Australia thrash England to claim record-extending seventh T20 World Cup title

[p]Beth Mooney (64) and Phoebe Litchfield (48) did the damage in a second-wicket partnership of exactly 100 runs as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/OdGMnbwf/"]Australia[/a] reached a target of 151 with 17 balls to spare.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/cricket/australia-OdGMnbwf/england-6ylAmvOm/?mid=M5E3xebd"]Victory meant Australia had now won all seven of their world finals[/a], across both one-day international and T20 cricket, against arch-rivals [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/6ylAmvOm/"]England[/a].[/p][p]Tight Australia bowling backed up by typically impressive fielding restricted England to 150-4, with the hosts indebted to skipper Nat-Sciver Brunt (58 not out) and Freya Kemp (44 not out) for an unbroken stand of 80 that revived the innings from 70-4.[/p][p]The new-ball duo of Kim Garth (1-20 in four overs) and Lucy Hamilton (1-19 in three) were the pick of the attack in what was Australia's first global final at Lord's.[/p][embed guid="2aa2b81f-dcef-4842-81b3-2a217cb859b6" url="https://x.com/T20WorldCup/status/2073826800560705609" social-type="twitter" /][p]England, bidding for a first major title since winning the 2017 50-over World Cup final at Lord's and with the memory of a 16-0 rout by Australia in the last multi-format Ashes still fresh in the memory, looked at least 20 runs shy of a challenging total.[/p][p]Australia, after all, had chased down 171 to knock [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/india/pC4Vpx86/"]India[/a] out in a group-stage game at Lord's last weekend.[/p][p]Georgia Voll charged down the pitch to loft the first ball of the chase, from off-spinner Charlie Dean, for four at a sun-drenched Lord's before playing on to Lauren Bell to leave Australia 17-1.[/p][p]But the runs kept coming, with Mooney - who had already had a fine game behind the stumps - steering Bell through backward point for one of seven fours in her 38-ball fifty.[/p][p]Litchfield swept Dean for four and lofted the spinner for six over extra-cover.[/p][p]Sciver-Brunt had promised her side would go "toe-to-toe" against Australia, with both sides unbeaten at the tournament before the final.[/p][p][b]But the gulf in class was clear, with Australia having one hand on the trophy at 68-1 come the end of the six-over powerplay.[/b][/p][p]And by the time Dean bowled Litchfield, to end a stand of 100 in 67 balls, Australia were 117-2.[/p][p]Mooney was eventually lbw on review to left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, with Australia in sight of victory at 140-3.[/p][p]And England's day was summed up when Australia's winning runs came via five wides from Ecclestone, whose legside delivery sped to the boundary.[/p][embed guid="f0b22aae-4d75-4360-ba8a-f905f999c826" url="https://x.com/T20WorldCup/status/2073833576903348580" social-type="twitter" /][p]Earlier, Australia soon had a breakthrough after captain Sophie Molineux won the toss, with Amy Jones edging Hamilton to gully for her fifth single-figure score in six innings.[/p][p]It was the economical left-arm quick's first wicket of the tournament.[/p][p]But new batter Sciver-Brunt, who had taken son Theo onto the outfield with her for the pre-match anthem, stylishly cover-drove Hamilton for a first-ball four.[/p][p]Veteran opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge fell for just eight when she gloved Annabel Sutherland down the legside and was well caught at the second attempt by a diving Mooney.[/p][p]Alice Capsey briefly turned the tide with 23 before she was bowled by Molineux after missing a reverse sweep.[/p][p]Former captain Heather Knight made 58 and shared a partnership of 133 with Sciver-Brunt in a 40-run semi-final thrashing of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/A52vg00Q/"]South Africa[/a].[/p][p]But on Sunday, England's victorious 2017 captain was plumb lbw for just two to Garth's leg-cutter to leave her side 70-4.[/p][p]Big-hitting left-hander Kemp struck several boundaries, including smashing Molineux for six in the last over of the innings.[/p][p]But England's total was soon made to look inadequate as they surrendered their record of having won every major global tournament they had hosted - a run dating back to the inaugural 1973 Women's ODI World Cup.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/cricket/world/t20-world-cup-women/"]Catch up on the Women's T20 World Cup here.[/a][/b][/p]