Meg Lanning Reveals What Set The Tone For Australia In Women’s T20 World Cup Final Vs South Africa

Cape Town: Australia skipper Meg Lanning felt that their powerplay with the ball set the tone of the game as they defeated hosts South Africa by 19 runs in the final to lift the Women’s T20 World Cup for the record-extending sixth time on Sunday.

Batting first, Australia rode on an unbeaten 74 from Beth Mooney to post 156/6 in 20 overs. In reply, the South African openers found it hard to get going and could manage only 22 runs in the first six overs. Although, Laura Wolvaardt fought hard with a fighting half-century, but in the end, it was Australia who eased through.

“Pretty special effort from the group. We knew teams will come hard at us, so super proud. Our powerplay with the ball was excellent, that really set the tone,” said Lanning at the post-match presentation.

“We got some good experience with the group. Enjoyed our time in South Africa. Amazing tournament. It’s a special group. Not just the players, the support staff too. Thank you very much to everyone, family and friends. All the support from back home and here, it’s been amazing,” she added.

On the other hand, South African captain Sune Luus admitted losing wickets at crucial times did their job tough. “It’s been amazing. To play at our home ground, with so many people supporting is amazing. Thank you Newlands for all the support, we love you.

“We lost wickets at crucial times, we knew they had a quality bowling line up. We lost the game but we can still be proud of the way we played in the tournament. Firstly, you guys are very annoying (smiles). You have been inspirational to a lot of the girls,” added Luus, who herself didn’t do well with the bat.

With this win, Australia completed a hattrick of titles for the second time. Australia were crowned champions in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023.