Australia wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney has praised her teammates after they reached the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with an impressive eight-wicket win over the West Indies in the first semi-final at The Oval, London, on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
The six-time champions have looked like the strongest team in the tournament. They won all five of their group-stage matches before comfortably beating the West Indies to book their place in the final. Australia will now face either England or South Africa in the title clash at Lord’s, London, on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Unlike the West Indies, who depended on only a few players during the tournament, Australia have seen important performances from different players throughout their campaign. Their balanced team has been one of the biggest reasons behind another successful World Cup run.
Georgia Wareham and Ashleigh Gardner have impressed with both bat and ball, while Georgia Voll has given Australia quick starts at the top of the order. Ellyse Perry has also played several match-winning innings during the tournament.
In the semi-final, Gardner produced another excellent all-round performance. She took 2/13 from her four overs before scoring an unbeaten 35 from just 20 balls to help Australia chase down West Indies’ total of 125/7 with seven overs to spare. Her performance earned her the Player of the Match award.
After the match, Mooney praised Gardner’s impact on the team. “She’s been a critical player for us for a long period of time,” Mooney said of Gardner post-game.
“She obviously batted beautifully against India at Lord’s the other day. She gets a lot of confidence from that. And I think we saw that today with the ball. She bowled beautifully and took wickets at critical times. So, we know the threat that she poses to other teams, and we’re very lucky to have her at our disposal in our team.
“Certainly, going into the pointy end of the competition, it’s always good to have all your players in good form.”
Mooney also had special praise for Georgia Wareham, who has been one of Australia’s most valuable all-round players during the tournament. Wareham has the highest batting strike rate and one of the best bowling economy rates in the competition.
“Wolf (Wareham) has been unreal,” Mooney continued. “Not too many cricketers float around the world stage having the skill set that she does and the nous of the game … the calmness. So, it’s probably been a little bit of time in the making for Wolf. I think she’s been given different roles along the way but really come into her own in that number six role with the bat especially, and also just nailing it with the ball.
“She’s the all-round package—Wolf—bat, ball, field, great temperament, great human. So, another player that is probably the envy of world cricket, and she’s in our team. So, I’m very lucky that I get to have the best seat in the house, both behind the stumps when I’m keeping and obviously seeing her do her thing with the bat. So hopefully she’s got one more very good game in her and can help us get on the right side of the result on Sunday.”
Mooney also explained how opener Georgia Voll has made batting easier for her by attacking during the Powerplay. “Yeah, we’ve discussed that that’s a pretty important phase of the game to try and attack, and obviously with Georgia Voll at the top of the order, it makes it pretty easy to do that,” Mooney continued.
“From a personal point of view, I’ve certainly got the control and the skills to be able to take the game on a little bit earlier and played a lot of cricket and have a lot of data behind me to back up the fact that I can make good decisions and know what I’m doing every now and then. It’s not going to come off all the time, but I think that’s the way forward in T20 cricket is to really attack the power play if you can and adjust where you need to along the way.
“Batting with Alyssa Healy for a long time and now batting with Georgia Voll, it does make it easier to get ahead of the rate, whether you’re chasing a lower total or a big one.”
Australia also received good news after the semi-final, with Ellyse Perry’s retirement hurt confirmed as only a precaution. The experienced all-rounder is expected to be fit for Sunday’s final as Australia chase a record-extending seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title.
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