"Women's cricket in golden era": ICC Chairman Jay Shah after Australia clinch 7th T20 World Cup title
London, July 6
ICC Chairman Jay Shah hailed the growth of women's cricket after Australia clinched a record-extending seventh ICC Women's T20 World Cup title, defeating hosts England by seven wickets in a commanding final at Lord's here on Sunday.
Australia completed an unbeaten campaign in style, chasing down 151 with 17 balls to spare in front of a record crowd of more than 28,000 at the iconic venue. The victory also marked the highest successful run chase in the history of a Women's T20 World Cup final and ended England's perfect home World Cup record.
Following the triumph, Shah congratulated both finalists in a post on X.
He wrote, "Congratulations to @CricketAus on winning their 7th @ICC Women's T20 World Cup title with another incredible campaign. Huge credit to @englandcricket too - fantastic runners-up but champions in spirit. This tournament reminded us why women's cricket is unmissable - power, passion, and pure class on display from start to finish. Thank you to both teams and everyone who made this World Cup so special. Women's cricket is in a golden era!"
The International Cricket Council also celebrated Australia's triumph on X, posting, "Australia reign supreme once again to seal the Women's #T20WorldCup title in emphatic fashion."
Australia's successful chase was built around another masterful innings from Beth Mooney, who anchored the pursuit with 64 after sharing a match-defining partnership with Phoebe Litchfield.
Despite losing opener Georgia Voll early to Lauren Bell, Mooney and Litchfield quickly seized control. The pair powered Australia to 62/1 in the powerplay, the second-highest powerplay total in a Women's T20 World Cup knockout match, before taking the side beyond the 100-run mark in the 11th over.
Litchfield narrowly missed out on a half-century, departing for 48 to Charlie Dean, while Mooney brought up her ninth Women's T20 World Cup fifty, equalling Nat Sciver-Brunt's record for the most fifties in the tournament's history. Sophie Ecclestone eventually dismissed Mooney for 64, but Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner comfortably completed the chase.
Earlier, England recovered from early setbacks to post 150/4 after being sent in to bat. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt remained unbeaten on 58 from 53 deliveries, while Freya Kemp contributed a valuable 44 off 28 balls as the pair stitched together an 80-run partnership to rescue the innings after England had slumped to 70/4.
Australia's disciplined bowling effort was led by Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Lucy Hamilton and Kim Garth, who claimed one wicket each before the batters completed another dominant display to reinforce Australia's status as the leading force in women's T20 cricket.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Australia's dominance is incredible - 7 titles! But let's be honest, the gap between them and the rest is still big. While I appreciate Jay Shah's words, the ICC needs to invest more in associate nations and help level the playing field. Women's cricket deserves equal opportunities worldwide, not just in a few countries.
Beth Mooney is just phenomenal! 🔥 That partnership with Litchfield was pure class. And seeing a record crowd of 28,000 at Lord's shows how far women's cricket has come. From my childhood when women's matches barely got any coverage to now - it's a beautiful transformation. Well played to both teams! 🏆
"Power, passion, and pure class" - couldn't agree more with Jay Shah! But I hope this is not just a statement. The BCCI and ICC need to ensure more bilateral series between top teams, better pay for women cricketers, and more T20 leagues globally. The golden era needs golden infrastructure to sustain it.
What a chase! 151 with 17 balls to spare - Australia made it look easy! 🐐 Special mention to Nat Sciver-Brunt's 58* - she held the innings together. This final showed why women's cricket is so exciting now. The athleticism, the big shots, the close contests - it's all there. India's women's team should be watching and learning!
As a cricket fan, I'm so happy to see this growth. But I wish the ICC would pay more attention to promoting women's cricket in South Asia. Our girls have talent but lack consistent exposure to top-level competition. More India-Australia
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