England face Australia in Women's T20 World Cup final at Lord's looking to seal own Lionesses and Red Roses moment
England cricketers hoping to emulate women's football success at Euro 2022 and rugby glory at 2025 World Cup by winning their own huge event on home soil; head coach Charlotte Edwards is a serial winner and has improved England since taking charge after Ashes thrashing 18 months ago
Saturday 4 July 2026 20:03, UK
England's cricketers are a victory away from clinching their own Lionesses and Red Roses moment.
After watching their footballing counterparts win Euro 2022 on home soil and England's women's rugby team nail World Cup glory as host nation last autumn, it is now the turn of Nat Sciver-Brunt's side to, they hope, lift a trophy in front of flocks of their own fans as they take on Australia in the T20 World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday.
"Talking about the Lionesses and Red Roses before the tournament, you know we have a chance to be part of that movement of women's sport in the country," said Sciver-Brunt on Saturday afternoon.
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The omens are with them. England have won every Women's World Cup - 50-over and 20-over - to be staged in their country, securing victories in the ODI versions in 1973, 1993 and 2017, as well as the inaugural 20-over tournament back in 2009.
But recent history against Australia is not with them. Not at all, with eight match defeats on the spin to the old enemy. England's last win over the Southern Stars was in an ODI in Taunton in 2023.
The 16-0 drubbing in the 2025 Ashes - the first time a clean sweep had been seen since the series went to a points system - is the chief example of Australia well and truly having England's number.
The Southern Stars have won four and drawn two of the last six Ashes series, while their dominance of England has also extended into World Cups, including defeating their rivals in the group stage of last year's 50-over competition in India.
England have lost their last four T20 World Cup games against Australia, stretching back to 2012, and not beaten them in any World Cup since 50-over success in Bristol in 2017.
Plus, in the six World Cup finals Australia and England have contested, the record reads Australia 6-0 England, with three 50-over triumphs (1982, 1988, 2022) and a trio in T20 (2012, 2014, 2018).
Why England should be confident against favourites Australia
Seeing Australia emphatically dismiss West Indies in Tuesday's first semi-final - romping to a target of 126 with seven overs to spare - and make it six wins from as many matches in this World Cup, gave an indication of the juggernaut England are dealing with here.
Yet, England's 40-run success over South Africa in the second last-four clash on Thursday evening, a result which extended their own 100 per cent record, displayed why they have a chance of breaking this mental block they seemingly have against Australia and securing a first World Cup title in nine years.
The resilience to recover from slipping to 23-3 in the powerplay; influential captain Sciver-Brunt fit again and firing after a calf strain - she smoked 74 from 47 balls against South Africa, sharing an innings-reviving stand of 133 from 90 balls with her predecessor as skipper Heather Knight - and a vast array of bowling options.
Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone bagged 1-21 against the Proteas, taking her wicket tally in the tournament to nine. She has also been incredibly frugal. No bowler to have got through as many overs (24) has a better economy rate than Ecclestone's 5.79.
Ecclestone is supported by fellow left-arm twirler Linsey Smith, off-spinner Charlie Dean, towering pacer Lauren Bell and seam-bowling all-rounders Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson. Kemp and Gibson's inclusions have given the England team such a lift.
Not only are Kemp and Gibson able to get through valuable overs, ensuring Sciver-Brunt does not have to as she manages this calf issue that has impacted her all summer long and limited her playing time, but they also provide welly down the order with the bat.
We saw that when Kemp and Gibson belted 39 off 16 balls and 30 off 11 respectively against Scotland.
So, if opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge, the leading run-scorer in the competition with 294 at 73.50 after hitting one century and two fifties, were to fall cheaply, as she did in the semi-final, and if Alice Capsey, Sciver-Brunt and Knight were not to completely come off, England would still have hope of a competitive score.
Kemp and Gibson did not get much of a hit against South Africa but the former excelled with the ball, nabbing 1-11 from three overs. Her slower-ball variations and left-arm angle could be key against an Australia outfit with a batting line-up deeper than the Pacific Ocean.
England's fielding and fitness have also come on leaps and bounds, with Ecclestone producing two excellent catches in the semi-final.
Head coach Edwards the X-factor for England in World Cup final?
But perhaps the biggest reason to be optimistic about England's chances is the person they have controlling things from the dugout: head coach Charlotte Edwards. She is a serial winner.
As a player that included captaining England to the 2009 T20 and 50-over World Cup titles and three outright Ashes series victories. As a coach it has featured domestic and franchise titles with Southern Vipers, Southern Brave and WPL team Mumbai Indians.
Edwards took over the England job from Jon Lewis following the Ashes shemozzle a couple of winters ago. Lewis, having worked with the men's team beforehand as bowling coach, was eager to instill a Bazball mentality. Edwards wanted a winning one.
She said during her first media commitments since securing the role: "Ultimately, international cricket is about winning. I am not going to be scared to say I want to win. There is a lot I want to bottle from the way the players have played over the last couple of years, but what I have to do is build that game awareness in there."
England certainly haven't been dull under Edwards but they have been much more ruthless and definitely improved under pressure from the side that shipped a host of catches during a "chaotic" - to use Sciver-Brunt's word - defeat to West Indies in Dubai that saw them eliminated in the group stage at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The acid test comes on Sunday against an Australia team under pressure of their own after failing to win either of the last two World Cups; they suffered a semi-final exit to South Africa at the 2024 T20 World Cup and lost at the same stage to India in the 50-over edition last autumn. They also have fitness concerns over Ellyse Perry.
World Cup finals are Australia's domain. Of the 14 they have played across both white-ball formats, they have 12 wins and two defeats, only coming unstuck against New Zealand (50-over World Cup) in 2000 and West Indies (T20 World Cup) a decade ago. But playing England in a World Cup final in England represents a first for them.
The vast majority of supporters at Lord's will be on England's side and maybe modern sporting history will be, too.
After the Lionesses at Wembley in 2022 and the Red Roses at Twickenham in 2025, England at the 'Home of Cricket' in 2026 would complete a rousing and inspiring hat-trick.
Watch the Women's T20 World Cup final between England and Australia, at Lord's, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Mix from 2.30pm on Sunday (3.30pm first ball). You can also watch the match live for FREE on the Sky Sports App and skysports.com.
