Australia retained the women’s multi-format Ashes trophy in the first of three one-day internationals, holding England short of a paltry first innings of 205 for nine to win by 27 runs in Canberra. After captain Heather Knight won the toss and chose to bowl, England’s seam attack used a lively surface to suffocate Australia’s scoring until wickets came. But the Australian bowlers responded in kind, turning the screw until the thread squeaked, and despite a last-wicket partnership of 24 that briefly threatened a revival, England were 178 all out with five overs to go.

Knight said: “Our mentality in this series has been really good. We haven’t been able to quite get over the line, which is a shame, but we believe we’re good enough to beat them and we’ve gone toe-to-toe with them in a lot of aspects, but we just haven’t quite been able to have that killer instinct and get over the line.”

The day at Manuka Oval began with a key match-up: Australian opener Alyssa Healy against England attack leader Katherine Brunt, who dismissed her twice for nought in last week’s Test match. It was no surprise that the start was circumspect. Brunt and strike partner Anya Shrubsole conceded just 34 from the first 10 overs, with Shrubsole dismissing Rachel Haynes from a top-edged pull. It was a far cry from the barnstorming starts that are Healy’s trademark.

First-change seamer Kate Cross, unlucky to have gone wicketless in the Test match, bowled Australian captain Meg Lanning in the 17th over with a wicked delivery that leaped inward at the stumps from a wider line, then in the 21st sent a ball the other way to have Healy stumped after wicketkeeper Amy Jones had moved up to stop Healy charging. Between times, left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone used flight to draw a return catch and complete the second golden duck of Ellyse Perry’s long one-day career.

Australia were 67 for four, scoring at 3.35 per over. Big hitter Tahlia McGrath batted slowly for 14 overs, then was bowled by Brunt for 29 as soon as she started to hit out. Ash Gardner started breezily at a run a ball but ran herself out for 12. Jess Jonassen followed for four. Deliverance came from Beth Mooney, who has made a habit of rescuing Australia from trouble, and batted through until the last ball of the innings to make 73 in a partnership with Alana King of 52.

At first, that only looked like the broken-jawed batter helping her team save face. Brunt had taken three for 40, Cross three for 33, and England only needed four runs an over. But Australia’s 18-year-old quick Darcie Brown ignited the response: first her fast outswinger took Tammy Beaumont’s edge to slip for three, then she was on a hat-trick after beating Knight for pace to hit in front of middle stump. Having made 216 runs in the Test match, Knight had this game’s second golden duck.

Quiet overs ticked by and mistakes arrived. Lauren Winfield-Hill tried to pull a ball that wasn’t short enough, hitting a catch to deep midwicket for 13. Jones did the same on 16 with a high full toss from McGrath that the third umpire ruled legal. Jones could complain about luck, but in 17 limited-overs innings against Australia she has a high score of 30 and an average of eight. McGrath followed up with an in-ducker to trap Dunkley in front for five. That left England 83 for five, needing 123 more to win.

The decisive blow came when Nat Sciver, having held things together with her innings of 45, tried to nudge Brown to the leg side and instead popped up a leading edge. The bowler took off in her follow-through and dived to take a sliding return catch. She later pinned Ecclestone lbw to finish her 10 overs with four for 34. Megan Schutt took her 100th one-day wicket for Australia when dismissing Winfield-Hill, before bowling a perfect leg-cutter that beat Danni Wyatt’s outside edge to hit the top of her off stump.

Shrubsole was bowled behind her legs trying to lap-sweep Jonassen, when she only needed to support Brunt who was batting nicely. While Cross hit some hard drives in whittling the required runs down from 52 to 28, the target was too distant. Australia had three false alarms for the last wicket, with a dropped catch, a missed run-out, and an overturned review. But eventually Jonassen held a low return catch, and Mooney’s work was not in vain. England can still tie the series with two games to play, but the trophy will stay.

“To retain it with this group is pretty special,” Brown said. “We backed our bowlers to defend that total because we’ve got a pretty good bowling lineup, so we weren’t too fussed about it.”