The fun side of the Australia winning machine

Australia proved once again they are a ruthless winning machine, focused solely on one thing – being the best. They left the seven other teams trailing in their wake to seal the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 trophy, with victory over England in the final at Hagley Oval.

Ad/> But as the confetti fell down, a softer, more fun Australia emerged and it was led by the one player who didn't take to the field during the tournament. CricketRoot steps down as England captain15/04/2022 AT 10:18 Grace Harris happily admits that she didn't expect to be in the team long after the T20 portion of the Women's Ashes wrapped up in January.

Instead, she has found herself in Christchurch two months later with a winner's medal around her neck as part of the 15-strong squad that helped Australia add the one-day trophy to the T20 title they earned in 2020. And the 28-year-old is perhaps the perfect bridge between the fun-loving Aussies off the pitch and the focused Australia on it, her disappointment at missing out matched by her enthusiasm at just being here.

«It's always disappointing to not get selected but there's far worse things in the world than missing out on playing games of cricket,» she said. «I have had the best seat in the house, aside from maybe being out in the middle, but sitting live and watching all the games in action straight on the sidelines, I guess it gives you a bit more hunger to actually do the best that you can to try and break into the squad.» Harris also readily admits that had it not been for an injury to Sophie Molineux she was unlikely to have been standing in a square in Christchurch sleep-deprived, bleary-eyed but a world champion.