(Photo ICC)
Sophie Molineux will fulfil a childhood dream when she captains Australia in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final at Lord’s.
As a child, the all-rounder expressed to her dad a desire to watch a Test match at Lord’s. Now her father will be in the stands to watch her lead her side against England in a World Cup final.
This is Molineux’s first such occasion as skipper, as Australia chase a record-extending seventh T20 World Cup.
“It is really special,” she said. “I grew up watching Test cricket with my dad, and I said to him 15 years ago, I wanted to watch a Test match at Lord’s.
“Who would have thought that we would be running out and playing a World Cup final here in front of a packed crowd.
“For us, Lord’s is the home of cricket, and it is going to be a really special occasion.”
Australia, like England, have gone unbeaten on their way to the showpiece, including a T20 World Cup record chase of 171 against India in their final group-stage match.
They then comfortably defeated the West Indies in the last four but they have been made to sweat on the fitness of star all-rounder Ellyse Perry, who retired out with ‘minor quad awareness’ during that match.
Australia head coach Shelley Nitschke hinted that Australia may play Perry even if she is not fully fit but Molineux kept her cards close to her chest after the 35-year-old came through training seemingly without a hitch.
She added: “She trained really well, had a good bat, had a good bowl, she will field as well.
“She trained well today, and we will assess tomorrow, see how she pulls up before we make any decisions.
“It would be great if she can bowl for us. But at the same time, with our bowling depth, we feel like we have got cover there.
“Her T20 World Cup so far with the bat, she has been incredible and has won us a couple of games with the bat. Even if she is not bowling, it will be a massive positive for us.”
Australia are back in an ICC Final for the first time since 2023, when they won the T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Successive semi-final defeats in both the T20 and ODI World Cups mean Australia do not hold either World Cup trophy, only the third time in history that has happened.
But Molineux believes that whatever the outcome against England, her Australia side have done themselves proud by getting back to this stage.
“It has been an incredible tournament so far for this group and whatever happens tomorrow, happens,” she said.
“I think we are going to walk away really proud of the type of cricket we have played over the last few weeks.
“The girls have played with freedom, they have been brave. We have played a really amazing team game of cricket, we can take so much away from this tournament.
“In terms of legacy, if we get over the line tomorrow, that will only add to that.”
Australia’s loss to eventual champions India in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 marked the end of their seven-year stranglehold on one or both of the ICC World Cups.
It also marked the start of a rejuvenation for Australia, which sets them up well for a tilt at another title.
Molineux added: “The lessons we took out of that semi-final we have held close to us for the last six or seven months.
“The way the group has been able to grow over the last three or four months has released the shackles a little bit, to use our class, to use our skill.
“It is a very smart cricket team, they know what they are doing. The biggest thing has been the growth in that area.
“We know if we want to play in these big games, we are signing up for pressure, and we have put a lot of effort into being able to manage that and cope with that.
“We have been able to use that during different points of the World Cup, and we will have to do that again. I have full faith in everyone to be able to do that.”
Sciver-Brunt ready for “huge occasion
Nerves have turned to excitement for Nat Sciver-Brunt as she prepares to lead England in the final against Australia at Lord’s.
The England skipper rescued her side in the last four clash with South Africa, admitting to feeling nervous before her match-defining 75, but is ready to embrace everything that comes with the big occasion.
The 33-year-old was part of the 2017 team that triumphed in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at the same venue, but Sunday’s match will mark her first time captaining England in a final.
“I am sure I will be very emotional about the day, it is obviously a huge occasion and we have worked very hard up to this point,” she said.
“I am so excited to be able to walk through that Long Room with the girls and know we have got each others’ backs. I am really excited about it.
“I feel prepared and ready for the game, for the battle, because we know it is a game to be won.
“It is the two best sides in the tournament, who have gone unbeaten, going against each other, it should be a good watch, hopefully.”
Something has got to give at Lord’s as England have never beaten Australia in a final but have never failed to win a World Cup they have hosted.
The two sides are also yet to lose a match in this year’s competition and there is little to separate them in the rankings with number two England one place below Australia.
Sciver-Brunt added: “It will be a tough battle, both teams have got players with bags of experience and also some youngsters that are massively talented as well.
“We know that lots of their players have got experience playing in the knockout games and have had lots of success.
“We are under no illusion that it will be a really tough game against Australia, finals like this don’t come around that often and we’ll be relishing the challenge.”
Sciver-Brunt insists England will have no thoughts of their 2025 Ashes whitewash at the hands of Australia when they face their old foes.
Instead, her side are choosing to reflect on their journey to the final, which has been largely perfect.
She added: “Everyone has done so much hard work to get us into this position.
“We would always work hard before a tournament, but the levels of confidence that people have in their own ability to be able to put their skills on display regardless of who we are playing is the thing I am most proud of and most pleased with.
“There have been so many different people throughout the tournament who have had their moment to shine. As a team, we are really well balanced in that way.
“Everyone has had success throughout the tournament. They can draw on that moment, that feeling, to help them tomorrow.”
Sciver-Brunt has missed three games with a calf injury during the tournament, but her return to the side for the knockout stages is crucial for England.
She is the player for the big occasion, with her innings against the Proteas on Thursday just the latest example. Sciver-Brunt also scored 148 not out in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 final defeat, their most recent World Cup showpiece, also against Australia.
Her relaxed nature means that her wife Katherine, herself a two-time World Cup winner in finals at Lord’s, had to remind her exactly what a World Cup final could mean for cricket in England.
“Katherine said to me after the game the other night that ‘it is bigger than you think it is’,” she said.
“I guess we’ve been living in our bubble as a team and not letting anyone stray out of that.
“Once we finish the tournament and have the next few weeks, we can see how far we have come and what it has meant to people watching and the country.
“It is going to be a big occasion but it is why we have done everything we have done so far, everything we have worked on to try and get us to this point.
“We acknowledge that and try and take in as much of the day as we can. Being part of the 2017 final, we spoke in a similar way about how special a day it was going to be, being really present and enjoying the day as much as we can.
“That is what I have been trying to instil in everybody.”
