Watch highlights of the Women's World Twenty20 final
By Rob Barnett
Australia dominated England to win a third straight Women’s World Twenty20 final, triumphing by six wickets with 29 balls to spare in Dhaka.
While Australia’s second World T20 title was a close affair, today they dispatched the same opponents with a clinical performance.
Once stand-in captain Meg Lanning won the toss, and like Charlotte Edwards named an unchanged side, the Ashes holders were limited to 105 for eight.
Player of the match Sarah Coyte shone with 3-16 while fellow seamers Rene Farrell and Ellyse Perry shared four scalps.
Coyte crucially ousted Edwards and Sarah Taylor, having the former caught at mid-on and trapping the latter in front just as she was starting to threaten.
Edwards and Taylor, World T20 winners in 2009, were two of several England batters to play themselves in, but none went on to a strong total as Heather Knight top-scored with 29.
While Edwards' side did not hit a six, Australia cleared the rope four times in coasting to victory.
Anya Shrubsole, player of the tournament for being its leading wicket-taker, landed a 13th scalp to end Jess Jonassen’s brisk cameo that was in contrast to fellow opener Elyse Villani’s patient knock.
Lanning took centre stage with a series of classy boundaries, including two straight sixes, in her 44 that made her the competition’s top run-scorer. Perry sought to emulate her skipper and the duo soon shared a fifty partnership.
Lanning, leading throughout the World T20 in place of the injured Jodie Fields, was one of two wickets for Natalie Sciver on the brink of victory, but Perry finished the job to reach 31 not out.
Post-Match Presentation
All the post-match celebrations from the @SouthernStars third straight ICC #wt20 win right here https://t.co/hdoGBKizYG
— ICC (@ICC) April 6, 2014
12.13pm - Seamer Sarah Coyte is player of the match for her fine 3-16 from four overs. She said: “It’s an amazing feeling and I’m so proud of all the girls for what we’ve achieved.”
Anya Shrubsole is the player of the tournament for her 13 wickets. She said: “It’s been a really good tournament. I’ve really enjoyed it.”
England captain Charlotte Edwards said: “We were completely outplayed by a very good Australia team. We just weren’t good enough today.
“They bowled extremely well, and took their catches, and we never quite got going. One-hundred-and-five was never going to be enough in a World Cup final.
“Congratulations to Meg. It’s an outstanding achievement to win three T20 cups in a row.”
Australia skipper Meg Lanning said:“It’s amazing. We came over here with a great side and I think we played close to a perfect match. It was definitely our bowlers who set us up today.
“We’re attacking in nature and we love to play our shots. Chasing that small total, we wanted to play our shots and it was great to get a convincing win.”
Australia Innings
11.54am – AUSTRALIA WIN BY SIX WICKETS TO TAKE A THIRD STRAIGHT WORLD TWENTY20 TITLE! Australia 106/4; Perry 31, Cameron 0 – Perry pulls Hazell through midwicket to seal victory with 29 deliveries to spare. England have been outplayed today.
11.53am – WICKET! Blackwell lbw Sciver 0; Aus 105/4 - After a waist-high no-ball levels the scores, Alex Blackwell is pinned in front playing across the line.
11.51am – WICKET! Lanning c Knight b Sciver 44; Aus 104/3 - Going for a big hit to win the game, Lanning chips to mid-off whether Heather Knight holds on.
11.48am – Perry strikes Grundy for a straight four. Soon after, four are needed for victory.
11.45am – Shrubsole concedes a four to Perry and Lanning, the former’s down the ground and the latter’s through midwicket to raise a swift fifty partnership.
11.41am – Like Lanning, Perry is also on fire! She launches Hazell over long-on for Australia’s fourth maximum. At the end of the over they need 22 from 48 balls.
11.36am – Perry gets in on the act by pulling Grundy for four, taking Australia to 67 for two from half their overs. She then drives four from the last ball of Natalie Sciver’s set of six that costs 10.
