Former Australia captain Alyssa Healy believes Beth Mooney is ready to shine once again in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final and says England will carry the pressure when the two teams meet at Lord’s on Sunday.
Australia and England have both reached the final without losing a match. Australia are chasing a record seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title, while England are looking to win the trophy for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 2009.
Healy, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, has been following Australia’s campaign closely. She praised Mooney for the way she has handled her new role as Australia’s first-choice wicketkeeper while continuing to perform with the bat.
Mooney has had a difficult tournament with injuries. She suffered back spasms during Australia’s match against the Netherlands and later fractured a finger during the win over Pakistan. Even after those setbacks, she recovered in time for the semi-final and played a match-winning innings of 61 not out against the West Indies.
Healy believes Mooney has once again shown why she is one of the best players in the world. “She’s been doing great for Australia for the last 12 months that she’s had the gloves on,” Healy said of Mooney.
“She’s one of the best players in the world in all three formats, to be honest, and I think her adaptability and versatility in that role is crucial for Australia having success. She’s been doing great and hopefully has a big run in the final.”
Mooney has been one of Australia’s key performers throughout the tournament. She has scored 174 runs at an average of 43.50 and a strike rate of 147.45. With Ellyse Perry still racing to be fully fit after her quad injury, Mooney’s experience could become even more important in the final.
Australia have looked strong throughout the competition under new captain Sophie Molineux. The team has won all six matches and reached another World Cup final after missing out in 2024 when they were beaten by South Africa in the semi-finals.
England have also enjoyed an unbeaten campaign. They defeated South Africa in the second semi-final to book their place in the title match and will have the support of a packed home crowd at Lord’s.
Despite that advantage, Healy believes the hosts will be under more pressure than Australia because they are playing at home.
“All the pressure is on England, right?” Healy said. “It’ll be on (captain) Nat Sciver-Brunt and the girls to try and get themselves over the line against a really good Australian side.”
Australia have dominated women’s cricket for more than a decade, winning six Women’s T20 World Cup titles. However, the team had to deal with disappointment after losing major ICC tournaments in 2024 and 2025.
Healy admitted those defeats hurt the group, even though some people joked about Australia losing their winning touch. “We’ve lost two, like calm down everybody,” she said. “To not have those trophies in the cabinet stung a lot. I mean, it stung me personally, but it did sting the group, and for that group to bounce back and hopefully lift that trophy, I think it’ll be huge.
“It’s something we pride ourselves on as a team. We have done for a long period of time, winning the big moments and winning those World Cups.”
Australia have already beaten England in three previous Women’s T20 World Cup finals, while England have never lost a women’s World Cup tournament on home soil across either the ODI or T20 format.
With two unbeaten teams meeting at the Home of Cricket, the stage is set for another memorable final. Australia will try to continue their dominance on the world stage, while England will hope home support can help them lift the Women’s T20 World Cup trophy once again.
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