Australia back on top of the world after comprehensive World Cup final win

ICC T20 World Cup final 2026

Australia (153/3) beat England (150/4) by 7 wickets with 17 balls to spare

• England put in to bat and post an under-par 150/4

• Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scored with 58 from 53 balls

• Rapid 44 from 28 balls by Freya Kemp gives England hope

• Australia blast 62/1 from the first 6 overs

• Mooney and Litchfield quickly take them game away from England

• Australia chase down the target with 17 balls to spare

Both these teams spent some of their World Cup final preparation days visiting the All England Club in Wimbledon, where, in an inscription above the players’ entrance there are the famous lines from Rudyard Kipling urging us to meet with triumph and disaster and to “treat those two imposters just the same”. Fine sentiments, I’m sure, but given that finals are by their very nature, binary events, where one team achieves the crown of World Champions and the other walks away with nothing, there can be little consolation for the losers on days like today.

On a fine, warm Sunday afternoon, these two teams, without doubt the most consistent and strongest teams in the tournament, met before a capacity crowd of 28,887. England, unbeaten throughout the tournament and striking at an impressive 9.2 runs per over, knew that even such a healthy strike rate was unlikely to be enough to challenge this formidable Australian batting line up who had easily chased down 170 against India here at Lord’s a week ago. A total in excess of 190 was the sort of challenge that would be needed to defeat this Australian side.

For England to do this, they would need a dominant powerplay and then would preferably need one of their stars to bat through the innings and hit a century. The scene was set, therefore, for Nat Sciver-Brunt, who came to the crease to face the 9^th ball of the innings, to produce the innings of a lifetime, Amy Jones having capped a poor tournament with another single figure score.

However, what followed was a frustrating and sluggish performance, as England crept along to 39/2 by the end of the powerplay, a run rate of 6.5, which barely increased for the following eight overs, as tight bowling by Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth and Sophie Molineux restricted England to only nine boundaries from the first 14 overs. Only in the 15^th over did Sciver-Brunt’s strike rate advance beyond a run a ball, by which time England’s situation was becoming desperate. 

The arrival of Freya Kemp at the end of the 11^th over had given a bit more impetus to England and alongside Sciver-Brunt, she provided the acceleration that England needed in the final five overs, adding 45 runs. But always there was a sense that it was too little, too late. Had Sciver Brunt matched Kemp’s strike rate of 157 throughout her innings, England would have accumulated the extra 25 runs which would have made their total a bit more competitive. As it was, Sciver Brunt’s 53 balls faced produced only 58 runs, a performance which was always going to lead England to an inadequate total. An innings like this was requiring the other batters to strike at 200 from the remaining 67 balls in order to post the 190+ total England would need to win the trophy.

To be fair to Sciver-Brunt and England, the Lord’s pitch is not the sort of batter’s paradise one would find at the Oval. And when the fourth wicket fell after 10.5 overs, there was a danger that England’s tail would be exposed and the whole innings implode before there were three figures on the scoreboard. So, a modicum of caution was necessary. However, what was apparent to any observer of this tournament was that the difference between posting 110 and 150 against Australia was academic: Australia would be winning whichever inadequate total was set for them, so you might as well gamble for quick runs.

England’s boundary count was meagre to say the least – only 15 boundaries struck in 20 overs. Whereas against South Africa in the semi-final, England effortlessly accelerated from one to two to three boundaries per over as they went through the different phases of the game, here they became stuck – constantly finding fielders rather than gaps. So although the England batters were busy – there were only seven dot balls in the final nine overs – they were also inefficient – there were only seven boundaries in the same phase. The other 40 balls were made up of 32 singles and eight twos.

England came out for the second innings knowing that the total they had set was inadequate, but also knowing that scoreboard pressure is intensified in a final and early breakthroughs, whilst limiting Australia’s scoring in the powerplay could turn the tide and bring about an improbably victory.

The early wicket did come. Georgia Voll, who came into the tournament as the number one T20 batter in the world, departed for nine, bowled by Lauren Bell in the second over. The Queenslander has had a poor World Cup, managing only 130 runs across her seven innings. However, her departure brought in Phoebe Litchfield, a whirling dervish of energy and eccentric brilliance at the crease – the perfect foil for Beth Mooney’s brutal efficiency. Between them this pair took down every England bowler over the next 11 overs as they added exactly 100 runs, including 15 boundaries. 

Targeted for special treatment was England’s premier fast bowler, Lauren Bell, who was carted to every corner of this famous old ground, conceding 38 runs from her three overs. Linsey Smith was reverse swept for six by Litchfield in the most audacious manner. Only Charlie Dean, who unusually opened the bowling for England in a pre-determined match up with Beth Mooney, bowled with anything like the control needed to defend such a low total. And it was Dean who finally removed Litchfield for 48, the ball skidding on and clattering into her middle stump as she tried to manufacture a shot to bring up her half century.

