Rain dashes England's hopes of whitewash

No result Australia 100 for 7 in 31 overs (Marsh 3-11) v England 6 for 2
Scorecard

Persistent rain in London scuppered England's chances of whitewashing Australia 5-0 in the one-day series after their bowlers had restricted the visitors to 100 for 7 in a shortened game at Lord's. England went into the final match with a 4-0 lead - the last two wins being last-ball finishes - but their chase of a modest total was cut short in the third over.

Australia chose to bat on a cloudy morning in an attempt to salvage at least one victory but slumped to 55 for 3 after 18 overs, when rain forced the players off the field for the first time. Play resumed with the match reduced to 42 overs a side and Australia slipped further to 81 for 5 in 29 overs before the second rain interruption. They eventually finished on 100 for 7 from their allotted 31 overs when play resumed for the second time with Rachael Haynes top-scoring with 26.

England's target was adjusted to 115 in 31 overs by the D/L method and they too began badly. Sarah Taylor was bowled for 1 and Caroline Atkins caught off Lisa Sthalekar for 4 as the hosts were reduced to 6 for 2 after 2.4 overs before a final shower forced the match to be abandoned.