AUSTRALIA ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS: 42 ODI matches since the previous World Cup. 40th win today. “Hagley Oval was touched with greatness today,” said Nasser Hussain regarding Alyssa Healy. True for the entire Australian side.

WICKET! Shrubsole c Gardner b Jonassen 1 (4 balls) Nat Sciver is left stranded on 148*. Shrubsole, won the semifinals and finals in 2017, she is the last wicket to fall. England (43.4 overs) 285

WICKET! 42.3: Dean c Jonassen b Gardner 21 (24 balls) End of a valiant innings by Charlie Dean and a good partnership. Gardner strikes. Anya Shrubsole can bat, of course, but England are now on the brink

This partnership has also crossed 50 by the way. Should we really consider this possibility?

England 275/8 after 42 overs: Gardner finally comes on to bowl, in the 41st over. Welcomed with a four off reverse sweep by Nat Sciver. A steady six-run JJ over as Beth Mooney pulls off a stunning fielding effort at long on to keep Sciver to two.

England 259/8 after 40 overs: We are into the final 10 overs. England need 98 runs. With a few more batters to give Sciver support, this could have actually been on! Three runs from JJ’s over.

England 256/8 after 39 overs: Imagine if this was a 310, even 320 chase! We were in for an absolute humdinger. (Doesn’t quite work that way I know but just to point out what an innings this has been by Nat Sciver!) A four behind the stumps for Sciver in that Schutt over.

England 247/8 after 38 overs: End of a pretty special bowling performance by Alana King. 10-0-64-3. The importance of having a wicket-taking legspinner.

England 242/8 after 37 overs: It’s now 115 off 78 balls required. On that alone, it’s been some innings from Nat Sciver. Too bad the rest of it didn’t go all too well for England. A lovely scoop off McGrath for four.

England 229/8 after 36 overs: a boundary for Dean now. England continue to go down swinging.

AFP

England 217/8 after 34.1 overs: CENTUYRY FOR NAT SCIVER! She gets her second hundred against Australia in this tournament. A knock of the highest quality. She’s taken just 90 balls to get here.

England 213/8 after 33.4 overs: OUT! Now Jonassen removes Cross. A superb return diving catch by the left-arm spinner. Sciver is on 98 and running out of partners. The new batter is Charlotte Dean.

England 206/7 after 32.4 overs: OUT! McGrath bowls it full and straight and Ecclestone is out LBW. Australia are inching towards the title! Kate Cross is the new batter as Nat Sciver continues to run out of partners.

England 204/6 after 32 overs: Shot! King comes from around the wicket and pitches it outside leg, Sciver stays low and pulls it powerfully in the gap for four. With that, the right-hander moves into the 90s.

England 196/6 after 31 overs: McGrath returns to the attack and bowls a fine over, just three singles from it. Sciver moves on to 85 off 81. England need 181 off 114.

England 191/6 after 29.4 overs: OUT! Alana King has her third wicket! This time Katherine Brunt is stumped with a wonderful leg-break. Australia are marching forward! Brunt walks back for 1 off 4 as Sophie Ecclestone comes to the crease.

England 184/5 after 29 overs: Schutt follows up with a quiet over, just five runs from it. Sciver is batting wonderfully but she needs contributions from the other end. England need 173 off 126.

England 179/5 after 28 overs: OUT! Alana King breaks another partnership! This time Sophia Dunkley is bowled round the legs for 22. Big blow for England as this partnership had added 50 runs. The new batter is Katherine Brunt.

England 176/4 after 27 overs: Schutt returns to the attack and drops the last ball of the over short, Dunkley leans back and cuts it powerfully over point for four. England need 181 off 138.

England 169/4 after 26 overs: Five singles and a double from that King over. Sciver, unbeaten on 68 off 67, has scored 356 runs so far in the tournament. She’s at No 5 in the list of top scorers, which is led by Alyssa Healy.

England 162/4 after 25 overs: Dunkley drives it in the air and Lanning puts in a full-length dive at short cover and gets a hand to it but can’t hold on. Top effort from the Australia captain. Sciver then pulls a short delivery for four to make it another good over for England.

England 154/4 after 24 overs: Shot! Another classy stroke from Sciver! King tosses it up and the right-hander steps out a bit to drive it over mid-off for four. “England have hope till she is at the crease,” says Nasser Hussain in commentary.