11.31am – Australia reach 50 via Hazell’s leg-side wide. Lanning, with Ellyse Perry for company, is the batter England quickly need to oust. The emphasise the point, Lanning plants Gunn over the midwicket boundary which is 73 metres out.
11.25am – WICKET! Villani c Edwards b Gunn 12; Aus 44/2 - And there’s one now! Villani tamely chips Jenny Gunn down the ground and Charlotte Edwards runs round from mid-on to hold a splendid catch.
11.23am – Villani slog-sweeps Grundy for four as the powerplay yields 43. England will need quick wickets to peg Australia back.
11.20am – Rebecca Grundy, who has regularly bowled in the powerplay at this World Twenty20, replaces Hazell and begins with a decent over. But in the next Australia skipper Meg Lanning takes Shrubsole for a four either side of the wicket and between times blasts a straight six.
11.11am – WICKET! Jonassen c Jones b Shrubsole 15; Aus 17/1 - Shrubsole, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker now with 13 scalps, strikes a crucial blow as the left-hander miscues a regulation catch to Amy Jones at mid-on.
11.08am – Jonassen makes a statement of intent, smiting spinner Danni Hazell down the ground for the final’s first six and following up with two fours, the first via a pull and the second through extra-cover.
11.05am – Anya Shrubsole starts with a tight over in which Jess Jonassen is lucky to loop a thick outside edge over point. Elyse Villani is nearly run out from the last ball, but sensibly turns down a single to square-leg.
Right, it'll be tough. But England Women aren't afraid of tough! #gogirls#wt2014final
— Chance to Shine (@Chance2Shine) April 6, 2014
England Innings
10.52am – END OF INNINGS! ENGLAND 105/8; Gunn 7, Shrubsole 1 - Jenny Gunn takes two down the ground from the last ball to muster six from the final over. Australia appear to have done well to set themselves 106 to retain the World T20. While Coyte claimed three scalps, Farrell and Perry shared four.
10.49am – WICKET! Hazell c Osborne b Farrell 4; Eng 101/8 - Danni Hazell holes out to deep midwicket where Osborne judges a neat catch.
10.47am – The penultimate over, delivered by Coyte who returns fine figures of 3-16, goes for just three.
10.41am – CHANCE & WICKET! Jones lbw Perry 12; Eng 95/7 – Jenny Gunn takes a risky single to mid-off and survives when the throw misses the non-striker’s stumps. However, next ball Jones is pinned plumb in front by Perry’s full delivery. England reach 96 for seven with two overs to go.
10.37am – WICKET! Beaumont b Coyte 6; Eng 93/6 - Beaumont attempts another leg-side shot, yet misses and is comprehensively bowled. Coyte’s over costs only three.
10.32am – WICKET! Sciver b Farrell 9; Eng 85/5 - Jones impressively drives a Farrell half-volley past mid-off for a much-needed four, but Sciver is then yorked. Tammy Beaumont’s first ball is a waist-high full-toss that she directs to the square-leg boundary to help take 14 from the over.
10.28am – Spinners Joanassen and Osborne continue to restrict England, who reach 77 for four from 15 overs. Amy Jones, playing in just her third Twenty20 international, has joined Sciver at the crease.
10.20am – WICKET! Knight c Perry b Osborne 29; Eng 67/4 - Knight and Natalie Sciver rotate the strike effectively against Jonassen and Osborne, but the former then goes for a bigger shot and holes out to deep midwicket. That ends an impressive innings.
10.12am – WICKET! Greenway c Healy b Perry 2; Eng 58/3 - Perry gets one to move away from left-hander Lydia Greenway, who feathers an edge through to Alyssa Healy. The wicketkeeper does well to dive forward and hold a low catch.
10.07am – WICKET! Taylor lbw Coyte 18; Eng 55/2 - Against seamer Julie Hunter, Knight gets another four with a miscued Jos-Buttler-esque scoop, which goes fine off an inside edge. Taylor attempts a similar shot off a full Coyte delivery but fails to connect and is trapped in front. England add another run before reaching the innings’ mid-point.
