ICC Chairman Jay Shah declared that women's cricket is in a "golden era" after Australia defeated England by seven wickets in the final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup at Lord's on Sunday. The victory gave Australia a record-extending seventh title in the tournament's history.
Australia's dominant chase
Chasing 151 for victory, Australia reached the target with 17 balls to spare, completing the highest successful run chase in a Women's T20 World Cup final. The win also ended England's perfect home World Cup record, as the hosts had previously won all their World Cup matches on home soil.
Beth Mooney anchored the pursuit with an unbeaten 64, sharing a match-defining partnership with Phoebe Litchfield. After losing opener Georgia Voll early to Lauren Bell, the duo took control, powering Australia to 62/1 in the powerplay — the second-highest powerplay total in a Women's T20 World Cup knockout match. They took the team past 100 in the 11th over.
Litchfield fell for 48 to Charlie Dean, while Mooney brought up her ninth Women's T20 World Cup fifty, equalling Nat Sciver-Brunt's record for the most fifties in the tournament's history. Sophie Ecclestone dismissed Mooney for 64, but Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner comfortably completed the chase.
England's innings
Earlier, England recovered from early setbacks to post 150/4 after being sent in to bat. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt remained unbeaten on 58 off 53 balls, while Freya Kemp contributed a valuable 44 off 28 deliveries. The pair stitched together an 80-run partnership to rescue the innings after England slumped to 70/4.
Australia's bowling effort was led by Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Lucy Hamilton and Kim Garth, who each took one wicket.
Shah's praise
Following the match, Shah congratulated both teams on X, writing: "Congratulations to @CricketAus on winning their 7th @ICC Women's T20 World Cup title with another incredible campaign. Huge credit to @englandcricket too - fantastic runners-up but champions in spirit. This tournament reminded us why women's cricket is unmissable - power, passion, and pure class on display from start to finish. Thank you to both teams and everyone who made this World Cup so special. Women's cricket is in a golden era!"
The International Cricket Council also celebrated Australia's triumph on X, posting: "Australia reign supreme once again to seal the Women's #T20WorldCup title in emphatic fashion."
The final was played in front of a record crowd of more than 28,000 at Lord's, underscoring the growing popularity of women's cricket. Australia completed an unbeaten campaign, reinforcing their status as the dominant force in the women's T20 format.