For England, the damage was already done and any small victories on the pitch were brief and pyrrhic in nature. Ellyse Perry came in to join Mooney for the triumphal procession of the final few overs, as Australia neared victory. 

With 10 runs still needed, Mooney was dismissed LBW on review by Ecclestone. The following over, Ecclestone took a great catch to remove Perry after she chipped up a catch to mid-off from the bowling of Linsey Smith. Georgia Wareham came in to finish off the chase, except Perry did not leave the field and remained stood on the boundary edge as Australia queried the validity of the catch. Extraordinarily, and seemingly contrary to the evidence on the screen, Perry was reprieved and Wareham had to sheepishly return to the dugout. Ecclestone was furious and had to be physically restrained by Charlie Dean.

It wasn’t quite the Hayley Matthews level of dissent, but it was reminiscent of Ecclestone’s Commonwealth Games meltdown (coincidently another time when Nat Sciver-Brunt was her captain and did little to assert her authority). The normally unflappable Linsey Smith made her views on the matter very clear to the on-field umpires, which seemed a little unfair as it was Kim Cotton upstairs at the TV monitor who had made the decision.

This is clearly an element of the game that needs looking at more closely. Previously in the tournament, Sterre Kalis took what seemed to be a fair and very important catch playing for the Netherlands against Bangladesh, which was similarly overturned. On field umpires need to make a decision about these catches which can only be overturned by irrefutable evidence on the TV replay.

At the moment, batters are using any small amount of doubt to send decisions upstairs, knowing that there is a good chance of a reprieve. It left Ecclestone clearly feeling that her honesty and integrity were being called into question as ultimately, she was being accused of cheating, which clearly was not the case. Perry (or possibly the Australian coaching staff) saw an opportunity to use inadequate technology to their own advantage and took it. Today it made no difference to the result. In the future, it might.

All that was left was to find out who would have the honour of hitting the winning runs. Perhaps fittingly, it was Ecclestone who had the final say on this, as, still fuming from the previous decision, she sent down five wides from the second ball of the 18^th over. Australia had won the World Cup by 7 wickets with 17 balls to spare. A comprehensive and deserved victory.

Losing in the semi-finals of the last two World Cups had not stopped Australia being the best team in the world. The retirement of Alyssa Healy and the appointment of her surprise replacement as captain, Sophie Molineux has, unexpectedly, made them a stronger and better unit. There is no place for Alana King nor Tahlia McGrath any more. Nicola Carey plays only as a fielder – she faced 18 balls batting and bowled only one over in the entire tournament. They bat so deep that losing wickets means nothing to them, hence why Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield can bat without caution at the top of the innings, knowing that everyone down to number 10 can rescue any innings and post an un-chaseable total or chase down 170 with ease.

For England, they did not win back the trophy they last won in 2009, but they did win back hearts and minds with their performances throughout the tournament, particularly the opening day thrashing they gave to Sri Lanka, the power hitting that took down Scotland and the imperious overcoming of South Africa in the semi-final. The negativity of their 16-0 Ashes whitewash of 18 months ago has dissipated and Charlotte Edwards is ready to lead them into a new chapter.

Whether all 15 of these players will be part of that new chapter is another story. Having had only two wicketkeepers for the last 15 years, it may be time for England to give opportunities to others after Amy Jones’s poor showing in this tournament. Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont are almost certain to retire from international cricket after next week’s test match (in Knight’s case, maybe retire from all cricket). Nat Sciver-Brunt has shown what we already knew – she’s a great batter, but no longer an all-rounder and an honest but ineffective captain.

Charlie Dean, Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson have shown themselves to be the future of English cricket – here I have to admit being completely wrong about Kemp and Gibson. I had previously said that you could not possibly play both of them as their bowling was not good enough and their batting was too hit and miss. Turns out that Charlotte Edwards knows a bit more about cricket than I do! They have been stand-out breakthrough stars of the tournament. 

Charlie Dean should captain England through the next cycle of World Cups and Ashes. She has shown herself to be a good tactician, motivator and communicator. She has presence on the field and responsibility raises her game.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge needs to make way for Davina Perrin at some point in the next 12 months. It will be interesting to see if she will be willing to commit to the Champions’ Trophy as well as bilateral tours of Sri Lanka and the West Indies, plus the WPL and other franchise opportunities over the next eight months. One senses that at her point of career (and life), some difficult prioritisation choices have to be made, but after such an outstanding tournament, she deserves the scope to make the best choices for her.

Australia sit at the pinnacle of world cricket again and will be back on these shores in 12 months for The Ashes. For England supporters their greatest hope comes from the great progress that has been made in the last 15 months. “In Lottie we trust”.