Australia’s players celebrate after a victory against India in the Twenty20 women’s World Cup cricket final match between Australia and India in Melbourne on Sunday. – AFP
A rampant Australia emphatically swept to their fifth women’s Twenty20 World Cup title on Sunday, crushing India by 85 runs in front of more than 86,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
Alyssa Healy smashed a quick-fire 75 and Beth Mooney an unbeaten 78 as the defending champions plundered an ominous 184 for four – the highest score ever in a women’s T20 final.
India could only manage 99 all out to end a 17-day tournament that reinforced Australia’s dominance of the sport, having now won five of the seven World Cups so far.
The blockbuster showdown between the world’s top-ranked team and fast-improving India was billed as the biggest in women’s cricket history.
A #FilltheMCG campaign was launched to help bring the sport to a new generation and fans responded with 86,174 attending, despite fears about the deadly coronavirus that has seen other global sporting events cancelled or played behind closed doors.
They were targeting the official world record for a women’s sporting fixture – set at the 1999 football World Cup final when 90,185 watched the United States 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.
Australia came into their sixth successive final as heavy favourites, in contrast to India who were playing their first decider.
India had upset Meg Lanning’s team by 17 runs in the opening game of the tournament, but they never got a look in on Sunday.
After Lanning won the toss, Healy, whose pace spearhead husband Mitchell Starc jetted back from Australia’s tour of South Africa to watch her play, showed her intent with a boundary off Deepti Sharma’s first ball.
She smacked two more in an eventful opening over which also saw her dropped by Shafali Verma. Opening partner Mooney also had an early let-off, with Rajeshwari Gayakwad putting down a caught and bowled chance when she was on eight. – Agenices
