England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has asked her teammates to stay calm and enjoy the moment as they prepare for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final against Australia at Lord’s on Sunday.
England have enjoyed an unbeaten run through the tournament. They finished the group stage without losing a match before beating South Africa by 40 runs in the semi-final. Australia have also won every game, setting up a final between the two strongest teams of the competition.
Speaking before the title clash, Sciver-Brunt said England have worked hard over many months to reach this stage and now need to trust the work they have already done.
“Everything that we’ve worked on and everything we’ve done was to try and get us to this point,” Sciver-Brunt said. “I think acknowledging it’s going to be a big occasion (is OK), but it’s why we’ve done everything that we’ve done so far.”
The England skipper said the team has spoken about handling big occasions before, just like they did ahead of the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-final.
“(Ahead of the 2017 Cricket World Cup semi-final) we sort of spoke in a similar way about how special a day it was going to be and try and be really present during the day and try and enjoy yourself as much as you can. That was what I’ve been trying to instill in everybody. Everyone has done so much hard work to get ourselves into this position.”
England have played excellent cricket throughout the tournament. They started with a convincing 87-run win over Sri Lanka, where Danni Wyatt-Hodge impressed with the bat and Freya Kemp starred with figures of 4/21.
The hosts continued their winning run even after Sciver-Brunt suffered a calf injury during the victory over Ireland. England went on to beat Scotland, West Indies and New Zealand before their captain returned for the semi-final against South Africa.
Sciver-Brunt made an immediate impact by scoring 75 from 47 balls. Together with Heather Knight, she helped England recover from 23/3 with a brilliant partnership that guided the team to 169/5. England’s bowlers then kept South Africa under pressure throughout the chase to seal a comfortable 40-run victory.
England’s success has come from contributions across the squad. Different batters have stepped up in important matches, while six bowlers have taken at least five wickets during the tournament.
Australia batter Phoebe Litchfield recently suggested that England are carrying more pressure because they are playing at home. Sciver-Brunt, however, believes her team’s confidence has grown because every player has contributed when needed.
“The levels of confidence that people have in their own ability to be able to put their skills on display regardless of who we’re playing, I think that’s probably the bit that I’m most proud of and most pleased about,” Sciver-Brunt added.
“There have been so many different people during the tournament who have had their moment to shine and to show what they could do. We have been put under pressure and been able to come out the other side. I think as a team, we’re really, well balanced in that way.”
England now have the chance to add another major trophy to what a memorable period for women’s sport in the country has already been. Sciver-Brunt believes the team can be part of that success but wants everyone to stay focused on the final.
“We’ve got a chance to be part of that movement of women’s sport in the country. But for now we’ll stay in our bubble. I mean, Katherine (Sciver-Brunt, wife and former World Cup winner with England) said to me after the game the other night: ‘It’s actually is bigger than you think it is.’
“I’m trying to stay really present and think about the things that are in front of me rather than anything too far away. We’ve been living in a bubble as a team together, and we’re not letting anyone sort of stay out of that. I think once we finish the tournament and reflect over the next few weeks, we can hopefully see how much, and how far we’ve come and what is meant to people watching and the country.”
Sciver-Brunt also confirmed that England have all 15 players available for selection. After returning from injury with a match-winning innings in the semi-final, she is feeling ready for the biggest match of the tournament.
“I was bit drained, physically and emotionally. But (I’ve) recovered as well as I could have done yesterday. I feel prepared and ready for the game tomorrow, for the battle, because, I guess we know it’s going to be won by one of the two best teams at the tournament who have gone unbeaten. It should be a good watch, hopefully.”
The Women’s T20 World Cup Final will begin at Lord’s after a pre-match performance by Rita Ora. Clean Bandit will perform after the match as the tournament comes to a close, while England and Australia battle for the world title.
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