England face Australia in Girls’s T20 World Cup remaining at Lord’s trying to seal personal Lionesses and Pink Roses second

England’s cricketers are a victory away from clinching their very own Lionesses and Pink Roses second.

After watching their footballing counterparts win Euro 2022 on dwelling soil and England’s girls’s rugby group nail World Cup glory as host nation final autumn, it’s now the flip of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s aspect to, they hope, elevate a trophy in entrance of flocks of their very own followers as they tackle Australia within the T20 World Cup remaining at Lord’s on Sunday.

“Talking about the Lionesses and Red Roses before the tournament, you know we have a chance to be part of that movement of women’s sport in the country,” mentioned Sciver-Brunt on Saturday afternoon.

The omens are with them. England have received each Girls’s World Cup – 50-over and 20-over – to be staged of their nation, securing victories within the ODI variations in 1973, 1993 and 2017, in addition to the inaugural 20-over match again in 2009.

However current historical past in opposition to Australia just isn’t with them. By no means, with eight match defeats on the spin to the outdated enemy. England’s final win over the Southern Stars was in an ODI in Taunton in 2023.

The 16-0 drubbing within the 2025 Ashes – the primary time a clear sweep had been seen for the reason that collection went to a factors system – is the chief instance of Australia nicely and actually having England’s quantity.

The Southern Stars have received 4 and drawn two of the final six Ashes collection, whereas their dominance of England has additionally prolonged into World Cups, together with defeating their rivals within the group stage of final yr’s 50-over competitors in India.

England have misplaced their final 4 T20 World Cup video games in opposition to Australia, stretching again to 2012, and never overwhelmed them in any World Cup since 50-over success in Bristol in 2017.

Plus, within the six World Cup finals Australia and England have contested, the document reads Australia 6-0 England, with three 50-over triumphs (1982, 1988, 2022) and a trio in T20 (2012, 2014, 2018).

Why England ought to be assured in opposition to favourites Australia

Seeing Australia emphatically dismiss West Indies in Tuesday’s first semi-final – romping to a goal of 126 with seven overs to spare – and make it six wins from as many matches on this World Cup, gave a sign of the juggernaut England are coping with right here.

But, England’s 40-run success over South Africa within the second last-four conflict on Thursday night, a outcome which prolonged their very own 100 per cent document, displayed why they’ve an opportunity of breaking this psychological block they seemingly have in opposition to Australia and securing a primary World Cup title in 9 years.

The resilience to recuperate from slipping to 23-3 within the powerplay; influential captain Sciver-Brunt match once more and firing after a calf pressure – she smoked 74 from 47 balls in opposition to South Africa, sharing an innings-reviving stand of 133 from 90 balls along with her predecessor as skipper Heather Knight – and an unlimited array of bowling choices.

Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone bagged 1-21 in opposition to the Proteas, taking her wicket tally within the match to 9. She has additionally been extremely frugal. No bowler to have gotten via as many overs (24) has a greater economic system price than Ecclestone’s 5.79.

Ecclestone is supported by fellow left-arm twirler Linsey Smith, off-spinner Charlie Dean, towering pacer Lauren Bell and seam-bowling all-rounders Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson. Kemp and Gibson’s inclusions have given the England group such a elevate.

Not solely are Kemp and Gibson in a position to get via precious overs, guaranteeing Sciver-Brunt doesn’t need to as she manages this calf challenge that has impacted her all summer season lengthy and restricted her enjoying time, however in addition they present welly down the order with the bat.

We noticed that when Kemp and Gibson belted 39 off 16 balls and 30 off 11 respectively in opposition to Scotland.

So, if opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge, the main run-scorer within the competitors with 294 at 73.50 after hitting one century and two fifties, had been to fall cheaply, as she did within the semi-final, and if Alice Capsey, Sciver-Brunt and Knight had been to not utterly come off, England would nonetheless have hope of a aggressive rating.

Kemp and Gibson didn’t get a lot of a success in opposition to South Africa however the former excelled with the ball, nabbing 1-11 from three overs. Her slower-ball variations and left-arm angle might be key in opposition to an Australia outfit with a batting line-up deeper than the Pacific Ocean.

England’s fielding has additionally come on leaps and bounds, with Ecclestone producing two glorious catches within the semi-final.

Head coach Edwards the X-factor for England in World Cup remaining?

However maybe the largest cause to be optimistic about England’s possibilities is the individual they’ve controlling issues from the dugout: head coach Charlotte Edwards. She is a serial winner.

As a participant that included captaining England to the 2009 T20 and 50-over World Cup titles and three outright Ashes collection victories. As a coach it has featured home and franchise titles with Southern Vipers, Southern Courageous and WPL group Mumbai Indians.

Edwards took over the England job from Jon Lewis following the Ashes shemozzle a few winters in the past. Lewis, having labored with the lads’s group beforehand as bowling coach, was desirous to instill a Bazball mentality. Edwards wished a profitable one.

She mentioned throughout her first media commitments since securing the function: “Ultimately, international cricket is about winning. I am not going to be scared to say I want to win. There is a lot I want to bottle from the way the players have played over the last couple of years, but what I have to do is build that game awareness in there.”

England actually have not been boring beneath Edwards however they’ve been far more ruthless and positively improved beneath strain from the aspect that shipped a number of catches throughout a “chaotic” – to make use of Sciver-Brunt’s phrase – defeat to West Indies in Dubai that noticed them eradicated within the group stage on the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The acid check comes on Sunday in opposition to an Australia group beneath strain of their very own after failing to win both of the final two World Cups; they suffered a semi-final exit to South Africa on the 2024 T20 World Cup and misplaced on the similar stage to India within the 50-over version final autumn. Additionally they have health issues over Ellyse Perry.

World Cup finals are Australia’s area. Of the 14 they’ve performed throughout each white-ball codecs, they’ve 12 wins and two defeats, solely coming unstuck in opposition to New Zealand (50-over World Cup) in 2000 and West Indies (T20 World Cup) a decade in the past. However enjoying England in a World Cup remaining in England represents a primary for them.

The overwhelming majority of supporters at Lord’s can be on England’s aspect and perhaps fashionable sporting historical past can be, too.

After the Lionesses at Wembley in 2022 and the Pink Roses at Twickenham in 2025, England on the ‘Residence of Cricket’ in 2026 would full a rousing and galvanizing hat-trick.

Watch the Girls’s T20 World Cup remaining between England and Australia, at Lord’s, reside on Sky Sports activities Cricket and Sky Sports activities Combine from 2.30pm on Sunday (3.30pm first ball). You too can watch the match reside for FREE on the Sky Sports activities App and skysports.com.