Women’s T20 World Cup final: Rival captains gear up for a tough outing

Sophie Molineux grew up watching cricket with her father. Some 15 years ago, she said she would one day like to watch a Test at Lord’s.

Molineux is going to do better than that. She will on Sunday (July 5, 2026) lead Australia in the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup at the home of cricket.

The Australian captain expects a tough challenge. “It is going to be a huge challenge,” she said.

“They have played some really brilliant cricket over the last few weeks. Lottie [coach Charlotte Edwards] has got the team in a really good place, and they seem to be full of confidence. And you add on to that, 30,000 English fans here at Lord’s.”

Molineux, however, pointed out that her team matched up well against England.

“We don’t look too far into the past, but we should be very confident heading into this,” she said. “And if we just look at how we want to play and what we can do.”

Nat Sciver-Brunt has led England from the front. File
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

Her counterpart Nat Sciver-Brunt is also relishing the challenge.

“Every time we come up against Australia, it is going to be a tough battle,” said the England captain.

“Both teams have got players that have got massive experience, and also some youngsters who are hugely talented as well.”

She is glad that her team is a nice blend of youth and experience.

“We have had some great performances from Freya [Kemp] and Dani [Gibson], obviously, with the bat, taking the game on in the last five-six overs,” Sciver-Brunt said.

“And Kemp has been bowling really well and sticking to her skills.”

Looking ahead to the summit clash with a most familiar rival, she said: “Finals like this don’t come around that often.”

Among those watching the final at Lord’s will be Mark Molineux, Sophie’s dad.