Getty Danni Wyatt needs another big day for England to beat Australia in the Women's Cricket World Cup final.
Defending champions England can win a second World Cup in a row if Sophie Ecclestone and Danni Wyatt can repeat their semi-final heroics against Australia on Saturday.
Ecclestone, Wyatt and England will arrive at Christchurch in New Zealand having won five-straight matches. The last of those wins was at the expense of South Africa in the final four, when Wyatt was prolific with the bat, while Ecclestone shone as a spin bowler.
Australia’s answer to both will hinge on the bat of skipper Meg Lanning, along with the seam bowling exploits of Megan Schutt. The Southern Stars have owned this series and proven themselves as the most talented team at the tournament.
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Australia vs England Preview
The one-sided nature of this rivalry was summed up when “Australia hammered England during their multi-format Ashes series this winter,” per Malik Ouzia of the London Evening Standard.
Ouzia noted how the Southern Stars “won all three ODIs in convincing fashion during the Ashes.” It’s an ominous sign for England skipper Heather Knight, who also saw her team lose to Australia by 12 runs earlier in this tournament.
It was the first of three-straight defeats to begin the competition for England, who also lost to the Windies and South Africa. Knight’s team has done nothing but win since, but the squad still hasn’t been strong enough to convince anybody it can overcome Australia.
The first meeting saw Schutt take one wicket, but she was ably supported by Jess Jonassen, Tahlia McGrath and Alana King. Lefty Jonassen took a pair of wickets, as did medium-pacer McGrath, but it was King who became a star.
She claimed three wickets with an array of tricky, spinning deliveries. King’s 3/59 effort was just the start, with the 26-year-old “picking up nine wickets from eight matches,” according to the tournament’s official website.
There’s true variety in the Australia attack, but England will try to counter with Wyatt’s heavy hitting. It proved to be the key against South Africa, as Wyatt stung the Proteas for 129 runs from 125 deliveries.
Her efforts were more than matched by Alyssa Healy when Australia beat the West Indies by 157 runs in the other semi-final, per CricketMAN2:
In this Women’s World Cup 2022:-
•In 1st Semifinal – Alyssa Healy scored 129 runs in Opening.
•In 2nd Semifinal – Danielle Wyatt scored 129 runs in Opening.
Keeping Healy under wraps is a tough task, but Ecclestone is perfectly suited to the job. She was in fine form against South Africa, taking an astonishing six wickets in just eight overs, to move her to the top of the tournament standings.
As Wisden pointed out, Ecclestone is now closing in on a piece of World-Cup history:
Sophie Ecclestone needs four wickets in the final to take the overall record off Australia’s Lyn Fullston, who claimed 23 wickets in the 1982 World Cup 🤫
Ecclestone will need to be in record-breaking mood if England are going to overcome the odds and the sheer volume of talent in Australia’s ranks. It’s more likely the Southern Stars continue to boss a familiar foe.