England 144/4 after 23 overs: A quiet over from Jonassen, five singles from it.

AFP

England 136/4 after 21.5 overs: FIFTY for Nat Sciver! The right-hander has played some excellent strokes and held the England innings together.

England 129/4 after 20.3 overs: OUT! Jess Jonassen removes Amy Jones thanks to a brilliant catch by Alana King running behind from mid-off. Jones walks back for 20 off 18 as Sophia Dunkley comes to the crease.

England 127/3 after 20 overs: Another solid over for England! Brown returns to the attack and Sciver hits her for two fours. The right-hander is playing a fine knock here. She’s picking the gaps and isn’t afraid to take risks.

England 114/3 after 19 overs: Jonassen drops it short and Jones places her pull wonderfully to beat mid-wicket and the fielder in the deep to pick up four.

Change in bowling as left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen joins the attack.

England 105/3 after 18 overs: Four! Sciver with a premeditated scoop off McGrath to pick up another boundary. England continue to keep the scoreboard ticking, they need 252 off 202.

Start of the tournament, Alana King came into the attack and bowled an absolute peach to have Tammy Beaumont stumped to break England’s run-chase. In the final, she beats Heather Knight with a peach.

England 98 /3 after 17 overs: Four for Jones as Mooney misfields at mid-wicket. Eight runs come from that King over.

The new batter for England is the right-handed Amy Jones.

England 86/3 after 15 overs: OUT! Huge blow for England as Heather Knight departs! Top delivery from Alana King, it turned and skid through to trap from the England captain in front. Knight departs for 26 off 25 after a 48-run partnership with Nat Sciver for the third wicket. It was an action-packed over by King as Sciver was saved earlier by DRS after the umpire raised the finger for LBW.

England 84/2 after 14 overs: Two fours! Sciver uses her bottom hand to great effect to hit McGrath through mid-wicket before playing a perfectly-placed pull to pick up another boundary.

England 76/2 after 13 overs: The England batters seem keen to look for runs against King... trying to get on the front foot and stepping out repeatedly. But just five runs from that over.

England 71/2 after 12 overs: Tidy start from McGrath, just four runs come from her first over. England need 286 off 228.

Change in bowling as right-arm pacer Tahlia McGrath joins the attack.

England 67/2 after 11 overs: The first six of the match! King drops it way short and Sciver pulls it a long way. This is turning into a solid passage of play for England.

Change in bowling as leg-spinner Alana King joins the attack.

England 59/2 after 10 overs: Three fours for the England captain! Brown drifts on to the pad consecutively and Knight plays two lovely flick shots for fours. The right-arm pacer then shapes one away but pitches it too full and the right-hander plays a gorgeous cover drive for four. High class batting from Knight. This is England’s best powerplay score of the tournament.

England 46/2 after 9 overs: Schutt continuing to swing the ball in wonderfully but Sciver doing well to play the ball late. Just two runs from that over. England need to pick up pace soon.

England 44/2 after 8 overs: Brown pitches it on a length and Knight plays a nice punch past mid-off for four. A solid effort from Perry at the boundary, running back from mid-on, but she couldn’t keep it in.

6.3: WICKET! Beaumont lbw b Schutt 27 (26b) Megan Schutt, largely playing a support role for the entirety of the tournament (like bowling into the breeze in Wellington), comes into the final and removes the England openers with two booming inswingers. LBW here, Beaumont doesn’t review. Good decision, all three reds.

England 34/1 after 6 overs: Nice flick for four by Beaumont off Brown.

England 27/1 after 5 overs: They show the series of balls from around the wicket to Wyatt from Schutt and then the massive inswinger. Had to be a ploy! Brilliant. Another booming inswinger from over the wicket to Beaumont this time, just kept out.

England’s opening partnership: A total of 112 runs combined over 9 matches across the tournament (0, 31, 4, 3, 17, 20, 15, 10, 12)

Australia’s opening partnership: 216 runs in the semifinal, 160 runs in the final.

England 25/1 after 4 overs

WICKET! 2.1: Wyatt b Schutt 4 (5 balls) England’s opening partnership woes continue. Rarely had both batters click at No 1 and No 2. Centurion from the previous match, Wyatt is bowled by Schutt. The round-the-wicket was perhaps a ploy to throw Wyatt off? Comes over the wicket, gets a brilliant inswing through the defence.

