In front of a packed Shane Warne stand at the Junction Oval, Alana King produced an Ashes spell for the ages in the mould of her hero to inspire Australia to an extraordinary victory over England, defending 180 in a crazy finish that had to be seen to be believed and handed the hosts a four-point lead after two matches in the multi-format series.

Defending a meagre 181, the lowest ever defended in an Ashes ODI, King took 4 for 25 with some magical legspin bowling. She was well supported by Kim Garth who took 3 for 37 while Ash Gardner bowled a frugal spell of 10 overs taking 1 for 23.

King was awestruck by the ovation she got from the Shane Warne stand following her extraordinary spell.

“I played a lot of cricket here growing up and even started off my professional career at Victoria, so this place will always be pretty special to me,” King said. “Having the Shane Warne stand now, yeah, it was pretty surreal to be quite honest, but more happy to get the win.”

As good as Australia’s bowlers were, England’s batters were enormous contributors to their own downfall with a mix of woeful decision-making and execution ensuring Australia could afford to drop four catches, have Annabel Sutherland withdrawn from the attack for two no-balls above waist high in the 48th over, and still win by 21 runs.

England’s meltdown was complete after Amy Jones forgot to run off the second free hit in the over, that had to be bowled by Tahlia McGrath, which left No. 11 Lauren Bell exposed at the start of the 49th. She was bowled first ball to leave Jones stranded on 47.

England’s stunning collapse outshone Australia’s earlier in the day after the home side lost 8 for 49 to be bowled out for 180 with Alice Capsey taking a career-best 3 for 22 and Sophie Ecclestone claiming 4 for 35.

Ellyse Perry  made a match-winning 60 but she was one of Capsey’s three victims as Australia slumped from 131 for 2 to be bowled out in 44.3 overs. It was the first time Australia had been bowled out at the Junction Oval in nine completed ODIs there. The 12 wickets taken by spinners across the match is the joint-most in Australia in ODIs. The rarity of Australia’s stunning collapse was highlighted by the fact that their No. 11 Darcie Brown scored her first ODI run, having previously batted just once in 22 matches.

While Australia’s collapse was epic and statistically far more impressive, it ended up being second-best to England who are now in a perilous situation in the series. The collapse came in two parts having reached 68 for 2 after Garth removed both openers.

Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt looked in control with a calming 41-run stand. But just like Sydney, both butchered promising starts to leave England stuttering. Knight closed the face trying to work Gardner square and popped up a simple return catches off the leading edge.

King then weaved her magic, bowling Danni Wyatt-Hodge with a ball that drifted into middle and leg and ripped into the top of off, leaving the batter with a Mike Gatting-esque look on her face.

Sciver-Brunt then following Maia Bouchier and Knight’s lead, closing the bat face against the turn to pop an easy leading edge to cover.

England steadied briefly, with Jones and Capsey sharing a 36-run stand. But it came off an asphyxiating 75 balls. Capsey was given out lbw but reprieved via an inside edge. Jones was then dropped at backward point, before finally the pressure told as Garth beat Capsey’s inside edge to finally get her out lbw.

King’s last over was mayhem. Charlie Dean tried a lap scoop and succeeded only in popping an easy catch to Mooney who moved behind Alyssa Healy from slip. Ecclestone nicked a big spinning legbreak next ball to leave King on a hat-trick and England eight-down.

It should have been nine three balls later. Lauren Filer was dropped at a catching mid-on by Garth to deny King five.

Jones then farmed the strike and England still had a chance. Filer was dropped a second time with Healy unable to hold a spectacular one-handed effort off Garth.

But as with any great collapse, it was not complete without a calamitous run out. Filer obliged after Jones tried to lap-scoop Megan Schutt. Brown made an exceptional diving save at short third. Filer ran all the way down while Jones never moved. Healy relayed a throw from Brown to Schutt before Filer could get close to safety.

England were left nine down needing 34 from 42 balls. Bell then managed to survive 15 balls for one run but equation became 28 from 18 before Sutherland’s 48th seemed to give England hope. But in the chaos of Sutherland’s over, Jones forgot how many balls were left and King forgot she had dropped a free-hit in the deep. Jones’ amnesia was more costly.

Earlier, Australia’s collapse could have easily cost them the match. They were cruising after being sent in at 131 for 2 with Perry looking imperious having passed 50 for the 38th time in her ODI career, barely offering a false shot in the process.

Ecclestone, the No.1 bowler in the world, had made an indifferent start with the ball after oddly being held out of the attack until the 18th over, having not been brought on until the 15th over in the first ODI in Sydney.

She struck second ball, trapping Phoebe Litchfield lbw for 29 as the left-hander yorked herself trying to reverse-sweep.

Ecclestone then over attacked to Perry and Mooney for three overs before trapping the left-hander lbw. England needed a review to get the initial not out decision overturned.

Capsey then scythed through the middle-order with her part-time offspin after replacing Charlie Dean at the pavilion end. She dropped a relatively straightforward caught and bowled chance offered by Sutherland. But it did not cost much as Sutherland failed to keep another drive down, picking out Knight at cover.

Perry then got bogged down. She had raced to 51 from 52 balls, striking five fours and two sixes. She never went longer than 14 balls without finding the rope and struck a six and two fours in the space of five balls to bring up the milestone.  But having motored to 51, she scored just nine runs from her next 22 balls with Ecclestone and Capsey putting the squeeze on having taken two wickets at the other end.

In the 29th over, Capsey delivered four consecutive dots to Perry, never leaving the stumps and nearly trapping her lbw with the fourth ball. She sneaked through with the fifth as Perry jammed her bat against her pad but missed the ball. She was initially given not out but England were successful with another review. Capsey added to her haul when Gardner left a huge gap between bat and pad trying an ambitious drive on the up and lost her off stump.

Knight seized the moment and brought Filer back on to the remove the out-of-form Tahlia McGrath with sheer pace. Filer had previously looked like Bambi on ice in her opening two spells, slipping and tumbling to the deck in her delivery stride nearly half a dozen times as she conceded 34 in five overs.

Ecclestone returned to clean up the tail alongside Bell who also finished with 2 for 25 including the early wicket of Healy.

Brief scores:
Australia Women  180 in 44.3 overs (Ellyse Perry 60, Phoebie Litchfield 29, Alyssa Healey 29; Lauren Bell 2-25, Sophie Ecclestone 4-35, Alice Capsey 3-22) beat  England Women 159 in 48.1 overs (Amy Jones 47*, Nat Sciver-Brunt 35; Alana King 4-25, Kim Garth 3-37) by 21 runs