The brilliance of Alyssa Healy inspired Australia to a seventh Women's Cricket World Cup as they beat England by 71 runs in Christchurch.
Healy backed up her semi final century against the West Indies by hammering 170 off 138 balls, including 26 fours, leading her side to a record final total of 356-5 from 50 overs. It left England ruing dropping the opener on 42, and more so skipper Heather Knight's decision to bat first upon winning the toss.
In reply, England mustered 285 all out in reply as Alana Smith and Jess Jonassen took three wickets each, with Nat Sciver's sublime unbeaten 148 in vain. But there could be little argument about the rightful winners as Aussie skipper Meg Lanning and her side celebrated afterwards, their display cementing a dominant five-week spell which saw them win all seven group matches to reach the last four.
Healy and Rachael Haynes were steady early on, reaching 37-0 off 10 overs as Sophia Dunkley and Sophie Ecclestone took the new ball. Ecclestone in particular bowled tightly, going for just 12 off her first five overs.
Bu then the two openers pressed the accelerator, and when on 68-0 Knight opted for a questionable review following an LBW appeal against Healy, it hinted at desperation. That desperation turned to frustration in the 21st over when both batters were dropped off Kate Cross - a diving Danni Wyatt putting down Haynes, before Nat Scriver mistimed her jump at mid-off and let Healy off the hook.
With the score on 160, a breakthrough finally came in the 30th over when Haynes, having hit seven fours in her 68, got a leading edge as she charged at Ecclestone and Beaumont clung on to the catch. But Healy was undeterred, passing 500 World Cup runs before reaching her ton off exactly 100 balls.
No 3 Beth Mooney helped her continue the momentum as the pair took things to 236-1 after 40 overs, reaching 50 off just 38 balls as England's fielding again cost them dear, Beaumont dropping a chance to remove Healy at fine leg. It proved pivotal as Healy responded by taking Ecclestone for three boundaries in one over.
In the 46th over her great innings finally ended when she was stumped off Anya Shrubsole by keeper Amy Jones, and as she departed, spectators rose to acknowledge one of the great knocks in a World Cup final. Her departure prompted a brief flurry of wickets, as Ash Gardner [1] was run out and Lanning [10] and Mooney [62] both fell to Shrubsole, the latter having cracked eight fours in her 37 ball knock.
But Ellyse Perry's boundary took the score past 350 in the final over, leaving England facing a record run chase and in reality, a mountain to climb. It was a mountain that looked even steeper when Wyatt [4] was bowled in the third over by Megan Schutt's in-swinger.
Wyatt's opening partner Beaumont tried to counter attack, hitting five fours to reach 27 off 26 balls before Schutt struck again to trap her LBW. And despite Sciver then coming to the crease and exerting her own brilliance, the likes of No 3 Knight [26], Jones [20], and Dunkley [23] couldn't hang around with her.
Sciver brought up her fourth world cup ton in the 35th over and went on to make 148 not out in 121 balls, hitting 15 fours and the game's only six in a knock every bit as memorable as Healy's. But while No 10 Charlie Dean [21] hung around with her in a stand of 65, things culminated in the 44th over when Shrubsole a delivery from Jonassen [3-57] into the hands of Gardner.
"That was a special game of cricket. very high scoring," said player of the match Healy afterwards. "That was special from our group, something we've been working towards for a long period of time. To finally get over the line was pretty cool."
