her team across the line in their chase of 264, hitting the winning boundary through cover-point and finishing unbeaten on 75, after England had stuttered nervously to 235 for eight, the report noted.
The England team managed to give Perry three lives and Ecclestone was the first to do so as she put her down at first slip when Perry was batting on six.
Along with this, they gave Mooney two chances first when she was dropped on 19 and another on 39.
"I found it a really tricky wicket. It was hard to feel fluent and rotate the ball around. It was pure relief and ecstasy. We kept making it hard for ourselves. There was a lot we could do better. First 10-15 we were a little bit off. Not the best day in the field. But we're still winning," Knight said in the post-match presentation as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
She further went on to heap praise on Kate Cross who showed commendable spirit in the climax of the game. Cross held onto her nerves to see off the game along with her skipper.
"It feels very good. It was hard work out there. I thought it was starting to slip away. Kate Cross, what a hero. She was nervous when she came in but we broke it down. To beat a very good side is outstanding - and we can be a lot better. The fight in the side is remarkable and we showed that again today. I was trying to keep [the emotion] in. I was a lot calmer than I would have been watching. [Cross?] It's her best shot and fine leg was up. We kept saying to each other 'Lauren Bell's in next, so keep going!' To see her do that was outstanding." Kight added.
Finally, she went on to thank the support from the fans who stuck with them and drove them through the entire game.
"It was pure joy. Home club, people watching, lots of family and friends here. We've kept growing as a team and we're still got a long way to go. We've kept calm in the big moments. We've got a lot of momentum. The support from the crowd was unreal again. It has really made a difference for us," Knight signed off.
Australia managed to put up a total of 263 on the board in the first innings. Knight took charge after Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey's impressive stand came to an end.
Both teams will now square off against each other on Sunday in the second ODI at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground.
(With inputs from Online Desk)