Australia beat England to win record seventh Women's T20 World Cup title

Australia thrashed England by seven wickets to win a record-extending seventh women’s T20 World Cup title in a sold-out final at Lord’s on Sunday.

Beth Mooney (64) and Phoebe Litchfield (48) did the damage in a second-wicket partnership of exactly 100 runs as Australia reached a target of 151 with 17 balls to spare.

Victory meant Australia had now won all seven of their world finals, across both one-day international and T20 cricket, against arch-rivals England.

Tight Australia bowling backed up by typically impressive fielding restricted England to 150-4, with the hosts indebted to skipper Nat-Sciver Brunt (58 not out) and Freya Kemp (44 not out) for an unbroken stand of 80 that revived the innings from 70-4.

The new-ball duo of Kim Garth (1-20 in four overs) and Lucy Hamilton (1-19 in three) were the pick of the attack in what was Australia’s first global final at Lord’s.

England, bidding for a first major title since winning the 2017 50-over World Cup final at Lord’s and with the memory of a 16-0 rout by Australia in the last multi-format Ashes still fresh in the memory, looked at least 20 runs shy of challenging total.

Australia, after all, had chased down 171 to knock India out in a group-stage game at Lord’s last weekend.

Georgia Voll charged down the pitch to loft the first ball of the chase, from off-spinner Charlie Dean, for four at a sun-drenched Lord’s before playing on to Lauren Bell to leave Australia 17-1.

But the runs kept coming, with Mooney – who had already had a fine game behind the stumps — steering Bell through backward point for one of seven fours in her 38-ball fifty.

Litchfield swept Dean for four and lofted the spinner for six over extra-cover.

Sciver-Brunt had promised her side would go “toe-to-toe” against Australia, with both sides unbeaten at the tournament before the final.

But the gulf in class was clear, with Australia having one hand on the trophy at 68-1 come the end of the six-over powerplay.

And by the time Dean bowled Litchfield, to end a stand of 100 in 67 balls, Australia were 117-2.

Mooney was eventually lbw on review to left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, with Australia in sight of victory at 140-3.

And England’s day was summed up when Australia’s winning runs via five wides from Ecclestone, whose legside delivery sped to the boundary.

Earlier, Australia soon had a breakthrough after captain Sophie Molineux won the toss, with Amy Jones edging Hamilton to gully for her fifth single-figure score in six innings.

It was the economical left-arm quick’s first wicket of the tournament.

But new batter Sciver-Brunt, who had taken son Theo onto the outfield with her for the pre-match anthem, stylishly cover-drove Hamilton for a first-ball four.

Veteran opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge fell for just eight when she gloved Annabel Sutherland down the legside and was well caught at the second attempt by a diving Mooney.

Alice Capsey briefly turned the tide with 23 before she was bowled by Molineux after missing a reverse sweep.

Former captain Heather Knight made 58 and shared a partnership of 133 with Sciver-Brunt in a 40-run semi-final thrashing of South Africa.

But on Sunday, England’s victorious 2017 captain, was plumb lbw for just two to Garth’s leg-cutter to leave her side 70-4.

Big-hitting left-hander Kemp struck several boundaries, including smashing Molineux for six in the last over of the innings.

But England’s total was soon made to look inadequate as they surrendered their record of having won every major global tournament they had hosted — a run dating back to the inaugural 1973 Women’s ODI World Cup.