The 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup final at London’s iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground ended with a statement victory for Australia, who reclaimed the global title with a commanding seven-wicket win over hosts England, extending their unrivaled reign in women’s limited-overs cricket.
England, bidding for their first T20 World Cup trophy on home soil since their memorable 2017 50-over World Cup win at the same venue, got off to a rocky start with the bat. Early wickets of Amy Jones, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey and Heather Knight left the hosts reeling at 70-4 after just 11 overs, with only captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and young all-rounder Freya Kemp providing late resistance. Sciver-Brunt anchored the innings with a slow-paced 58 not out off 53 deliveries – a far cry from her explosive 73-run knock in the semi-final against South Africa – while Kemp hit a quickfire 44 not out off 28 balls to lift England to a final total of 150-4 from 20 overs. However, the total always looked under par on a low, slow pitch that offered little assistance for fast bowling, leaving Australia well-placed to chase the target.
Australia’s chase got off to a minor early blip, with opener Georgia Voll bowled by Lauren Bell in the second over. But that was the only high point for England, as rising star Phoebe Litchfield and veteran opener Beth Mooney put together a match-winning 100-run partnership from just 67 balls that broke the back of England’s bowling attack. England’s seamers consistently delivered too much width outside off stump, allowing the left-handed pair to find the boundary at will, and Australia had matched England’s total boundary count by just the 10th over of the chase.
Litchfield fell for 48 with Australia still needing 34 runs from 42 balls, but Mooney continued her clinical knock, reaching 64 before falling, leaving just 11 runs to get. A late point of controversy came in the 17th over, when England spinner Sophie Ecclestone thought she had claimed a clean catch to dismiss Australia star Ellyse Perry, only for the TV umpire to rule the catch not clean, prompting boos from the capacity crowd and anger from Ecclestone. The decision ultimately made no difference to the result, as England bowled five wides in the very next over to bring up the winning runs for Australia, wrapping up the chase in just 17.1 overs.
For Australia, this win marks their seventh T20 World Cup title and 14th World Cup crown across all formats, capping an undefeated run through the tournament and bouncing back from semi-final exits at the previous T20 and 50-over World Cups. The victory comes amid a period of transition for the side, with new captain Alyssa Healy stepping into the role vacated by Meg Lanning, and young players like Litchfield and Voll claiming their first World Cup titles. Perry extended her own record to nine World Cup titles, while Mooney – who now boasts five World Cup crowns and a remarkable T20 final batting average of 76.42 – was the difference-maker with her clinical knock.
For England, the result is a crushing end to what was a tournament of progress. Under new coach Charlotte Edwards, the side ended a run of three consecutive tournaments without reaching a final, fixing longstanding issues with fitness and fielding that plagued their 2023 Ashes whitewash defeat to Australia. While the capacity crowd at Lord’s marks a landmark moment for women’s cricket, and England can build on their run to the final, the gap between the two sides remains clear. Heading into next summer’s home Ashes series, England’s next task will be closing that gap and turning progress into silverware.