Australia vs. England preview: a ‘grandstand finale’ to the Women’s Cricket World Cup

England are through to Sunday’s final of the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup after an emphatic 137-run victory over South Africa in the last four. Heather Knight’s team will now face Australia at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand.

After coming into the World Cup as defending champions from 2017, England had a “horror start” to the tournament and were on the brink of elimination, Sky Sports said. Their hopes of retaining the trophy were “hanging by the proverbial thread” after losing their three opening round-robin matches to Australia, West Indies and South Africa. 

Victories in their final four group games meant that England sealed their spot in the semi-finals and against South Africa on Thursday the heroics of Danni Wyatt’s batting (129 off 125 balls) and Sophie Ecclestone’s spin bowling (6-36) made the difference. 

If England are to defend the title they will have to beat their Ashes rivals Australia, who are the “strong favourites” to win on Sunday, the BBC said. The Australians are unbeaten in the World Cup with eight wins from eight matches and “have lost only two of their past 41 one-day internationals”, including their past seven against England. 

It promises to be a “grandstand finale to a superb tournament”, said the BBC’s chief cricket writer Stephan Shemilt. 

Ecclestone: ‘let’s put on a show’

England spin bowler Ecclestone is the leading wicket-taker at the World Cup with 20 dismissals – and against South Africa in the semi-final she achieved her maiden international five-wicket haul. Alex Hartley, a World Cup winner with England in 2017, believes Ecclestone is “so good” that the 22-year-old “could play first-class cricket for a men’s side”. In this World Cup, “I have seen a whole new level from her in terms of mindset”, Hartley wrote in The Telegraph. 

Ecclestone believes England are yet to play their best cricket in the tournament and she has urged her team-mates to “put on a show”, Sky Sports reported. “Obviously it’s a great feeling getting through to the World Cup final,” she said. “It’s something we’ve been working towards after we lost three games at the start so it’s great to get to the final and hopefully we can put on a show on Sunday.”

Jonassen: ‘It doesn’t get much bigger’

Australia are “relishing the chance to play the old enemy” in the final on Sunday, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported. Batting star Beth Mooney “hat-tipped” England’s effort in reaching the final after their bad start, but warned that the Aussies “do enjoy beating them to be honest – there is a huge rivalry there”. 

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/sport/cricket/956296/australia-vs-england-womens-cricket-world-cup-final