A rampant Australia emphatically swept to their fifth Women’s Twenty20 World Cup title yesterday, crushing India by 85 runs in front of more than 86,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Alyssa Healy smashed a quick-fire 75 and Beth Mooney an unbeaten 78 as the defending champions plundered an ominous 184-4 — the highest score ever in a women’s T20 final.
India could only manage 99 all out in reply to end a 17-day tournament that reinforced Australia’s dominance, having now won five of the seven World Cups held.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“I’m just really proud of this group of players,” Australia skipper Meg Lanning said. “There was a lot of expectation on us, inside and out. Definitely some tough times in there, but we stuck with each other, had each other’s backs.”
“It’s been massive, 86,000 people at the MCG, I’ve never seen it before and didn’t think I’d be part of it in the middle,” Lanning said.
The blockbuster showdown between the world’s top-ranked team and fast-improving India was billed as the biggest in women’s cricket history.
Photo: EPA-EFE
A #FilltheMCG campaign was launched to help bring the sport to a new generation and fans responded with 86,174 attending.
They were targeting the official world record for a women’s sporting fixture — set at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final when 90,185 watched the US beat China in California — but fell just short.
It was nevertheless a record crowd for a women’s cricket game helped by the lure of pop superstar Katy Perry, who performed before and after the game.
Photo: AP
Australia came into their sixth successive final as heavy favorites, in contrast to India who were playing their first decider.
India had upset Lanning’s team in the opening game of the tournament, but they never got a look in yesterday.
“I still have a lot of faith in my team,” India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said. “We need to focus, especially in fielding, but I trust this team. It’s part of the game, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. You have to keep learning.”
Photo: Reuters
After Australia won the toss, Healy showed her intent with a boundary off Deepti Sharma’s first ball.
Healy smashed two big sixes in succession off Rajeshwari Gayakwad before bringing up her 12th T20 half-century. The openers reached 91 without loss at the halfway mark, with Healy then hitting three consecutive sixes off Shikha Pandey.
She was caught for 75 from just 39 balls.
At the other end, player-of-the-tournament Mooney quietly went about her business to bring up her ninth T20 half-century before three late wickets fell.
India got off to a horror start with 16-year-old opener Shafali Verma, who has used the tournament to announce herself, out for 2.
Taniya Bhatia retired hurt after being hit on the helmet before Jemimah Rodrigues fell without scoring.
India were in big trouble at 32-4 after Smriti Mandhana and Kaur went cheaply.
Sharma hit a battling 33, but it was never going to be enough.
Australia’s Megan Schutt took 4-18.
The game capped an engrossing tournament that Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts said reflected the sport’s growing popularity.
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