WWC 2022: Alyssa Healy leads Australia towards victory over England

CHRISTCHURCH: In the Women’s World Cup final in Christchurch on Sunday, Australia, spearheaded by Alyssa Healy’s brilliant 170, rewrote the record books by defeating a valiant England by 71 runs.

Australia accumulated a formidable 356 for five, but facing a record target, reigning champions England kept up the run rate but ran out of wickets in the 44th over, with Nat Sciver unbeaten on 148.

“Unbelievable,” player-of-the-match and player-of-the-tournament Healy said of her innings — the highest in any women’s or men’s World Cup.

“Never in my wildest dreams I ever thought to do anything like that.

“Our team sets out to win events like this and you want to contribute to that, don’t you? I just really enjoyed being out there.”

Australia’s domination of the 50-over format continued with their sixth World Cup championship in 12 years, and they improved their one-day international record to 38 wins from 39 matches in the last four years.

“To come out and perform so well through the whole tournament, to be honest, is pretty amazing and I think we deserved the victory today,” Australian captain Meg Lanning said, paying special tribute to Healy.

“It was incredible. To do it in a World Cup final. She’s just able to come out and play so well and some of those shots she was playing were ridiculous.”

Heather Knight, England’s captain, praised Healy’s innings as “one of the best” and expressed regret that her team was unable to form a strong combination around Sciver.

“But I guess the runs on the board meant we had to take a few risks,” she said.

Australia lost the toss but not the game against England.

Knight placed Australia in to bat, remarking that her team had bowled “outstandingly well” at Hagley Oval, but openers Katrina Perry and Rachael Haynes were unconcerned.

They were patient, scoring 26 off the first eight overs before Healy went on a rampage, pounding all points of the boundary with 26 fours while ignoring the bowlers.

Her 170 was the best score in a women’s or men’s World Cup final, the highest score in this tournament, and contributed to her tournament record of 509 runs, which surpassed Haynes’ 497 earlier in the same innings.

The 160-run opening stand between Healy and Haynes was a World Cup final record on any wicket.

When Healy and Haynes were dropped off the bowling of Kate Cross in the 21st over, with Australia still in the 90s, England could have taken both wickets.

Australia required 22.2 overs to reach their first century, 13 more overs to reach their second, and just nine overs to get their third, aided by England’s return to the poor fielding that hampered their World Cup start when they lost their first three games.

When Haynes was dismissed for 68, Beth Mooney joined Healy in a 156-run partnership before Healy’s remarkable century came to an end in the 46th over, when she was stumped after missing an Anya Shrubsole delivery outside off stump.

Mooney was bowled for 62 as Australia lost four wickets in a desperate bid for runs in the final four overs, with Elysse Perry finishing unbeaten on 17 after returning from injury at number seven.

Shrubsole was the only England bowler to have a positive performance, taking three for 46 in ten overs, with the stats inflated by the final over’s 15-run cost.

England tried hard to keep within striking distance of the needed run rate, but they were handicapped by wickets falling at regular intervals.

Sciver’s 148 was the second-highest score in a Women’s World Cup final, but opener Tammy Beaumont’s 27 was the next best for England.

Jess Jonassen had three for 57 and Alana King had three for 64 for Australia.

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