“One of the great innings I have ever seen in a World Cup”: Nasser Hussain

Thought Mooney might be keeping wickets, but nope, Healy it is.

England 6/0 after 1 over: Interesting, Schutt comes around the wicket to Wyatt in the first over. Wonder what was that about. A lofted square cut for four.

Australia: 356/5 (50 overs): Time for the run-chase. Anya Shrubsole said after the final England have got to play like. they have nothing to lose. Think it’s more so the case after that Australia innings. Perhaps have some fun, see where it takes them.

Alyssa Healy said after the semifinal that she doesn’t quite like being called a “big-game player”. Then goes on to back up her semifinal century with a 170 in the final

Reporter: You had a bit of a smile there when I said big game player, but is there something that you perhaps don’t see yourself as?

Alysa Healy: Now that’s a funny one. I don’t know. I don’t like it. It sounds a bit arrogant. When someone says that  - at the end of the day, I’ve been saying it all along this World Cup, It hasn’t really been a one man show at any point. I feel like there’s four batters now in the top five run scorers. All our wickets are spread across the bowling attack. So from my point of view, someone was going to step up today and do a really good job for our group and I think multiple did today, so it was just really pleasing and we know that any one of us can do it in any situation which is awesome.

— Healy after semifinal

Innings break: Sure, I think many of us would have liked to see a closer contest (who knows, maybe still a possibility). But I think it’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge (again) the greatness of this side. Just absolutely sensational.

Australia finish on 356/5 (50): And breathe....

What. An. Innings. Alyssa Healy plays one of the all-time great ODI innings, fantastic support acts from Rachael Haynes and Beth Mooney. Cameos from Lanning & Perry at the end.

Australia 341/5 after 49 overs: Sophie Eccelstone starts the World Cup with 0/77, finishes with 1/71. Both against Australia. In between, she had an absolutely brilliant tournament. Australia just a bit too good.

Australia 333/5 after 48 overs:

47.2: Shrubsole to Lanning, out caught by Beaumont

47.3: Shrubsole to Mooney, out caught at midwicket

47.4: Shrubsole eggs the crowd on for her hat-trick ball! McGrath sees it out.

Shrubsole has figures of 3/31 in 9 overs at the moment. She loves a World Cup final, too.

Australia 330/3 after 47 overs: Lanning finishes that over with two fours.

Alyssa Healy falls for 170! Crowd at Hagley Oval stand up and applaud one of the greatest ODI innings of all time. Highest ever individual score in any ICC ODI World Cup final. Australia lose a couple of wickets in that over as Gardner is run out too. Healy was stumped by Jones too, perhaps fitting. 3 runs and 2 wickets in that Shrubsole over. 318/3 after 46, Lanning walks in.

Australia 315/1 after 45 overs: Think Healy just shouted ‘not yet not yet’ as she skied one off Cross that fell into a vacant region of the field. A four off a wide from Cross. Sums up. Healy on 170.

500 runs for Healy in the tournament! A new record, braking Haynes’ set a few hours back.

Australia 297/1 after 44 overs: Just some things that have happened...

FOUR fours in Sciver’s over

FOUR fours in Ecclestone’s over

Healy goes past her career best, the tournament’s best and 150!

Mooney goes past 50.

Australia 260/1 after 42 overs: 100 partnership! 9 runs from Brunt over and she is really angry at Dean for fielding (could be at herself too). Then Ecclestone’s over goes for 15! Two fours for Mooney.

Australia 236/1 after 40 overs: We are heading into the final 10.

Alyssa Healy 125*

Beth Mooney 30*

Meg Lanning, Ash Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath still to bat.

Terrific from both Jones and Healy! Just utterly brilliant.

Alyssa Healy just needing some physio attention there. She needs to keep wickets as well after this.

Australia 233/1 after 39 overs: Poor over from Brunt, the wheels are coming off for England. Over starts and ends with a four, one each for Healy and Mooney.

Australia 221/1 after 38 overs: The boundary an over keeps coming for Australia. England look deflated.

Australia 208/1 after 36 overs: Healy keeps going. Two fours in that Cross over.

CENTURY FOR ALYSSA HEALY! Australia decided to make Alyssa Healy open regularly after the 2017 World Cup. Since then in ODIs among all openers:

2000-plus (most among all teams)

5 centuries (joint most)

18-plus 50-plus scores (third most)

Perfectly signifies Australia’s 5-year run.

