Australia regained the Women's Ashes after they beat England by 20 runs at the BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground in the second of three NatWest International T20s to take an unassailable 10-4 lead in the multi-format series with Monday's finale at Cardiff to come.
England bowled superbly on a slow pitch to restrict the tourists to 107 for seven but they never recovered from a poor start to their reply and were bowled out for 87, their lowest score in a T20I.
Ellyse Perry and Rene Farrell both took two wickets in an over with captain Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor, whose fifty in the first Twenty20 at the Essex County Ground on Wednesday revived England's hopes of retaining the Ashes, falling cheaply as England subsided to 28 for five after their six-over powerplay.
Katherine Brunt, with 20, and Lydia Greenway did their best to revive the hosts in front of a full house of nearly 6,000 at Hove but when Brunt played on in Megan Schutt's first over, having helped put on 25 for the sixth wicket, there was no way back.
England had lost Edwards in the second over, when she played on to Jess Jonassen, but they were dealt a double blow in the next over by Perry. Opener Lauren Winfield was caught at mid-off from a mis-timed drive and Natalie Sciver played all around a length ball.
Farrell had Taylor caught at mid-on and then bowled Heather Knight and although left-hander Greenway tried her best she wasn't the only batter who struggled to time their shots on a painfully slow wicket. England's lower order gave her little support, against an unyielding Australia, who fielded superbly in defence of a modest total.
Greenway made 26 from 39 balls, the highest score of the match, before Jonassen superbly caught her on the long-on boundary off the first ball of the last over as Australia regained the Ashes for the first time since 2010.
Australia too had struggled to get any momentum and needed a cameo from Jess Cameron, who made 21 not out off 17 deliveries, at the end of the innings to get them to 107 for seven.
They struggled after losing three wickets in 11 balls halfway through the innings, including captain Meg Lanning, who was one of two victims for Rebecca Grundy, the slow left-armer brought in to replace Jenny Gunn in the only England change.
Lanning had put on 29 for the second wicket after Perry had been caught at midwicket in the fourth over off Anya Shrubsole.
Lanning looked in the mood to play a decisive role, hitting two superbly-timed fours, one through extra cover and the other past backward point, on her way to 21 before she attempted an ugly leg-side heave and was leg-before.
She wasn't the only Australian who perished that way. Elyse Villani, Alyssa Healy and Grace Harris all got out playing across the line, although the latter did swing Danielle Hazell over midwicket for six as Australia briefly escaped the shackles imposed by a disciplined attack.
Grundy, who finished with 2-20, justified her recall but England's best bowler was Shrubsole, who bowled a consistent length at decent pace to pick up 2-9 including the dangerous Harris, who had been dropped on nought and 12.
Cameron provided some improvisation at the end, with a scoop over wicketkeeper Taylor and a reverse sweep going to the boundary to get her side over 100, and a total that proved more than enough.