The big picture: England looks to the spirit of 2009
Could there have been two more worthy finalists? The tournament’s two unbeaten teams dominated the group stage, sealed their places in the final with convincing victories in the semi-finals, their experienced players shaped the course of the tournament and now cricket’s oldest rivals return to one of the most iconic stages. At Lord’s, England will try to put the previous heartbreaks inflicted on them by Australia behind them, while first-time T20 World Cup captains Sophie Molineux and Nat Skiver-Brant chase what will be the biggest prize of their leadership tours.Having missed out on reaching the finals in the last two ICC tournaments – the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 ODI World Cup, Australia arrive in every way as a team determined to reclaim its throne as they chase their seventh T20 World Cup title. England, meanwhile, will be looking for their first win in 17 years since lifting their first crown in 2009 – also at Lord’s – with the added motivation of winning another World Cup at home.
If these teams looked evenly matched, the numbers back it up too. Australia scored 9.4 points for this tournament, England scored 9.2, the two highest scores for this tournament. They also scored seven individual points with over 50 points each, more than any other team. Their bowling attack has been equally impressive, with Australia’s bowlers topping the charts with a combined economic rating of 6.2 and an average of 16.3, while England trail behind them with 7.1 and 18.9 respectively.
Australia’s greatest strength was once again its depth, even without including some of the players who had defined previous title-winning campaigns. They had runs all over the order, their bowling unit combined discipline and precision and their all-rounders excelled in both skills. Their semi-final defeat of the West Indies was another reminder that Australia rarely allow knockout matches to become competitions.
When the time comes, Nat Skiver-Brant will come, having saved England from a poor start in the semi-final.•ICC via Getty Images
England were also dominant, but there were doubts over how much they relied on Danny Wyatt-Hodge’s explosive starts. They responded in the semi-final, where captain Skiver-Brant and Heather Knight combined to form a crucial partnership that further demonstrated England’s ability to win from difficult positions.
Australia start as favorites because that’s what they almost always do. And especially in the finale. They have also repeatedly thwarted England’s ambitions on the biggest stage, in tournament finals in 2012, 2014 and 2018.
England’s fondest T20 World Cup memory remains the inaugural tournament in 2009, when Charlotte Edwards’ side beat Australia in the semi-finals to lift the trophy. This time Edwards returns in a different role as head coach, while Australia coach Shelley Nitschke was part of the team that suffered that defeat. England will be hoping history repeats itself and will look to this win as inspiration to surpass Australia. Also, they have yet to lose a single T20 World Cup game at home.
The difference is likely to be small, but the contest could come down to disciplined bowling from Australia against England’s top three, while England’s batting will look to shake up an Australian top order that has looked formidable. Winning has become a habit for the Australian team, but England have home support and momentum, and after a superb comeback in the semi-final there is belief they have the match winners to keep Australia from lifting the trophy.
Form Guide
England WWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Australia WWWWW
Spotlight on Skiver-Brant and Mooney
Nat Skiver-BruntThe return from injury could not have come at a better time for England. With her team reeling at 23 for 3 in the semi-final against South Africa, she combined with Knight to save the innings with a match-defining partnership. There was no visible sign of the calf injury that kept her out of the group stage games as she repeatedly tore through the field, hitting 11 fours and a remarkable six over deep midwicket that underlined her command and composure. In her seventh T20 World Cup and first as captain, she will want to rise to the occasion again and lead England to their first T20 title in 17 years.
Beth Mooney averages 72.00 in T20 World Cup knockout matches.•PA Images via Getty Images
Beth Mooney saved everything she could for when Australia needed it most. After two low scores against South Africa and Bangladesh, she returned with 74* against the Netherlands and then scored 0 and 22 against Pakistan and India respectively. She found her groove again in the semi-final against the West Indies, making 61 not out for 36 and looking like a deft hitter. Mooney averages 72.00 runs in T20 World Cup knockout matches and has played a key role in the 2020 and 2023 championship series. Australia will once again rely on their proven match-winner for the next final.
Team news and likely lineup: Will Perry play?
England are unlikely to make changes to their squad.
England (probably): 1 Amy Jones (wk), 2 Danny Wyatt-Hodge, 3 Nat Sciver-Brant (capt), 4 Alice Capsey, 5 Heather Knight, 6 Freya Kemp, 7 Dani Gibson, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Lynsey Smith, 11 Lauren Bell.
Ellyse Perry retired with injury in the semi-final chase against the West Indies in what was described as a precaution due to “little awareness of quads”. She trained both days ahead of the final and passed a fitness test without any signs of discomfort as she hit the ball and hit the net, but her fitness will depend on “how she tightens up”, according to captain Molineaux. If Perry misses the game, Australia could look to bolster their bowling by bringing in pacer Alana King, who has a strong record against England.
Australia (probably): 1 Georgia Fall, 2 Beth Mooney (week), 3 Phoebe Lichfield, 4 Ellyse Perry, 5 Ashley Gardner, 6 Georgia Wareham, 7 Annabelle Sutherland, 8 Nicola Carey, 9 Sophie Molino (captain), 10 Kim Garth, 11 Lucy Hamilton.
Field and conditions
Two of the three matches at this stadium have been won by the chasing team, although England are the only team to have successfully defended a total after choosing to bat first. The first inning average here is 158. Cloudy skies are expected, but the forecast is dry with temperatures hovering around 26 degrees Celsius.
Statistics and trivia
- Georgia Wareham could be the key to Australia’s plans against Skiver-Brant. The leg-spinner dismissed the England captain three times in five T20I innings, with Skiver-Brant averaging just 3.6 against her.
- Mooney and Skiver-Brant have the most scores over 50 (8) in a T20 World Cup, along with New Zealand’s Susie Bates.
- Captain Molino led the Australian attack impressively, taking 10 wickets during the tournament. This is the second highest score by a captain in a single T20 World Cup after Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, who tops the charts with 11 goals in this edition.
- Ashley Gardner needs 42 runs to reach 500 runs in T20 World Cups.
Quotes
“Going into the 2017 final we were equally vocal about how special the day would be and tried to really be present throughout the day and try and really help as much as we could, that was something I tried to instill in everyone.”
England captain Nat Skiver-Brunt
“It’s going to be a huge challenge. They’ve played some really brilliant cricket over the last few weeks, put the team in a really good position and seem to be full of confidence. Add to that the 30,000 English fans here at Lord’s, we know it’s going to be an incredible challenge, but it’s also going to be a really special day to be a part of.”
Captain Australia Sophie Molino
Shruti Ravindranath is the Deputy Editor of Cricinfo.