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Australia have clinched the women's Ashes, beating England by six wickets in the first Twenty20 match at North Sydney Oval.

Australia have defended the women's Ashes, with Beth Mooney starring with 86 not out in their six-wicket victory over England in the opening Twenty20 in Sydney.

The hosts needed to win just one of three T20 matches remaining in the multi-format series, chasing down England's 132 with 4.1 overs to spare at North Sydney Oval to claim an 8-4 unassailable lead.

Mooney, who was left out of the three 50-over matches but selected ahead of star batter Alex Blackwell on Friday, was blistering with 11 fours and two sixes, hitting Katherine Brunt over the backward square boundary in the first over of her sublime 55-ball innings.

"The mindset going in was just to take the game away from them as early as possible," Mooney, 23, told reporters.

"I just had the mindset of hitting the ball if it was in my zone and getting off strike if it wasn't. I was fortunate enough to do that."

After winning the toss and fielding, Australia were dominant from the outset when spinner Jess Jonassen dismissed England opener Heather Knight with the second ball.

Confusion reigned over the dismissal when it appeared Jonassen had bowled Knight, who was called back to the crease after it was found wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy had broken the stumps with her glove.

But captain Knight was again sent on her way when further reviews determined she edged the ball to Healy.

The second wicket fell the next over when fast bowler Megan Schutt trapped Sarah Taylor lbw to have England 2-4.

The incident-packed start to the innings continued when Jonassen dropped an easy caught-and-bowled chance off the last ball of the third over - one of the many missed chances in a below-standard Australian fielding performance.

Australia had their third wicket when Healy took a spectacular catch to remove Tammy Beaumont, diving low down to her right to gather an underneath edge off Ellysse Perry's bowling.

Medium-pacer Perry was on a hat-trick when Brunt was caught behind off the first ball, leaving England at 4-16.

Perry missed the hat-trick by bowling a wide the next delivery.

Danielle Wyatt (50) and Natalie Sciver (26) led the English recovery with a 64-run partnership including seven boundaries after being helped by two dropped catches.

It took a slick piece of fielding by Ashleigh Gardner off her own bowling to run out Wyatt at the striker's end before Schutt tamed England's lower order with three late wickets as the visitors were bowled out on the final ball.

In reply, Mooney promptly took the game away from England but opening partner Healy struggled to get going before being caught in the outfield for five.

England's resistance was on increasingly shaky ground when left-hander Mooney brought up her half-century off 34 balls.

The victors suffered a mini-collapse when Elyse Villani, Gardiner and Perry fell cheaply, but Australia would not be denied in front of a crowd of almost 4000.

Australian captain Rachael Haynes said retaining the Ashes went some way to redeeming their semi-final exit at this year's World Cup.

"Sitting in the changeroom after that semi-final, it was pretty hard to be in there," Haynes said.

"So moments like this, you really do want to cherish."

The two remaining T20 matches will be played in Canberra on Sunday and Tuesday.