As was expected, the all-conquering Meg Lanning led Australian side proved too good at the biggest stage once again and pulled off yet another ICC Women’s World Cup trophy to their name this April 3. The Aussies hammered their arch-rivals England in the final played at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval in New Zealand.
Years of planning and investment came to fruition for Lanning and her team as they went through the tournament unbeaten, winning all nine of their matches, including seven league stage fixtures, the semifinal versus West Indies and the summit clash against England.
With their 71-run commanding victory, they became World Cup champions for the seventh time in the tournament’s history and also stretched their dominance in the 50-over version with a jaw-dropping 40 wins in their last 42 matches since the last edition of the quadrennial event in 2017. Back then as well, the Aussies were firm favourites to lift the coveted trophy but were undone in the semifinal by a once-in-a-lifetime knock from India’s Harmanpreet Kaur.
Nevertheless, they managed to assert their class and dominance on this occasion, ruthlessly going through the competition without conceding a game to any of their opposition. The closest a team came to winning a game against them was their rivals in the final, who had lost the two teams’ campaign opener by just 12 runs in Hamilton.
On the day, Australia made a gigantic total of 356/5 in their allotted 50 overs to nearly seal the deal in their favour in the first half itself. The champion side batted England out of the contest with their experienced wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy coming to the party with an astonishing 170 off 138 deliveries, featuring 26 fours. Healy blasted the England attack to all corners of the Bay Oval for one of the greatest one-day innings ever, helping her side take a giant leap towards the World Cup trophy.
Backing Healy beautifully on the night were fellow opener Rachael Haynes (68) and Beth Mooney (62), who ensured Australia stayed on course for a score that was due to prove too overwhelming for even the resurgent England side in the tournament final.
Playing potentially her final game for England, hero of their 2017 finale win over India, medium fast-bowler Anya Shrubsole was the stand-out performer for her side with the ball. She finished with impressive figures of three for 46 even as the rest of the England attack was taken to the cleaners by Australia’s top-order trio.
Notably, it was Shrubsole, whose wicket ended the day in disappointment and despair for England at No.11 when she tried to hit one over the in-field. England did give the target a reasonably decent go even as No.4 Natalie Sciver was their lone warrior with the bat in hand. Sciver nearly matched Healy in the sheer brilliance off the willow with a fighting knock of 148 not out off 121 deliveries in England’s team total of 285 all out. The batter produced 15 fours and one maximum through her exceptional innings.
In the end, Sciver was left rueing lack of support at the other end as 27 from opening batter Tammy Beaumont was England’s next highest individual score. Despite Sciver giving it her best, she finished on the losing side.
Australia didn’t have their best outing with ball in hand but runs on the board meant their bowlers’ task was always to keep plugging away and wait for England to explode and lose wickets in the process. Alana King (3/64) and Jess Jonassen (3/57) took three wickets apiece in an innings where Megan Schutt (2/42) also contributed two scalps.
Brief scores
Australia 356/5 in 50 overs (Healy 170, Haynes 68; Shrubsole 3/46) beat England 285/10 in 43.4 overs (Sciver 148*; Jess onassen 3/57, King 3/64) by 71 runs
