New Delhi: Australia tightened their hold on women’s cricket, beating England by seven wickets to lift a record-extending seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title. Their emphatic chase underlined the gulf between them and the rest of the teams when it comes to big-match mentality.
It didn’t matter that they were facing England at Lord’s, the occasion simply wasn’t daunting enough for the serial winners.
If England’s total of 150/2 looked competitive at the halfway mark, Australia made it look like it was no big deal. Their fearless approach in the Powerplay effectively decided the contest as they raced to 62/1 in the first six overs. It is the second-highest Powerplay score in a Women’s T20 World Cup knockout match. They also breached the fifty-run mark in just 4.4 overs, equalling the fastest team fifty in a T20 World Cup semi-final or final.
After England struck early by dismissing Georgia Voll, Australia barely fumbled. Beth Mooney, once again proving why she is regarded as one of the game’s biggest match players, combined with Phoebe Litchfield in a commanding partnership that seized control of the chase.
Litchfield, returning after missing three matches through injury, picked up from where she had left off before the setback, playing with freedom and intent, while Mooney anchored the innings with typical composure. Once Mooney and Litchfield settled in, there was little doubt about where the chase was heading.
Their aggressive intent from ball one left England chasing the game almost immediately. The duo stitched a 100-run partnership off just 67 deliveries. England dismissed Litchfield for 48 and Mooney for 64 but the dismissal of their set batters did not cause any damage. With the job nearly done, Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner provided the finishing touches to wrap up the chase in 17.1 overs.
England had earlier recovered well after Australia dominated the first half of the innings. Having reduced England to 70/2, Australia kept the scoring under control through disciplined spells from Kim Garth (1/20) and Lucy Hamilton (1/19). Garth produced a clever slower ball to dismiss captain Heather Knight soon after she arrived, while Georgia Wareham was used sparingly, with England’s left-handed Freya Kemp at the crease.
Nat Sciver-Brunt once again shouldered the responsibility, bringing up her 20th T20I half-century while holding one end together. But it was Kemp who injected much-needed urgency as she counterattacked brilliantly in an unbeaten 80-run stand with Sciver-Brunt, taking on Australia’s attack while her senior partner struggled to accelerate at the death.
The target, however, was never enough against an Australian batting unit that has repeatedly set the benchmark in world cricket. Named captain in January earlier this year, Sophie Molineux took her place among the many World Cup winning Australian captains.
Brief scores: England 150/4 (Nat Sciver-Brunt 58*, F Kemp 44*; L Hamilton 1/19); Australia 153/3 in 17.1 overs (Beth Mooney 64, Phoebe Litchfield 48; Charlie Dean 1/28). Australia won by 7 wickets.