Mooney powers Australia to Women’s T20 World Cup title

CAPE TOWN : Beth Mooney struck a match-winning unbeaten 74 as Australia claimed their sixth Women’s T20 World Cup title with a 19-run victory over hosts South Africa at a vibrant Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat, knowing South Africa prefer to set a total, and posted a par score of 156 for six in their 20 overs. The home side struggled to keep up with the rate from the start and were restricted to 137 for six in reply.

Laura Wolvaardt scored a superb 61 for South Africa but there was too little support around her, and Australia’s clever use of pace and length strangled the scoring rate for large parts of the innings.

Australia were pre-match favourites against a South African side playing in their first ever final and that experience with bat and ball showed on a slow wicket as they retained the title they won on home soil in 2020.