With it being March 8, 2025, it’s now been five years since Meg Lanning’s girls hammered Indian in the Final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 to win their fifth T20 World Cup title.
In front of a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which saw a record attendance of 86,174 people and with pop star Katy Perry performing for the live audience, the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 was also one of the final events before the world closed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But before the gloom of Covid-19, there was plenty to celebrate for Australia, who continued their dominance in women’s cricket.
It wasn’t the ideal start to their home T20 World Cup though for Lanning’s girls as they lost the opening game of the tournament to India itself, in their Group A encounter. After that loss, Australia took down Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and New Zealand to make the semi-finals while India made their way through the group stages flawlessly.
While India’s semi-final against England was abandoned due to rain, India made their way to the Final on the back of having more points in the group stages, which meant England were hard done by rules at a World Cup once again.
Australia’s semi-final against South Africa also was hit by rain, but Australia managed to put up 134/5 in their 20 overs before the Proteas were given a target of 98 to chase down in 13 overs, which they failed to as Megan Schutt and Delissa Kimmince put the brakes on the South Africa innings.
The final at the MCG, with a record audience saw rain stay away as Meg Lanning decided to bat first after winning the toss. Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney smashed the Indian bowlers all over the ground as their 115-run opening partnership instantly put India on the backfoot. While Deepti Sharma and the spinners, Poonam Yadav and Radha Yadav managed to pull things back a bit for the Indians, Australia still managed to post a daunting total of 184.
The Indian innings never got going as Healy’s stunning catch in the third ball of the Indian innings sent Shafali Verma back and Harmanpreet Kaur’s girls collapsed with Megan Schutt and Jess Jonassen reducing India to 30/4 inside the sixth over. Deepti Sharma tried her best, but the Australians were just too clinical, sending India packing and knocking them over for 99 to pick up a big 85 run win to win the World Cup.
Beth Mooney finished the tournament with the most number of runs, 259, which to date is the most by a batter in a single edition. Her compatriot Megan Schutt meanwhile ended with the most wickets, 13 wickets, which at the time was the joint-most wickets in a single edition before Amelia Kerr beat it during the 2024/25 edition with 15 wickets. Schutt’s 4/18 in the Final though, remains as the best figures by a bowler in the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup.
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