9.59am – CHANCE! - Heather Knight and Taylor rotate the strike against Perry before spinner Erin Osborne is introduced and Knight hits her down the ground for two consecutive fours, the second flying through the bowler’s hands and reaching the rope via a misfiled on the boundary. The over yields 13.
9.48am – WICKET! Edwards c Cameron b Coyte 13; Eng 23/1 - Sarah Coyte, another seamer, is into the attack and Edwards cuts her for four. But the England skipper, looking to capitalise on the powerplay, then hits to mid-on where Jess Cameron holds an excellent low catch. England add one more run in the powerplay.
9.46am – Edwards finishes Jonassen’s second over with a similar four to her first. Seamer Ellyse Perry replaces Farrell and starts with a wide but goes on to bowl a tight over. There have been 18 dot balls so far, which is excellent work by Australia.
9.37am – CHANCE! – Taylor plays Farrell to mid-off and sets off for a single, having to run round the bowler. Australia captain Meg Lanning shies at the non-striker’s stumps but misses. Taylor would have been out with a direct hit. Edwards ends the over by guiding a full-toss to the fine-leg rope.
9.33am – Seamer Rene Farrell gets the final going with an over costing just one, which was a Sarah Taylor single to mid-on. Spinner Jess Jonassen follows up with another tight set of six, Charlotte Edwards getting off the mark with one to square-leg.
Pre-Play News
Anthems time! #wt20pic.twitter.com/PGS0mxUEi9
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2014
9.23am – The national anthems are under way, England’s first. Our girls are belting the lyrics out!
This is what’s being played for! #wt20pic.twitter.com/BgquqaZQKd
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2014
AUSw XI: E Villani, J Jonassen, M Lanning, E Perry, A Blackwell, J Cameron, A Healy, E Osborne, S Coyte, R Farrell, J Hunter
— ICC Live Scores (@ICCLive) April 6, 2014
9.06am – Both teams are unchanged from their respective semi-finals, which were at the same venue. Edwards said she’s happy to be batting first midway through a hot day in Dhaka.
.@Anya_shrubsole picks England women's match ball as @GunnJenny pulls off a perfect photobomb! #wt20pic.twitter.com/UK7xuknX60
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2014
England women's team news: Edwards, Taylor, Knight, Greenway, Sciver, Jones, Beaumont, Gunn, Hazell, Shrubsole, Grundy #wt20
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2014
.@Lottie2323 has lost the toss. England women to bat 1st v Australia #wt20pic.twitter.com/aC8MCIvkdT
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2014
8.50am– In the build-up to the showpiece captain Charlotte Edwards said England, who narrowly lost the 2012 World T20 final to Australia, will not be motivated by revenge while Sarah Taylor and Georgia Elwissspoke exclusively to ecb.co.uk about playing today.
Finishing touches to the pitch. Toss in 15mins. Bat or bowl? What would @Lottie2323 do? #WWCED#wt20pic.twitter.com/HPzRndJaOD
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2014
Here come the girls! England women get their warm-up underway. 50 mins until play starts #wt20pic.twitter.com/JWBpWhtvmY
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2014
8.40am – Games don’t come much bigger than this! Hello and welcome to ecb.co.uk’s live text commentary on the Women’s World Twenty20 final between England and Australia in Dhaka. The toss is due in 15 minutes with the action set to start half an hour later.
View from @bbctms box in Dhaka as preparations continue ahead of #wt20 finals. Currently dry but iffy forecast pic.twitter.com/8z1uzgk8Ua
— BBC TMS (@bbctms) April 6, 2014
One last hit! @Heatherknight55 ad @lydiagreenway get swinging in the nets #wt20pic.twitter.com/GH3xVH4zkl
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) April 6, 2014
The @SouthernStars and @ECB_cricket women arriving for the final of the ICC Women's #wt20#AusvEnghttps://t.co/GaFEBb7yqq
— ICC (@ICC) April 6, 2014