Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 review: Australia comes roaring back amidst the English summer heatwave

England is gorgeously, soothingly green.

Trees, parks, meadows, vast farmlands that never seem to end. You won’t want to take your eyes off the side-view, whether you are travelling by road or rail. Hardly surprising then, that this country has produced the likes of Wordsworth, Keats and Coleridge.

There has, however, been a terrible heatwave that could have given Chennai a run for its money. It could be pretty warm over the next week, too. But it still may not be hotter than the form Australia showed right through the Women’s T20 World Cup, which came to a predictable end in front of a full house at Lord’s on Sunday.

It had been the most open World Cup yet, with England, New Zealand, South Africa and India beginning as genuine contenders. But once the tournament started, and once a magnificent Australian team, sporting green instead of the usual yellow, stepped on to the field and steamrolled the opposition, it became more and more obvious that it was playing its cricket on a different level than the rest.

ALSO READ: Australia beats England to win record 7th Women’s T20 World Cup title

England seemed the team best equipped to challenge. The host had a sharp attack, predominantly spin, but there was also the pace of Lauren Bell, the top-order led by Danni Wyatt-Hodge was firing, and even a less than fully fit captain Nat Sciver-Brunt could produce a superhuman effort.

But, England was only second-best. The Australians showed that in no uncertain terms in the final. When they reduced England to 150 for four, it was virtually the game over: even a target of over 200 wouldn’t have been beyond the reach of a powerful batting line-up that was almost as endless as the farmlands in England.

It was Beth Mooney, after a spectacular show behind the stumps, that led the chase. Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner and Mooney are players who were also part of even greater Australian sides that had the likes of Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy.

Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Ellyse Perry (from left to right) are all veterans of multiple T20 World Cup victories for Australia.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

Make no mistake, Sophie Molinuex’s side too is a great one, and youngsters like Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll have made the transition look as if there was no transition at all, just a change of personnel.

That meant the Aussies were never stretched in the seven games they played at the World Cup. India in the last group match gave them at least 171 to chase, which was accomplished with just one over to spare. That is what the scoreboard would tell you; Australia, thanks to a remarkable Perry-Gardner partnership, had already taken control of the match long before.

India’s campaign had a disappointing end, as it suffered defeat at the hands of Australia.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

It was, of course, a huge disappointment for Harmanpreet Kaur’s India side after its historic triumph at the ODI World Cup at home, but this team has some glaring weaknesses and depends too much on a few players. Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands justified the World Cup’s expansion.

There were also record-breaking attendances, in spite of England’s huge interest at the football World Cup across the pond.

Published on Jul 06, 2026