Women’s World T20 final as it happened: Australia lift record fourth title with 8-wicket win

And that’s a wrap from us on the live blog of the first standalone Women’s World T20 Live. To read more on the tournament, India’s run and Australia’s victory, follow our full coverage here. ICC Women’s World T20 2018.

Here are your 2018 ICC Women’s World T20 champions!

Ash Gardner is the Player of the final for her 3 for 22 and 33 off 26. Alyssa Healy, Player of the tournament for her 257 runs.

This is Australia’s fourth World T20 title in six editions. The undisputed world No 1 side didn’t hold the World Cup or World T20 for almost a year after a shock final loss to West Indies in 2016 and semi-finals in 2017. The slight is now rectified!

Australia are World T20 champions for the fourth time!!
Captain Meg Lanning scores the winning run as the Southern Stars beat England by 8 wickets with 29 balls to spare! Domination!

End of Over 15, Australia 105/2

100 runs up for Australia as they miss the other target by just 1 run – winning the final within 15 overs! Scores level!

End of Over 14, Australia 97/2

A frugal over from Ecclestone but that’s 50-run partnership is up between Gardner and Lanning, clinical.

End of Over 13, Australia 93/2

Whoa! Two, massive sixes from Gardner in Gordon’s over, what short boundaries? 15 runs off the over as Australia continue to try and finish this is 15 overs.

End of Over 12, Australia 78/2

Captain Knight takes the ball herself but now Gardner has joined the party with a massive Six as England’s spinners continue to struggle to grip the ball with dew all around.

End of Over 11, Australia 68/2

Lanning continues to try and win within 15 overs!

End of Over 10, Australia 60/2

Lanning in a hurry to lift the trophy! Gets 2 boundaries in Hazell’s over as Australia reach 60/2 at the halfway mark. Meanwhile, dew is adding on to English bowler’s problems.

End of Over 9, Australia 50/2

The 50 is up for Australia and they now need only 56 from 66 balls.

Wicket!

Hazell strikes! Round the wicket, Mooney gets a feather edge and is caught behind by Jones on 14 off 15. Meg Lanning time now. Australia 47/2 after 8

End of Over 6, Australia 37/1

Shrubsole comes back and this time, concedes 8. Australia are 37/1 after the Powerplay: One extra run than England, one extra wicket in hand as well.

Wicket!
Look, Healy is actually out early this World T20, the first score of less than 40. She is bowled by Ecclestone on 22 off 20, Australia 29/1 after 5

End of Over 4, Australia 27/0

Spin from both ends as Hazell comes in and gives away only 6 runs, all singles.

End of Over 3, Australia 21/0

Spinner Ecclestone into the attack in the third over. A big shout for LBW against Healy but England decide not to review. A much better over for them, 5 runs off it with a boundary off the last ball.

End of Over 2, Australia 16/0

Anya Shrubsole, England’s World Cup hero, comes from the other end but is smashed for 14 runs by the red-hot Healy. Dew seems to be part of the problem as well.

End of Over 1, Australia 2/0
Sciver starts with a neat, tight over giving away only 2 runs against the tournament’s leading run-scorer Alyssa Healy and opening partner Beth Mooney.

Time for Australia’s chase. Can England defend 106? Let’s find out!

England bowled out for 105 with 2 balls to go

Schutt get Hazell trapped LBW to put an end to the England’s innings in 19.4 overs. Two balls before, Ecclestone was run out by the combination of Perry and Healy.

Only 2 batters - Wyatt (43) & Knight (25) - managed to get into double figures

Australia need 106 from 120 balls to win their fourth World T20 title.

End of Over 17, England 102/6

100 up for England in the 19th over as dew begins to make its presence felt and forces a change of balls with an over to go

Six and out!

Knight’s resistance ends on 25 of 28 with 2 overs to go. After a six that just goes beyond the fielder at long-on, she plays straight into the hands of Wareham at mid-off to give Gardner her third wicket. England 98/8 after 18

End of Over 17, England 89/7

Can England do what India couldn’t in the semi-final and bat out the 20 overs? Captain Knight still there on 18 off 24, with Hazell at the other end.

