To the dismay of a full house at Lord's, Australia rolled back the clock and waltzed off with a seventh T20 title after losing successive ICC tournaments. Once again, Beth Mooney was the key player, leading a comfortable chase of 151 with her third straight half-century in the T20 World Cup final.
 |
| On the balcony of the dressing room, Australians celebrate |
Cricket has a long history, but in this World Cup final, the statistical equivalent of an immovable object against an irresistible force took place. England had won all four of the Women's World Cups (50-over and T20) they had hosted, but Australia had won all six of the finals (50-over and T20) the two nations had fought.
The inexorable force ultimately prevailed at a canter.
England, playing in their first T20 World Cup final in eight years, hoped to build on their excellent home record and win a second trophy. Despite captain Nat Sciver-Brunt's anchoring half-century, they failed to gain momentum after being put in. England only broke free from Australia's oppressive bowling performance near the end, when Freya Kemp's unbeaten 44 ignited an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 80 from 55.
In return, Australia pounded England into submission, effectively ending the battle by halfway—if not with the power play. Phoebe Litchfield defied the pressure of the moment in her debut final, cracking an effervescent 48 from 35 during a century stand with Mooney, who did the majority of the work. Both fell before the end, but Australia still won—and maintained its perfect record of seven wins in seven T20 final appearances—with 17 balls remaining.
Bell fells Voll at a cost.
The aim of 151 was the highest ever set in a Women's T20 World Cup final. England, buoyed by the prospect of a stoppy Lord's surface, opened with Charlie Dean's off-spin. Georgia Voll dumped her through long-on on the first ball, and she was adjudged lbw on the second ball, which was later overturned on review.
England required wickets, and they received one in a costly second over. Lauren Bell started well, but then executed a wide full toss with her fourth ball, resulting in five no-balls. Voll then blasted the next free shot for another boundary but was out by Bell's next legal delivery, which detonated her middle stump with a bottom-edged cut. Bell's joy—and relief—was palpable, but with Litchfield pinging her first ball straight down the ground, the over had cost 15, and the signs were bad.
Litchfield and Mooney apply a sleeper hold
Bell was granted a second chance, but Mooney, who had crabbed to 9 off her first 11 balls, made Sciver-Brunt rue his decision by hitting three boundaries in a 16-run over. Litchfield then replied to her partner's upped the ante by sweeping Dean for four before skipping out to caress six over deep extra cover. With Mooney clobbering a fifth boundary off Linsey Smith in the next, Australia closed the powerplay on 62 for one, with the chase in good shape.
The second-wicket partnership continued to tag-team efficiently as England struggled to gain a foothold in the contest. Both batters were accurate with their footwork, picking up regular boundaries to keep the pressure on—and England's closest call to a breakthrough came when Litchfield went seeking two and nearly ran herself out to Dean in the deep. Back-to-back fours from Litchfield in Bell's third over propelled Australia to 98 for 1 at the halfway point.
Litchfield added a reverse sweep for six in a superb innings, but Mooney was the first to reach fifty, off 37 balls. In the end, Litchfield didn't make it, with Dean spearing one through on the back foot to bring the stand to exactly 100—but the game was already over.
Bowlers get a hold
After a tight first over in which Kim Garth allowed a boundary off an inside edge along with three singles, Australia took the lead in the second over. Lucy Hamilton has been tipped as a major weapon for Australia due to her powerplay efficiency, despite not taking a wicket in the competition yet. However, she corrected that with her second ball in the final, as Amy Jones flicked at a drive that was caught at backward point.
While Sciver-Brunt hammered her first ball imperiously through the covers for four, she was generally shackled for the first six overs, during which Australia dealt another major blow by eliminating Danni Wyatt-Hodge, the 2026 edition's leading run-scorer. Annabel Sutherland had surrendered 12 runs, including two boundaries and a no-ball from the first four balls of the fifth over, but Mooney's superb performance behind the stumps secured the wicket. Only DRS spotted a brush of the glove down leg, but Mooney's instinctive dive to grab the rebound after parrying the initial chance was well worth the reward.
Capsey's fightback was capped
England's troubles were highlighted by a 39-2 powerplay score, and they were also unable to break free through the middle. After a hesitant start, Alice Capsey surged forward to shake Australia's confidence, scoring three boundaries to help Australia reach 16 in the ninth over. Ash Gardner's first ball, a full toss, was hauled through the leg side before Capsey went even bigger with the day's first six over wide long-on, followed by a drilled four. However, she was cleaned up in the next over while attempting to reverse sweep Molineux, bringing an end to a labored stand of 35 from 30 balls.
Kemp's polish glosses over the cracks
Heather Knight went cheaply, pinned in front by Garth, so it was up to England's all-rounder engine room to assist the captain. Kemp's reputation as a finisher has grown significantly over the last month, and the left-hander stepped up once more, hitting the boundary three times in her first 12 balls—hammered through cover, flicked fine, and then pulled with power—to jump-start a sluggish innings.
With Sciver-Brunt plucking off fours off Molineux and Garth to reach a 45-ball fifty, and Kemp smoking only the second six of the innings straight back down the ground in the last over, England scored 57 from the last six overs, ensuring that Australia would have to chase 150. Not that it would be sufficient.
No comments:
Post a Comment