Sophie Molineux, the Australia captain, won the toss and elected to bowl first in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup match against England at Lord’s on Sunday afternoon. Australia comes into the final chasing their seventh T20 World Cup title. While England are hunting their second trophy. England last lifted the trophy 17 years ago. They beat Australia in the semifinals on their way to the 2009 title. They won the title at Lord’s, the venue for this final. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and her side
will be hoping that they can recapture the magic of the previous generation. The hosts scripted an unbeaten run on their way to the final. They shrugged aside challenges from West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Scotland, and Ireland on their way to the semifinals. Sciver-Brunt scored a brilliant half-century to lead England to victory in the semifinal against South Africa. Heather Knight also made a fifty in the contest. The hosts will be hopeful that the pair will be able to replicate those performances
in their quest for the title. Australia, on the other hand, defeated South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Netherlands in the group stage and then dismissed the West Indies’ effort in the semifinals. Their bowlers were brilliant as they restricted their opposition to a middling score. Beth Mooney then scored an unbeaten 61 as she shepherded Australia to victory. Australia and England have the two strongest batting sides at the tournament. They have produced seven individual 50-plus scores each, more than any other side. The
difference is that most of England’s runs have come from the top, while Australia has had runs coming from throughout the batting order. Australia’s bowling attack has contributed to their victories by combining discipline with accuracy, while their allrounders have shown up when needed. England’s bowling attack has also been on the money with their lines and lengths. They will need to be on top of their game when they go up against a side that bats deep. ENGLAND: Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat
Sciver-Brunt (capt), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell. AUSTRALIA: Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (capt), Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton.
Australia vs England, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final, Lord’s, Sophie Molineux, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Beth Mooney