Wicket!
First, Perry drops it like most of the Aussie fielders today. Two balls later, Perry redeems herself as she runs backwards to take a superb catch to dismiss Shrubsole. Garnder has her second as England stare down the barrel at 85/7 after 16.

End of Over 15, England 82/6

Knight, still standing, with Shrubsole for company with 5 overs to go. Onus on them to post a respectable score with 5 overs to go.

What an over for Wareham!

First, an excellent DRS review send back Winfield on 6. P.S. Lanning reviewed that despite there being no appeal from bowler or keeper, that’s ho good she is! Looked like a straightforward not-out call but it actually struck Winfield’s back pad before hitting her bat.
Then, Wareham bowls a stunning ball to get Dunkley bowled on first ball. England is trouble at 77/6 after 13

Wicket!

Big, big breakthrough as set batter Wyatt goes for 43 off 37. After a couple of dropped catches and missed chances, captain Meg Lanning holds on to a stunner to give Gardner a wicket in her first over. England 64/4 after 11

End of Over 10, England 57/2

Little separates both teams at the halfway mark with both runs and wickets. But given the nature of the pitch, onus on Wyatt & Knight to first figure and then set what will be a winning total.

End of Over 9, England 55/2

Australia miss a run-out chance as Wyatt and Knight try to rebuild with spin from both ends. Unusually sloppy fielding from Australia today, but good in patches.

Perry has her 100th T20I wicket! Wyatt, who had just smacked a boundary, is trapped LBW with a toe-crusher. England review but DRS lights up red and Australia have the big, big wicket of Nat Sciver early on only 1. England 41/3

End of Over 6, England 36/2

Who wins this Powerplay? England get 36 runs but Australia have got 2 crucial wickets.A close final is what we all wanted, right?

Two wickets in two overs!

Amy Jones, Player of the Match in the semis, is run out on 4! She tries to steal a quick single but is caught short by a distance as Wareham fires a direct hit. Australia are right back after Perry gives away two boundaries in the over. England 31/2 after 5

Wicket!

Schutt gets the early breakthrough for Australia! Beaumont comes down but the track but only manages to miscue it straight to Elyse Villani at mid-off, who doesn’t miss. The pitch is proving to be tricky, just like the semi-finals. England 21/1 after 4

End of Over 3, England 17/0

Ellyse Perry replaces Molineux after the expensive first over and bowls a tight one herself.
But what might worry Aus is the drop of Wyatt from Alyssa Healy on the second ball.

End of Over 2, England 14/0

Megan Schutt, the world No 1 T20I bowler, comes from the other end and bowls a tidier spell with the new ball. Only 2 runs of it and a an almost-stunning catch from Haynes that saved a certain boundary.

End of Over 1, England 12/0

What a start for England! Australia gamble with left-arm spin but Wyatt wallops Molineux for 12 runs with a four and a six. What will Lanning do now?

Anthems done, time for the last match of the first standalone Women’s World T20.
Danielle Wyatt & Tammy Beaumont to open, spinner Sophie Molineux with the new ball. Let the cricket begin!

Both Australia and England have come through losses in the final league game but a dominant win in the semi-finals. Who will use the winning momentum to go all the way?

The Southern Stars defeated holders West Indies by 71 runs in a one-sided semi-final, while England easily vanquished India, who were playing without talisman Mithali Raj, by eight wickets in the other semi.

On a pitch where run-scoring was difficult, Australia reaped the rewards for playing smart cricket. In Australia’s clinical semi-final display, many lessons that India didn’t learn. Read:

Unchanged Playing XIs for both teams

Australia: Mooney, Healy, Gardner, Lanning, Villani, Haynes, Perry, Molineux, Kimmince, Wareham, Schutt.
England: Beaumont, Wyatt, Sciver, Knight, Winfield, Jones, Shrubsole, Dunkley, Ecclestone, Hazell, Gordon

Toss time: England win the toss and Heather Knight elects to bat first.

“Looks a better wicket than the one in the semi-final,” she says. So, not another low-scoring match then?

4.30 AM: Hello and welcome to the Live blog of the last match of the 2018 ICC Women’s World T20. The first standalone edition of the event will see Australia and England, the world No 1 and 2 teams in the format, clash for the title. This the third World T20 final meeting of the two teams.