England is beautiful, soothing green.
Trees, parks, meadows, vast fields that seem to have no end. You won’t want to take your eyes off the side view, whether you’re traveling by road or rail. It is therefore not surprising that this country has produced artists such as Wordsworth, Keats and Coleridge.
However, there has been a terrible heat wave that could have cost Chennai its money. It could also be quite warm in the coming week. But it still may not be hotter than the form Australia showed in the Women’s T20 World Cup, which predictably ended in front of a packed house at Lord’s on Sunday.
It had been the most open World Cup ever, with England, New Zealand, South Africa and India the real contenders. But once the tournament started, and a beautiful Australian team, in green instead of the usual yellow, took the field and rolled away the opposition, it became increasingly clear that it was playing its cricket at a different level to the rest.
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England looked the team best equipped to challenge. The hosts had a sharp attack, mainly spin, but there was also the pace of Lauren Bell, the top end led by Danni Wyatt-Hodge shooting and even a less than fully fit captain Nat Sciver-Brunt was able to put in a superhuman effort.
England had an impressive tournament despite falling short at the final hurdle. | Photo credit: Reuters
England had an impressive tournament despite falling short at the final hurdle. | Photo credit: Reuters
But England were only second best. The Australians showed this in no uncertain terms in the final. When they reduced England to 150 for four, it was virtually game over: even a target of over 200 would not have been out of reach of a powerful batting line-up that was almost as endless as England’s farmlands.
It was Beth Mooney, after a spectacular show behind the stumps, who led the chase. Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner and Mooney are among players who have also been part of even bigger Australian teams, including Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy.
Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry (left to right) are all veterans of multiple T20 World Cup wins for Australia. | Photo credit: Reuters
Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry (left to right) are all veterans of multiple T20 World Cup wins for Australia. | Photo credit: Reuters
Make no mistake: Sophie Molinuex’s side is great too, and youngsters like Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll have made the transition seem like there was no transition at all, just a personnel change.
That meant the Aussies never came under pressure in the seven games they played at the World Cup. India gave them at least 171 to chase in the final group match, which was achieved with just one over. That’s what the scoreboard would tell you; Australia, thanks to a remarkable partnership between Perry and Gardner, had the match in hand long before then.
The Indian campaign had a disappointing end as the country suffered defeat at the hands of Australia. | Photo credit: AFP
The Indian campaign had a disappointing end as the country suffered defeat at the hands of Australia. | Photo credit: AFP
It was of course a huge disappointment for Harmanpreet Kaur’s Indian side after their historic ODI World Cup victory on home soil, but this team has some glaring weaknesses and is too reliant on a few players. Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands justified the expansion of the World Cup.
There were also record numbers, despite England’s huge interest in the World Cup across the pond.
Published on July 6, 2026
