It took one of the great innings by an opener from the greatest of all women’s cricket teams but England’s defence of the World Cup ended in what has become a grimly familiar fashion all winter — defeat by Australia.
Alyssa Healy made the highest score in any World Cup final, male or female, when she smashed 170 as Australia made a formidable 356 for five in Christchurch after Heather Knight had controversially decided to bowl first.
And not even Nat Sciver’s second unbeaten hundred against Australia in this World Cup, both in a losing cause, was enough as England went down with all guns blazing before they were bowled out for 285 with more than six overs remaining.
Australia beat England in the women’s World Cup on Sunday at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch
The Aussies were in red hot form throughout and were worthy winners in the end of the match
It has been a story England have had to endure all winter: playing second fiddle to the old enemy. There have been Ashes defeats for both Joe Root and Knight and now Australia, unbeaten throughout the World Cup, proved far too strong on the big day.
England have played 13 matches against the Aussies this winter (two women’s T20 matches were washed out) and won only one of them, when Eoin Morgan’s team triumphed by eight wickets in the Twenty20 World Cup in Dubai in October — and even then Australia had the last laugh by winning the tournament.
Meg Lanning’s team are even more dominant than Australia’s men, setting new women’s standards and lifting this World Cup after their disappointment in the 2017 tournament.
That was the World Cup where England defeated India in the final at Lord’s but they need to accept now that they failed to grasp that massive opportunity for the English women’s game and have fallen a long way behind Australia.
Yes, Australia’s women have been fully professional for eight years whereas England’s have played full-time for little more than two. But the ECB, and the rest of the women’s game, have a lot of catching up to do and investment to make. Indeed Charlotte Edwards, the greatest of all England women’s captains, called for an English 50-over reset on Sky in the aftermath of yesterday’s final.
Australia 356-5, beat England (285) by 71 runs to get their hands of the trophy in New Zealand
Alyssa Healy batting for the Aussies made a sensational 170 runs to help secure the victory
For now England will look back on a World Cup defence which began in calamitous style with three successive defeats before they pulled back from the brink to seemingly peak at the right time.
But the failings in the field that haunted them in those early defeats returned when Danni Wyatt and Sciver dropped Australia’s openers Healy and Rachael Haynes in the same over at a pivotal stage of their opening partnership of 160.
England bowled poorly at the worst possible time after Knight took what Edwards called the negative option of handing Australia first use of a flat pitch.
Even Sophie Ecclestone — who was the leading wicket-taker at this World Cup, went for 71 runs in her 10 overs.
It left England with a mountain to climb and at one stage, thanks to Sciver, it looked as though they might do it. But they lost wickets far too regularly, only causing Australia concern when Charlie Dean joined Sciver in a ninth-wicket stand of 65.
When Dean attempted one sweep too many and Anya Shrubsole, who had taken England over the line by one wicket in their nail-biting win over New Zealand, fell, Sciver was left stranded on a magnificent 148.
England now have to decide if they will tinker with their squad or, as Edwards suggested, make more radical changes.
In Sciver, a sublime all-round talent, and Ecclestone, a good enough spinner, according to many good judges, to play in men’s first-class cricket, they have two exceptional players they can build their future around.
There have been other success stories — Kate Cross developing into a key performer with the ball after overcoming the adversity of missing out on the 2017 triumph and even 18 months ago believing she was not good enough for international cricket.
England’s Nat Sciver managed to score 148 and was not out despite Australia’s triumph
Sophia Dunkley was a standout performer before eventually being bowled out
Sophia Dunkley, too, has taken to the highest level like a duck to water while Dean has overtaken Sarah Glenn and Mady Villiers to become Ecclestone’s spin partner even though she fluffed her lines with the ball on the big occasion yesterday.
But Knight, still at the peak of her powers and deserving of carrying on as captain, and coach Lisa Keightley might have to make a call on their seam bowling. Shrubsole, the hero of 2017, might be coming towards the end of the line and even the indefatigable Katherine Brunt, 36, surely does not have another World Cup in her in three years.
Wyatt and Lauren Winfield-Hill, too, have failed to cement a place alongside Tammy Beaumont at the top of the order.
England now have to look to the future, marry the best prospects with the best of their existing squad and try to reach the rarefied levels of Australia.
We have heard that all too often before but rarely has it been more pertinent than now.
Sophia Dunkley looked dejected after leaving the field following her dismissal by the Aussies
Heather Knight insists her side must take the positives despite her sides defeat to Australia
Knight said: ‘The way Australia played was pretty amazing. It was a very good wicket and the innings by Alyssa was one of the best I’ve seen live.
‘It will take time to digest what went wrong but Australia outplayed us and brought their best game to the biggest stage.’
Knight praised the ‘character and resilience’ of an England side who fought back from the brink of elimination to reach the final. However, she was forced to defend her decision to bowl first — a choice which was condemned as negative by Edwards, who was her immediate predecessor as captain.
‘It was a 50-50 call,’ said Knight. ‘The stats at the ground, particularly under lights, are in favour of chasing and I felt it would give us the best chance of winning.
‘It did do a bit in the first 10 overs and if we’d taken a couple of early wickets it’s a different story. You can judge it in hindsight but I wouldn’t change what I did.’
Sciver said: ‘When Charlie Dean was there we knew if we were still together with three overs left there would be a chance of us getting over the line.
‘If someone had stayed around for a hundred partnership with me it might have been a different story.’
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