Relentless Australia will likely be out to underline their credentials as considered one of sport’s best sides towards a battle-hardened England unit that may even search greatness in a blockbuster ICC Women’s World Cup closing on Sunday.
Both England and Australia have been marching in direction of the large day in their very own means. Defending champions England have been emboldened by an unimaginable turnaround that noticed them prevail in 5 must-win video games after shedding their first three matches of the match.
While the Australians, gunning for a report seventh world title, have been on a roll extending their profitable streak to 11 matches. Interestingly, regardless of having received 10 of the earlier 11 World Cups between them, England and Australia will face off in an ICC World Cup closing for the primary time in 34 years.
The two sides began their campaigns collectively virtually a month in the past in Hamilton and can finish them collectively, one holding the trophy, the opposite wanting on on the Hagley Oval. Australia have misplaced just one World Cup closing but it surely was not too distant from the setting for Sunday’s finale. Back in 2000, simply down the street from Christchurch on the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln, Australia misplaced the closest closing the match has ever seen, defeated by New Zealand by simply 4 runs.
That yr, England recorded their worst-ever World Cup end of fifth earlier than combating again to take the trophy from Australia in 2009. In doing so, they’d go on to have a exceptional yr additionally claiming their first, and solely, T20 World Cup in addition to an Ashes victory.
It is one thing that Australia are hoping to match 13 years later, as they already maintain the T20 trophy having secured that on house soil in 2020 earlier than the Ashes had been wrapped up with two video games to spare in February, however the one-day World Cup evades them.
Vice-captain Rachael Haynes already has a winner’s medal from 2013, and she or he is properly on her solution to a contest report, the opening batter sitting on 429 runs for the match, 27 behind Debbie Hockley of New Zealand’s all-time finest set in 1997.
That is just not the one report that may very well be damaged on Sunday as left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone has the prospect to surpass Australian Lyn Fullston, whose haul of 23 wickets in 1982 stays the mark to beat. Ecclestone sits on 20 wickets having taken her maiden worldwide five-wicket haul within the semi-final win towards South Africa ending on six for 36, one of the best figures by an England bowler in a World Cup.
The left-arm spinner is emblematic of England’s journey all through the match in that she is peaking at precisely the fitting time. The 22-year-old began along with her worst-ever figures in ODI cricket with no wicket for 77 towards Australia.
It highlighted simply how shaky a begin England had; dropped catches allowed Australia to placed on 310 for 3 within the opening sport earlier than extra fielding woes gave the West Indies a well-known win. South Africa defeated England for the primary time in a World Cup for 22 years to go away the defending champions reeling with three defeats from their first three video games as their 4 remaining clashes grew to become must-win.
And win they did, defeating India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh to guide their place within the knockouts and arrange a rematch of the 2017 semi-final with South Africa. England noticed off the Proteas comfortably to maintain their hopes of a fifth title alive, and Ecclestone praised captain Heather Knight’s management as she guided her aspect again from the brink.
Knight has the prospect to create historical past as the primary England captain to information her aspect to back-to-back trophies. Australia’s star all-rounder Ellyse Perry is on monitor to take her place within the showpiece, having missed the staff’s final two matches in New Zealand with a again situation. She underwent two crunch coaching classes in Christchurch forward of the ultimate.
