Australia have once again proved their position as the best team in women’s cricket, defeating hosts England by seven wickets at Lord’s to claim their seventh ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title and their first under the captaincy of Sophie Molineux.
In front of a record crowd of more than 28,000 spectators at the Home of Cricket, the final was a clash between the tournament’s two unbeaten sides. However, World No. 1 Australia got the better of second-ranked England, chasing down 150/4 with more than two overs in hand, making it the highest successful run chase in the history of a Women’s T20 World Cup final.
It was an end to a tournament in which Australia consistently looked way ahead of every other participating team. They cruised past the group stage with wins over South Africa, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Pakistan and India, then defeated West Indies in the semi-finals. England, despite being unbeaten as well until the final, ultimately couldn’t match the composure and big-match experience Australia have built up over more than a decade of dominance.
At the heart of it all was Beth Mooney, Australia’s all-time leading run-scorer in Women’s T20Is. Her 64 off 49 balls firmed the chase and earned her the Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament awards. This was the third World Cup final half-centuries for Mooney- 2020, 2023 and 2026, and a second Player of the Tournament award after she won it in 2020.
Australia’s bowlers set things up in the first innings, restricting England to 150/4 with a wicket each for Molineux, Lucy Hamilton, Kim Garth and Annabel Sutherland. England’s batting was led by captain Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 58, with Freya Kemp providing a late surge with unbeaten 44 off just 28 balls as the pair put on 80 runs together. It was a solid recovery after a slow start, but 150 was not enough against the class Australian batting lineup.
In reply, after Georgia Voll’s early dismissal, Phoebe Litchfield and Mooney quickly steadied the innings and shifted the momentum in their favour. Litchfield played with attacking intent before Charlie Dean claimed her wicket, while Sophie Ecclestone got Mooney lbw after another composed half-century. By then, however, Australia was comfortably ahead of the required run rate. The experience of Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner then guided the chase from there, sealing yet another world title for a team that keeps redefining what dominance looks like in the women’s cricket.
This win also carried extra significance for Australia, not just because it was at the iconic home of cricket, Lords, but because it came less than a year after they narrowly missed out on the ODI World Cup title after losing to India in the semi-finals. Across both ODI and T20 World Cups, Australia have now won a record 14 ICC Women’s World Cup titles. Their consistency across generations has transformed them from tournament favourites into a team expected to lift trophies whenever a global event comes around.
India’s tournament ends in disappointment
For India, the current ODI champions, this T20 World Cup ended in heartbreak at the group stage, despite plenty of promising signs along the way. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side won three of their five group games and were still very much in the semi-final hunt heading into their final match against Australia. India fought hard, but they went down against the now champions and as a result were knocked out on net run rate, and group ranking.
There were still positives to take for the women in blue. Smriti Mandhana yet again showed her masterclass with the bat, finishing with 205 runs in five matches and being the only Indian in contention for the Player of the Tournament award. Deepti Sharma led the bowling attack with her usual composure, while young spinner Shree Charani impressed as one of the team’s leading wicket-takers, hinting at a bright future while Richa Ghosh continued her valuable, hard-hitting runs down the order. The campaign was, however, disrupted by the injury to young all-rounder Shreyanka Patil, whose absence reduced India’s balance during the latter stages of the tournament. India’s blend of experienced players and emerging talents is a positive sign for the team that has just qualified for the LA 2028 Olympics.
As Australia celebrated under the Lord’s balcony, it was another chapter added to their legacy. England’s home dream fell short, and India left with a mix of expectations and unfinished performances.
The T20 World Cup shows that standard of women’s cricket is rising, but for now the dominance of Australia continues.
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