Australia lift seventh World Cup with Healy’s monumental 170

Australia had both hands on the World Cup after an innings for the ages by Alyssa Healy and, despite Nat Sciver holding on with everything she had, they ultimately ripped it from defending champions England with a 71-run victory in the final in Christchurch.

The undefeated Australians’ dominance of this tournament was complete with Healy’s magnificent 170 off 138 balls setting England a mammoth target of 357. It proved a step too far for a team that had shown plenty of character to overcome a three-match losing streak at the start which had left their hopes of even reaching the knockout stages in jeopardy, although Sciver refused to give up with a classy unbeaten century.

The result ended Australia’s five-year quest to win their seventh ODI title after they had been knocked out by India in the 2017 semi-finals.

Healy had danced up and down the pitch, and along her crease too, as she worked England’s bowlers round the ground on the way to her career-best score and cut down records as effortlessly as wielding her bat.

She posted the highest individual score of the tournament and the highest score by anyone in a World Cup final, passing Adam Gilchrist’s 149 against Sri Lanka in 2007, Sciver ending up just one run behind him with 148 not out.

Healy and fellow opener Rachael Haynes both passed New Zealander Debbie Hockley’s 1997 record of 456 for most runs scored in a single edition of a Women’s World Cup, Healy ending with 509 and Haynes 497 after her 68 today. With Beth Mooney also chipping in with a quickfire 62, England were left with the need to pull off a world record run chase in women’s ODIs.

It was a good batting surface though, and they went close to chasing down 311 when the sides met in the group stage. Sciver was England’s star in that game too and the team looked to her once more after losing both openers Danni Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont to Megan Schutt inside the first seven overs. Then captain Heather Knight was lbw to Alana King two balls after Sciver had overturned her leg-before dismissal.

Sciver duly delivered in that she ensured England went down fighting, striking the ball beautifully and using her feet to create gaps as she reached her 148 from just 121 balls, including 15 fours the only six of a match which yielded 76 boundaries in total. She kept required run-rate within reach for a long stretch but it was the early loss of wickets that proved costly.

Meg Lanning had a chance to remove Sophia Dunkley on 10, leaping high to her right at cover and getting a hand to it but unable to cling onto what would have been a blinder. Dunkley put on 50 runs with Sciver for the fifth wicket before being bowled round her legs by King for the second time in as many meetings.

King had Katherine Brunt stumped by Healy and Jess Jonassen took another return catch, only slightly less stunning than her reflex effort to remove Brunt in their group game, this time the left-armer diving a long way to her right to dismiss Kate Cross, leaving England 213 for 8 in the 34th over.

On the penultimate ball of her allocation, King was left wondering how Sciver was still standing after sending a bottom edge so fine it almost brushed leg stump. Meanwhile, Sciver and Charlie Dean clung on with a 65-run stand for the ninth wicket, and with Dean’s departure at the hands of Jonassen for a confident 21, youth gave way to the experience of Anya Shrubsole.

There were to be no late heroics, however, and as Shrubsole skied Jonassen to Ashleigh Gardner, running back from mid-off; she was unable to hold back the tears at the precise moment that Gardner let out a cry of triumph.

Earlier, Healy and Haynes put on a 160 runs together – a record partnership for any wicket in a Women’s World Cup final – as England struggled with their lengths, fielding and tactics after winning the toss and sending the opposition in.

Veteran seamers Brunt and Shrubsole contained Australia to 14 for 0 after five overs, but the openers were patient and when Brunt bowled a couple of short balls in the seventh over, Haynes dispatched them behind square leg so that by the end of the power play Australia were 37 for 0.

As the bowling changes came, Haynes and Healy upped the tempo and the pressure on England, taking to young offspinner Dean in a persistent onslaught that ultimately saw her bowl only four overs and concede 34 runs.

Suddenly, Australia were 68 for 0 after 15 overs and England turned to Sophie Ecclestone, who had been devastating with six wickets against South Africa in their semi-final, and Cross.

But then the poor fielding that dogged England early in the group stage returned as Cross saw two straightforward chances put down in one over. First, Wyatt dropped Haynes on 47 diving to her left at backward point, then Sciver spilled a chance off Healy, on 41 at the time, at midwicket.

Ramming home Australia’s advantage, Healy struck consecutive fours in Cross’ next over, bludgeoning a short ball over midwicket to bring up her half-century, then edging past the keeper.

It wasn’t until Ecclestone returned that England finally made the breakthrough when Haynes skied the first ball of the 30th over to Beaumont at backward point.

It counted for little as Mooney, promoted to No. 3, set about scoring at better than a-run-a-ball and Healy continued her showcase. She raised her century guiding Shrubsole for a single to deep point, screaming “yes!” for the run and then “yes!” for the ton as the batters crossed before embracing Mooney and then acknowledging the applause of the capacity Hagley Oval crowd with a satisfied smile.

Healy, who also scored 129 in an emphatic win over West Indies in the semi-finals, joined Ricky Ponting and Mahela Jayawardene as the only players to score two centuries in the knockout phases of an ODI World Cup.

She and Mooney brought up their 100-run partnership off just 81 balls and piled on the misery for England, adding 52 runs off three overs by Ecclestone and Sciver.

Healy was finally stumped while chasing a Shrubsole delivery outside off and Australia sent in big-hitting Gardner, only to see her run out three balls later. Shrubsole picked up two wickets in two balls after Beaumont took a strong catch back pedalling from short third man to remove Lanning for just 10 and Mooney holed out to Sciver at deep midwicket.