Beth Morgan's view

By Beth Morgan England women's cricket team

We made a really good start to the summer internationals against New Zealand by winning the Twenty20 series 2-1.

We were really happy to win that but were very disappointed to lose three of the first four one-day internationals - and with it the series.

Morgan hit 77 as England won their final match against New Zealand

We were playing well but it was a huge learning curve against a very good side ranked second in the world. We showed great character to come back really well and finish on a high by winning the final two matches.

The three defeats taught us that we needed to sustain the standard of our performance throughout the match and we realized that we needed to be more consistent and keep the pressure on the opposition.

It was really important to win the last two games. We played really well, gained confidence and will go into the Ashes next January knowing that we can compete on an equal level with the top-ranked team in the world.

Mark Dobson, our new coach, and his assistant Vince Wells, have settled in really well into their jobs.

They have been fantastic and have helped us both as individuals and tactically as a team and I am sure we have all improved as players.

They want us to play positive and attacking cricket and to try to be brave and express ourselves both in batting and bowling.

Isa Guha celebrates one of her three wickets in the final match

Hitting my highest score for England in the final match of the one-day series was a very special moment for me.

It was really good to be able to contribute to an England win. We bowled really well - Isa Guha and Holly Colvin both picked up three wickets - and we showed character at the end to hold on for the win.

It was a little bit of a surprise to open the batting but it's something I really enjoyed. In the past for England I have batted in the middle or lower order and coming in at the end of an innings.

Going in at the start means you get the chance to build your innings and that's something I enjoyed.

The young players who have come into the side such as Holly and Sarah Taylor are really settling in and looking like that have been playing for years.

They have shown great maturity and that's a really positive sign for the future.

Our next challenge will be defending the Ashes in Australia. The trip is from January to March and before that quite a few players are going to play in Australia and New Zealand during their summer.

The rest of the squad will be working hard in England trying to improve on the things we have learnt this summer to make sure they are ready.

As I did last year, I will be going out to Sydney in September. I'm really looking forward to it - it's a great experience both on and off the pitch.

I'll be there for Christmas and New Year so hopefully I'll have Christmas Day in the sun. It's a long time to be away but you have got to enjoy it.

I did four months last year and got a lot out of it and playing against the top Australians will be great preparation for the Ashes.

Beth Morgan was talking to Alistair Watkins