England beaten by Australia at Women's Cricket World Cup after struggles against spin and Ash Gardner century

England's unbeaten run at the Cricket World Cup came to an end in their sixth game with a six-wicket defeat to favourites Australia amid struggles batting against spin and Ash Gardner's century.

England posted 244-9, with Tammy Beaumont (78 off 105) top-scoring and Alice Capsey (38) and Charlie Dean (26) sharing a breezy seventh-wicket stand of 61 after the team had been bogged down by spinners Alana King (1-20) and Gardner (2-39) in the middle overs.

Australia, missing injured captain Alyssa Healy (calf), tumbled to 24-3 in reply as seamer Lauren Bell nailed Phoebe Litchfield's off stump with a beauty in the first over before spinner Linsey Smith dismissed Georgia Voll (6) and Ellyse Perry (13), and that became 68-4 when Beth Mooney pulled Sophie Ecclestone to midwicket.

However, Annabel Sutherland (98no off 112), who had earlier bagged 3-60 with her seam bowling, led the rebuild, putting on an unbroken 180 for the fifth wicket with Gardner (104no off 73).

The latter followed her century against New Zealand on this ground on October 1 with another three-figure knock, one in which she pumped Capsey for three successive fours and sealed victory with a boundary off Ecclestone over the off-side.

England saw their total overhauled by Australia with 57 balls to spare as the defending champions beat their fellow confirmed semi-finalists to stay unbeaten and move back top of the table, ahead of also-qualified South Africa.

Australia meet South Africa in their final game of the league phase in Indore on Saturday (10.30am UK) before England play New Zealand - one of three teams still in the running for the last semi-final spot, alongside India and Sri Lanka - in Vizag on Sunday (5.30am UK), ahead of next week's semi-finals.

Nat Sciver-Brunt's team are much improved from the one pumped 16-0 across the formats by Australia in last winter's Ashes - Sunday's tight win over India in Indore was evidence of that - but, on this evidence, there is still a notable gulf between the sides and it is hard to see any nation denying Australia an eighth World Cup title.

England feasted on some wayward bowling from new-ball seamers Megan Schutt and Kim Garth to pass fifty in the eighth over after being inserted by stand-in Australia captain Tahlia McGrath.

Sutherland broke Beaumont and Amy Jones' opening stand when she bowled the latter for 18, before Heather Knight (20) and skipper Sciver-Brunt (20) fell to the spin of Sophie Molineux (2-52) and Alana King respectively (1-20).

England mustered only 43 runs across overs 21-34 - 12 of those 14 overs were bowled by spinners King and Ash Gardner (2-39) - and it was no surprise the pressure told on Beaumont and she holed out off seamer Sutherland at long-on in the 35th.

Beaumont had earlier completed a 59-ball fifty - the 24th ODI half-century of the 34-year-old's distinguished career and her first in India at the 14th attempt.

A worry for England going forward will be the continued struggles of middle-order batters Sophia Dunkley and Emma Lamb, who are averaging 13.20 and 7.20 respectively in the No 5 and No 6 spots after limp returns against Australia.

Dunkley was stumped off Gardner for a torturous 48-ball 22, while Lamb was cleaned up by a slower delivery from Sutherland, meaning a recall for the experienced Danni Wyatt-Hodge may now be in England's thinking.

Capsey had also been short of runs but she cracked five boundaries during her half-century stand with Dean to give England a total to defend - and the four-time World Cup champions were bouncing after a wicket-laden start to the Australia chase.

After Bell's beauty bowled Litchfield, Smith castled Healy's replacement at the top of the order, Voll, on the slog-sweep and then pouched Perry off her own bowling, while Sciver-Brunt's cracking catch accounted for Mooney on the leg-side.

That was as good as it got for England, with the closest they came to another breakthrough when Knight grassed Sutherland over her shoulder on 95 in what turned out to be the final over of the game, the 41st.

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