Australia 187/1 after 34 overs: Good over from Sophie, Healy on 99.

Australia 185/1 after 33 overs: Superb from Mooney to upper cut Sciver over Jones for four.

Australia 175/1 after 32 overs: Five singles in the Ecclestone over. Brunt is on the field. Healy moves on to 96.

Australia 170/1 after 31 overs: Play resumes, not quite sure if Brunt is carrying on.

DRINKS: Australia 169/1 after 30.5 overs: Oh dear, Brunt seems to have hurt her shoulder at long on while diving to prevent a four.

Australia 162/1 after 30 overs: Australia’s T20 openers are in the middle

29.1 WICKET! Haynes c Beaumont b Ecclestone 68 (93 balls) Sophie Ecclestone (who else) breaks the 160-run partnership. Can only imagine Rachael Haynes wanted to make sure the batting depth is used fully. And Australia send Beth Mooney at No 3, to keep the left-right combo again.

Australia 160/0 after 29 overs: Another good over for Australia, Healy pulls Sciver for four.

Australia 152/0 after 28 overs: A record partnership for the ICC Women’s World Cup final!

Australia 142/0 after 26 overs: Oh dear, just as Nasser Hussain was talking about the lengths England seamers have bowled (a bit too short), Brunt errs on line. Healy and Haynes with a four each through leg side.

Australia 131/0 after 25 overs: IF ever an over showed nerves, that’s got to be it from young Charlie Dean. Gets her length, line all over the place. Healy with two fours with great use of the feet. All the pressure on England now, and it is starting to show.

Australia 120/0 after 24 overs: Brunt comes back for a five-run over, all singles.

(Correction) Australia 115/0 after 23 overs: Another half century for Alyssa Healy too! Will she go back-to-back tons? Two fours in that Cross over for Healy. Be very worried, England.

Australia 98/0 after 21 overs: Oh, England what have you done! Danni Wyatt first, Nat Sciver next... two dropped catches in one Kate Cross over! Both rather straightforward. Haynes and Healy get a life each. And Haynes gets to 50 in that over too.

Australia 92/0 after 20 overs: Ominous signs, if you are hoping for a England win. Another brilliant opening stand.

Australia 86/0 after 19 overs: Cross hasn’t got her radar right for the LHB.

Australia 81/0 after 18 overs: If Healy is clearing her front foot and launching down the ground off Ecclestone... not good signs for England. Ecclestone to her credit comes back with a lovely looped delivery next up. Good battle.

Australia 76/0 after 17 overs: Cross a bit too legside for Haynes in that over. Top of off, but for RHBs. Time for drinks. There would be a few worried heads in that England camp, I’d assume.

Isa Guha is spot on. This little spell with Ecclestone-Cross is potentially match defining. If Australia keep going, good luck England.

Australia 70/0 after 16 overs: A huge appeal for LBW by Ecclestone against Healy. England review but a big inside edge there. (Not as bad as Ecclestone’s review a few days back against SA, but that’s one gone for England).

Sophie Ecclestone time. Australia 68/0 after 15 overs.

Rachael Haynes sets a new CWC record. She goes past Debbie Hockley’s record for the most runs at a single edition of this tournament.

Australia 63/0 after 14 overs: Two gorgeous shots through the offside for four against Dean, behind square and in front of square, backfoot and frontfoot. Delightful.

Australia 54/0 after 13 overs: Another 50-run partnership between #Hayly? #Heales? Anyway, they are at it again. England persisting with Sciver still from that end...

Australia 49/0 after 12 overs: Healy will not let Dean to settle in. Makes her intent clear with a lofted shot over mid on for four.

Australia 42/0 after 11 overs: Sciver again gets her length wrong, put away by Haynes for four. England can’t afford this, just need to get Cross and Ecclestone and Dean on soon.

Australia 37/0 after 10 overs: Powerplay done. Tournament final... a stunning pick-up shot through midwicket in the previous over and now a superb on drive for four off Shrubsole. Inswinger, just sheer timing. Alyssa Healy is here. Be worried, England.

Australia 32/0 after 9 overs: There we go, Healy showing intent against Sciver. Picks up one from offstump and flicks it over midwicket for four.

