Australia’s cricket women are back on top of the world again, annexing the T20 World Cup in glorious fashion for a seventh time by outclassing hosts England in the final in front of a sell-out crowd at their Lord’s home.
Sophie Molineux’s side roared to a wholly one-sided seven-wicket victory on Sunday (Monday AEST) as a brilliant century partnership from Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield turned their pursuit of England’s 4-150 into a cakewalk in front of 30,000 gloomy home fans.
Opener Mooney, Australia’s all-time leading scorer in this format, was magnificent again, powering to 64 off 49 balls before they breezed to their target on 3-153 with 17 balls to spare.
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Player-of-the-match Mooney and Litchfield, who hit 48 off 35, including a glorious switch hit that will long be remembered, put on exactly 100 for the second wicket, bringing up their century stand off 66 balls and effectively killing any English hope.
And though it may have been expected some disappointed England supporters would leave before the trophy presentation, a baffling ICC decision to delay the crowning moment for a musical performance robbed the Aussies of lifting the silverware in front of a genuine crowd.
Lord’s had effectively emptied before the players were finally called to the dais.
There was only one sour note as Australia were just seven wins away from their win, when England’s Sophie Ecclestone looked to have taken a catch to get rid of Ellyse Perry at mid-off, but after a long review, the great allrounder was reprieved because the third umpire wasn’t convinced it had been taken cleanly.
Ecclestone was furious, remonstrating with the on-field officials, and so were the crowd, who broke into familiar booing of the old enemy when Perry trooped back to resume her innings.
Perry, who passed her fitness test to take part in her seventh triumph in nine finals, was then still at the crease at the end when Ecclestone sent a wide spinning to the boundary for the winning runs.
“Today has been truly special,” said Perry.
“It has been a joy to be a part of this team with Sophie leading in her first World Cup. This has been a privilege of a lifetime.”
It ends a rare spell without a global trophy in either the 50-over or 20-over game for Australia, who last lifted the T20 crown in 2023. Here, they demonstrated all their old mastery, bowling with great discipline, fielding with immense sharpness and batting with enterprise and vigour.
Once again, Australia were simply in another class to the hosts, whose record in seven white-ball World Cup finals is England 0 Australia 7. It was also the first time England had lost a home World Cup final.
Molineux was left in tears as she enjoyed her first trophy as national captain, with Litchfield saluting her inspirational and organised leadership.
“It’s gone to plan. We’ve been playing the way we wanted to play all tournament,” said the brilliant Litchfield.
“Internally, we knew we were a bloody good side, and Sophie has done an incredible job, setting us up physically and mentally.”
The skipper did the key job first, winning the toss and attempting to pressurise the hosts by putting them in.
Only a half-century from captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (58no off 53) and some lusty hitting from Freya Kemp (44 off 28) in an 80-run stand really kept England in with a shout, but they never really scored at a rate to trouble an Australian side who’d pulled off a tournament-record chase the week before here against India.
The early damage had already been done with four bowlers sharing a wicket apiece, the opening quicks, Kim Garth (1-20 off four) and Lucy Hamilton (1-19 off three) perhaps being the pick while Molineux herself (1-32) and Annabel Sutherland (1-34) grabbed key scalps.
Hamilton took her first World Cup wicket in just the second over, Georgia Voll taking a fine low catch at backward point to get rid of Amy Jones.
The key wicket of Danni Wyatt-Hodge was a bonus when Sutherland’s delivery was called a wide, only for keeper Mooney to convince Molineux to review as she believed the star England batter had nicked the ball into her gloves. She was right.
The captain got one past Alice Capsey’s attempted reverse sweep just after the batter had given the hosts some hope by smashing 15 of the 16 that Ash Gardner gave up in her first over.
When Garth then trapped former captain Heather Knight lbw with a leg-cutter to leave the hosts 4-70, England were already looking lost.
When Australia began their chase, Voll fell early but Mooney and Litchfield largely toyed with the England attack. It was merciless and clinical; the champions are back.
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