4 min readUpdated: Jul 5, 2026 11:45 PM IST
Before Sunday’s Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s, there seemed little to separate Australia and England. The Aussies had arrived as six-time champions, having won nine of their previous 10 T20Is and losing only one Women’s T20 World Cup final in their history. England, meanwhile, had carried an eight-match winning streak into the decider and boasted a perfect 11-0 record in Women’s T20 World Cup matches on home soil. They had also not lost a World Cup final at home.
On the day, however, it was hardly a contest as Australian dominance continued. Their seven-wicket victory delivered a seventh Women’s T20 World Cup crown, stretched their remarkable record in finals and snapped England’s unbeaten World Cup run on home soil.
Australia possess an embarrassment of batting riches, with power-hitters capable of clearing any boundary in the world. Yet, amid the fireworks stands Beth Mooney, the quiet constant who binds the innings together. After an unbeaten 61 in the semifinal, the final presented another chase, another big stage, and another moment that demanded her calm.
After a watchful start, Mooney settled in quickly. She was proactive against both spin and pace, repeatedly backing away to leg to create angles and punish anything overpitched or short. A slog-swept boundary off Linsey Smith got her going before she drove and lofted Lauren Bell with authority. By the end of the dominant Powerplay, where Australia were 62/1, Mooney had already seized control of the chase, scoring fluently around the ground.
“Technically, I have worked on being in better positions to access different areas of the field, particularly against spin and in the middle overs. But a big part of it has also been mindset, giving myself permission to be a little more assertive earlier in an innings rather than waiting too long to shift gears,” Mooney had told Wisden earlier this year.
Mooney represents an Australian generation that has tasted consistent success for a number of years. At the other end, she had the best seat in the house to watch the next generation light up a sun-baked Lord’s.
Phoebe Litchfield walked out to bat in the second over, and the left-hander immediately injected momentum into the chase. Her first shot raced straight past the bowler before she swept, drove and danced down the track to launch Charlie Dean over extra cover for the innings’ first six.
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England’s spinners tried different traps and varied their pace, but Litchfield stayed one step ahead, unfurling a breathtaking reverse-swept six off Smith as Australia raced past 100 in 10.2 overs.
No England bowler was allowed to settle into any rhythm as a packed Lord’s watched the pair tighten Australia’s grip on the final with a century stand off 67 balls. Litchfield’s enterprising 48 off 35 balls ended when Dean bowled her.
Mooney brought up her fifty off 38 balls in the 13th over and motored on after Litchfield’s dismissal, combining calm with controlled aggression. But within touching distance of victory, Sophie Ecclestone finally broke through. Mooney, on 64 off 49 balls, was adjudged LBW, ending an innings that had carried Australia most of the way.
Earlier, England struggled to break free against Australia’s disciplined bowling. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 58 and an 80-run stand with Freya Kemp carried them to 150/4, but it ultimately proved too little.
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Brief Scores: England 150/4 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 58 not out) lost to Australia 153/3 in 17.1 overs (Beth Mooney 64, Phoebe Litchfield 48) by seven wickets.
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