Australia thrashed reigning champions England to lift their record 7th World Cup in the summit clash. Meg Lanning and co. remained undefeated in the entire tournament as no team stood a chance in front of the Aussie juggernaut. A perfect campaign for Australia, but a heart-breaking loss for arch-rivals England. The defending champions lost their first 3 matches in a row, facing the fears of an early exit. However, an epic turnaround steered the team’s road to the finals with 5 back-to-back victories. The Hagley Oval of Christchurch witnessed the two powerhouses up against each other and henceforth, it was the Women in Yellow who were crowned the new champions.
Healy’s heroics steal the show, hits a record-breaking ton
The centurion of the 1st semi-final, Alyssa Healy continued from where she ended after England invited Australia to bat first. Healy and fellow opener Raches Haynes put up a hundred-run partnership as Australia dictated the terms from the start. Both the openers looked unstoppable, while English bowlers were desperate to find an opening to pull things back. Haynes departed after a resilient 68 runs off 93 deliveries in the 30th over. Beth Mooney accompanied Healy in the middle and kept the opposition at bay. In the last 15 overs, both the batters scored briskly as Australia progressed towards a massive total.
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Mooney’s destructive knock of 62 runs came in just 47 balls but it was Healy who overshadowed everyone on the field. The swashbuckling wicket-keeper batter smashed an unforgettable ton, and her knock of 170 runs in 138 deliveries, is the highest-ever individual score in a World Cup final across men’s and women’s cricket.
Sciver’s valiant efforts not enough, Lanning and co. crowned champions
England needed to chase a massive target of 357 to retain their title. The top-order succumbed to the high pressure early on, as England lost both their openers within the powerplay. Right arm seamer Megan Schutt’s brilliant opening spell pushed England back even further. However, despite breakthroughs coming in regular intervals, middle-order batter Natalie Sciver held her end and kept the required run rate under check. Australia’s leading wicket-taker of the series Jess Jonassen and leg-spinner Alana King picked up 3 wickets each. England were all out for 285 courtesy of a special innings from Sciver, 148*(121).
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Alyssa Healy was adjudged both the Player of the Match and the Player of The Tournament. She also scored the most number of runs in the tournament(509) while her opening partner Rachael Haynes stood second with 497 runs in 9 games. The young rising star of England Sophie Ecclestone finished with the most number of wickets(21) in the tournament.
