Australia won the Women’s T20 World Cup in brilliant fashion, defeating home side South Africa by 19 runs in front of a sold out Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on Saturday
Victory once again underlined Australia’s dominance in the sport, as the team completed a repeat three-peat under captain Meg Lanning and won the tournament for the sixth time in seven editions.
“It is a pretty special effort from the group,” Lanning told Sky Sports afterwards.
“We felt we had a good score and felt confident if we could hit our areas. We set the tone in an excellent powerplay. We have a special group, not just the players but also the support staff.”
After Lanning won the toss and elected to bat first, the Australian openers, Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney, navigated their way through the first few overs as the home crowd urged on the South African attack.
Healy fell in the fifth over, caught by Nadine de Klerk off Marizanne Kapp’s bowling, but Mooney stayed at the crease for an impressive unbeaten 74 off just 53 balls.
She showcased her full range of shots during her innings, anchoring her side’s score, as frugal South African bowling largely restricted the Australians from posting a sizeable score.
Ash Gardner, who was named player of the tournament, contributed an important cameo of 29 off 21 balls while Mooney’s 11 runs in the last over helped Australia to a respectable 156-6.
It seemed an achievable, if tricky, target for South Africa to reach but a slow start left them 22/1 after six overs and with too much ground to claw back.
Although South Africa accelerated late on, led by Laura Wolvaardt’s 61 from 48 balls, accurate bowling and crisp fielding stifled any comeback and secured Australia’s victory.
