Australia produced another big-match masterclass to defeat England by seven wickets in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s on Sunday, chasing down 151 with 17 balls to spare to reclaim the title. Beth Mooney led the charge with a knock of 64(49), while Phoebe Litchfield’s fluent 48(35) helped Australia seize control through a 100-run partnership for the second wicket. Earlier, England recovered from 70/4 courtesy of an unbroken 80-run stand between captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (58*) and Freya Kemp (44*), but their total of 150/4 proved well below par against Australia’s formidable batting line-up.
Sciver-Brunt admitted afterwards that England had been second best on the biggest stage, praising Australia’s composure and experience in another World Cup final. During the post-match presentation she said, “Yeah, I’m stood here hugely disappointed. We’ve had such a great competition up to this point. And I suppose to end like that feels a bit sour in the mouth at the moment. But, yeah, we were outplayed today by a class Australian side that used all of their experience in a huge final.”
She felt her side fell short of a winning total after being asked to bat first. While she admitted winning the toss may have altered the contest, she believed Australia’s disciplined bowling attack made life difficult throughout the innings before their deep batting line-up capitalised during the chase. “Ideally I’d won the toss and would be bowling first. I don’t know. We were short of a par score on that wicket. It felt tricky to gain momentum throughout the innings with the bat. Obviously, scratching around a little bit, trying to find the middle of the bat. But I guess when the pressure’s on, their bowlers hit their areas and made it very difficult for us.”
She also felt England’s bowlers were unable to apply enough pressure early despite entering the innings with an aggressive plan. “I suppose we left it a bit too late in our bowling innings. Obviously trying to start off the innings with great intent with the ball and try and pick up as many wickets in the Powerplay as we could. But, yeah, Beth Mooney obviously played a brilliant innings today as well.”
Asked whether Australia’s positive approach during the chase surprised her, Sciver-Brunt said it was exactly what England had anticipated given the depth in their batting order. “Yeah, absolutely. They’ve got a powerful line-up with the bat, and you know that you need to keep taking wickets to really stem the flow because a few won’t do it. They’ve got the likes of Ellyse Perry coming in if you take two wickets. So, yeah, they’ve obviously got great depth in their batting line-up. So, it makes it difficult for bowling attacks.”
Although the defeat denied England a sixth ICC Women’s World Cup title, Sciver-Brunt was keen to highlight the progress her side had made throughout the tournament. England remained unbeaten until the final, with contributions coming from across the squad in every phase of the competition. “I think we’ve got so much to be proud of. Coming in and having done so much work pre-tournament, and the energy around the group throughout the competition, we’ve played some brilliant matches. Different people have had their moments, and we’ve celebrated everyone’s success so well.”
She added that the spirit within the dressing room gave her confidence the team would bounce back. “It’s a proper group of players that we’ve got here that really care about each other and really care about playing for England and wearing the shirt with pride. So, yeah, it’s a tough one to take, but we’ll be back.”
At the end Sciver-Brunt paused while thanking the supporters who filled Lord’s for the final, visibly emotional after seeing England’s home World Cup dream come to an end. “It’s such a privilege to play for our country and in front of some amazing people who support us through thick and thin. So I’m just hugely grateful.”
Although England’s bid to continue their remarkable home World Cup legacy fell short, Sciver-Brunt’s first ICC tournament as captain produced an unbeaten run to the final and reaffirmed England’s place among the world’s leading white-ball sides.
Loves all things female cricket