Australia 26/0 after 8 overs: just one run in Shrubsole’s over. Time for Sciver from the other end, she has not had the best tournaments with the ball. Needs to keep this pressure up.

Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone are going to be huge for England. Especially, Cross & Ecclestone in form. After this tight start, Australia will likely come hard at them in the middle overs. Shaping up fir a lovely battle.

Australia 25/0 after 7 overs: First, a bouncer that is well directed. Then, a rank short ball. Two fours for Haynes off Brunt. A gear shift around the corner.

Australia 16/0 after 6 overs: Oh, LBW appeal from Shrubsole to Healy. That swung a bit but looked close. Knight doesn’t review. Will be interesting to take another look.

Australia 14/0 after 5 overs: Another absolute peach, this time Brunt to Haynes. Beaten outside the offstump by what seemed like a cutter, Healy has a big smile from the non-striker’s.

Australia, though, yet to lose a wicket. They will not mind any of this getting beaten business if these two openers get their eye in.

Australia 11/0 after 4 overs: Another tidy over for England, just a single in Shrubsole’s over. A well-timed drive from Healy straight to the fielder.

Australia 10/0 after 3 overs: Another over of five dots and a four. Australia won’t mind that at all. Just one ball short and wide in that over from Brunt, put away by Healy.

Australia 6/0 after 2 overs: Shrubsole starts on the leg side to Haynes, looking for a Hollywood delivery early on but one is guided fine for four. Gets her line right after that, taking the ball past Haynes.

Australia 2/0 after 1 over: Oh that was a solid first over from Brunt! Nice shape away from the right-hander, starts short of length a bit and then goes fuller. That’s a good sign.

Here we go then! The two best teams in the world, when it comes to quality of cricketers on the field and the quality of support they receive off it. Incredibly though, the first time since 1988 that they meet each other in the summit clash. It’s a final perhaps that was meant to be. Is it meant to be for Australia to achieve their crowning glory? Is it meant to be for England to defend their title.

Healy and Haynes in the middle. Brunt to start us off.

Stats that matter

  • It will be their 19th head-to-head ICC Women’s World Cup match; Australia have dominated the historical head-to-head match-up, winning 12 of those 18 contests, compared to England’s five (1 NR).
  • These two nations have faced each other twice in the finals (1982 and 1988), Australia won on both occasions. Australia have won a total of six titles so far, the most by any nation, followed by England (four).
  • Australia and England women have also competed against each other in 64 ODIs, excluding World Cups. Australia again have the upper hand, winning 44 of those matches, compared to England’s 18 (2 NR).
  • Their last meeting was in the opening round at this World Cup on the 5th of March, England fell short of the 311-run target by only 12 runs. In the Ashes series that preceded the World Cup, Australian won the ODIs 3-0.w

Confirmation of team news

England XI: Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver, Amy Jones (wk), Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Kate Cross, Anya Shrubsole

Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (wk), Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Alana King, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

A good time to read Ananya Upendran’s brilliant piece on #EllysePerry through the words of Lisa Sthalekar.

Goofball, leader, superstar: The rise of indomitable Ellyse Perry through the eyes of Lisa Sthalekar

TOSS: Heather Knight has won the toss & opts to bowl first. Ellyse Perry is back for Australia.

Hello and welcome to the Scroll.in’s coverage of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. For one final time, here’s hoping this World Cup delivers again.

The final of the 2022 edition will be played between Australia and England. That, in itself, is not a surprising statement. They are the two best units in the world, when it comes to quality of cricketers on the field and the quality of support they receive off it. But incredibly enough, this is the first time since 1988 that they meet each other in the summit clash.

Around mid-way in the tournament, it did not seem likely. England were contemplating an early return home after three defeats out of three. It’s been a great turnaround.

The other half of the final though, was destined to be. It should come as absolutely no surprise that Meg Lanning and Co are here, and even that they are unbeaten so far in the tournament.

The captains’ press conference before the tournament started with Lanning saying all teams are chasing defending champions England while Knight said Australia are the obvious standout side that teams will be chasing. Either way, on Sunday, both sides are chasing just one thing... greatness.

Read more in our preview here

Screenshots in the blog courtesy ICC Match Centre / Disney+Hotstar.

Stats in the blog courtesy ESPNCricinfo Statsguru.

With inputs from ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2020 via Media Zone