TO see the Australian women playing cricket was an eye-opener. Their batting was correct and belligerent, their fielders were athletic and alert and their bowling had variety, in the person of Cathryn Fitzpatrick, enough pace to allow a typically uncompromising Antipodeon slip cordon to be set.

They had an unexpectedvibrancy and aggression. Unsurprisingly, they are world champions, a title they reclaimed in front of 70,000 people in Calcutta last December.

Hard as they tried England could not hold them, slowly subsiding to a third successive defeat in this five match series. England will also have their work cut out in the forthcoming Test series. The gulf between the sides is wide. And yet the visitors started badly, losing the prolific Belinda Clark, a player of neat and wristy strokes whose first failure in 44 one-day internationals had come a few days earlier in Derby. After whetting the appetite with a deft drive through mid-on, Clark edged a cut and England celebrated.

For a time the innings was becalmed as Joanne Broadbent and Lisa Keightley were held by Claire Taylor's steady out-swing and Sarah Collyer's gentle inloopers. England set a tight field which their opponents could not penetrate. Hardly anyone was placed behind square, instead the boundaries at deep extra and long-on were protected. Partly it was a comment upon the pace of the bowling, partly upon the respectability of the batting.

After 22 overs Australia had reached 59 for one where upon Keightley tried to hasten the scoring and was held in the deep. No sooner had Kim Rolton, a pugnacious left hander, appeared than she was stepping down the pitch to drive hard and straight. Broadbent, too, began to find the gaps as England spread their field and started to make mistakes.

Eventually Broadbent was caught at mid-off and Rolton was run out. Now came a vigorous partnership between Mel Jones, born in Devon to Welsh and West Indian parents, and Bron Calber which brought 55 runs in 31 balls and Australia finished on 237 for 4. Jane Brittin, England's No 3, broke a finger as she tried to hold a drive.

England went in hot pursuit of their target. Runs and wickets came along against the faster bowlers, Kathryn Leng edging a lifter from Fitzpatrick whereupon Karen Smithies, the home captain, was caught behind as the nagging Calber moved one across her. Cheered on by a small and amiable crowd containing a large female contingent the batters kept at it, Charlotte Edwards recovering her form with some fine drives through mid-wicket while her partners hit out. But 'Charlie' Mason turned the screw with some acurate and rhythmical medium pacers that allowed eight runs in seven overs.

Wickets started to tumble as England pressed for runs and finally the task proved too great. It had been an impressive performance by the visitors. They had more power, variety and aggression. But the touristscan not find a sponsor and may need to pay their own air fares. It is an extraordinary state of affairs. Meanwhile the gravy train rolls along in London and Manchester.