Australia win record-extending sixth Women's T20 World Cup title, beat South Africa by 19 runs in final

The Meg Lanning-led side lifted a sixth Women's T20 World Cup title on Sunday, beating hosts South Africa by 19 runs in final.

The Australian women's team continued to assert its dominance in the shortest format of the game, as the Meg Lanning-led side lifted a sixth T20 World Cup title on Sunday. Australia defeated South Africa by 19 runs in Cape Town to win a third-successive title in the shortest format, extending its record for the number of tournament wins. Electing to bat first, Australia posted a competitive score of 156/6 in 20 overs, and then restricted the Proteas women to 137/6 to secure the title at Newlands.

Cricket - ICC Women’s Cricket T20 World Cup - Final - South Africa v Australia - Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa - February 26, 2023 Australia players celebrate the running out South Africa's Sune Luus REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko(REUTERS)

Beth Mooney was the star with the bat for Australia, as the opener remained unbeaten on 74 off 53 deliveries on a challenging pitch; the next highest individual score in the Australian innings was 29 by Ashleigh Gardener. Shabnim Ismail (2/26) and Marizanne Kapp (2/35) were among the wickets for the Proteas, with Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon taking a wicket each.

In the run-chase, the hosts hada slow start with the side scoring only 17 off the first five overs, while losing the important wicket of Tazmin Brits (10). The Proteas continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as Laura Wolvaardt (61) held one end for the side.

Following the wicket of Sune Luus (2), Wolvaardt took charge of the innings and began to play more aggressive shots as the required run-rate continued to rise. She forged a 55-run stand alongside Chloe Tryon (25) before Megan Schutt trapped her in front of stumps as Wolvaardt went for a lofted shot over midwicket.

The South African chances for a win relied largely on Wolvaardt's stay at the crease, and her dismissal ended their hope for a revival as the side eventually fell 19 runs short. South Africa were 109/4 in 16.3 overs at the time of Wolvaardt's departure, and could add 28 runs in the remaining 21 deliveries while losing two more wickets.