Sachin Tendulkar congratulates Australia on Women's T20 World Cup triumph
New Delhi, July 6
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar congratulated Australia on winning the ICC Women's World Cup 2026, praising the team's consistency and composure throughout its unbeaten title-winning campaign.
Australia clinched a record-extending seventh Women's World Cup title after defeating England in the final at Lord's. Chasing 151 for victory, Australia completed the chase in 17.1 overs, with Beth Mooney top-scoring with 64 runs after England were bowled out for 150.
Reacting to the triumph, Tendulkar lauded Australia's ability to adapt to different situations during the tournament.
"Congratulations to Australia on another World Cup title! The unbeaten run really shows how well they managed different match situations and stayed consistent throughout. That kind of stability is usually what brings trophies home," Tendulkar wrote on X.
Chasing a target of 151, Australia reached the finish line with 17 balls to spare after recovering from the early loss of opener Georgia Voll, who was dismissed by Lauren Bell in the second over.
Mooney steadied the chase with a fluent half-century, while Litchfield played an aggressive supporting role as the pair dominated the England attack. Their partnership powered Australia to 62/1 at the end of the powerplay, the second-highest powerplay score in a Women's T20 World Cup knockout match, behind Australia's own 63/2 against the West Indies earlier in the tournament.
The duo continued to build momentum, taking Australia beyond the 100-run mark in the 11th over before Charlie Dean dismissed Litchfield for a well-made 48 in the 13th over.
Mooney reached her fifty from 38 deliveries, registering her ninth Women's T20 World Cup half-century to equal Nat Sciver-Brunt's record. She continued to accelerate the scoring before Sophie Ecclestone removed her for 64 in the 16th over.
Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner then ensured there were no further setbacks, guiding Australia to victory with an unbeaten stand to seal the title.
Earlier, Australia's disciplined bowling display restricted England to 150/4 after captain Sophie Molineux opted to field first.
England endured a difficult start as Amy Jones (7) and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (8) departed during the powerplay. Alice Capsey briefly counterattacked with 23 before falling, while Heather Knight's dismissal for 2 left the hosts struggling at 70/4.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt once again led from the front, anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 58 from 53 deliveries. She found valuable support from Freya Kemp, who struck an enterprising 44 off 28 balls.
The pair stitched together an 80-run partnership from 55 balls to revive England's innings, taking the total past 150 with a productive final over.
Australia's bowling effort was shared among Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Lucy Hamilton and Kim Garth, with each claiming one wicket as the defending champions successfully restricted England before completing a clinical chase to lift the trophy.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Beth Mooney is an absolute legend! 64 runs, 9th fifty in T20 World Cups, equalling Nat Sciver-Brunt's record. And Australia winning again—yawn, but also wow. They make it look so easy. But honestly, as an Indian fan, it stings a bit when you see Australian teams dominate while our women's team struggles in big games. Need to learn from them.
Everyone talks about Australia's batting, but their bowling was top-notch too. Restricting England to 150/4 after they were 70/4 at one point... disciplined stuff. And then chasing 151 with 17 balls to spare? That's the hallmark of a champion team. Sachin's right—consistency wins trophies.
As an Australian, I'm obviously thrilled, but I also feel for England. Nat Sciver-Brunt played a captain's knock—58* off 53—and Freya Kemp's 44 off 28 was exceptional. It's not like England were bad; Australia were just better in crunch moments. That's what separates champions from contenders.
Seven World Cup titles for Australia—that's insane. Meanwhile, India's women's team hasn't won a single one since the tournament began in 1973. We have the talent (Harmanpreet, Smriti, Deepti), but something is missing in big matches. Maybe we need to set up more domestic T20 leagues to build depth like Australia has.
Sachin's message is classy, as always. But can we also talk about the fact that the Women's T20 World Cup final was at Lord's and
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.