Opening bats women Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney scored glittering half-centuries as a ruthless Australia crushed India by 85 runs to win a record-extending fifth Women’s Twenty20 World Cup in front of a heaving Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The explosive Healy blasted a 39-ball 75 and pillaged five sixes from India’s hapless bowlers, while Mooney finished with an unbeaten 78 from 54 balls – driving the defending champions to an imposing total of 184 for four.
Having dropped both the Australian openers when they were on single figures in a dismal fielding display, a shell shocked India later crumbled under the floodlights to be out for 99 after 19.1 overs.
Megan Schutt claimed the final wicket of tail-ender Poonam Yadav, with Ash Gardner scrambling forward from the mid-wicket boundary to catch an attempted slog and send home fans in the crowd of 86 174 into a frenzy.
Blighted by injuries, Australia had to grind through a slew of do-or-die matches to reach the decider after losing their tournament opener to India.
Yet shorn of talismanic all-rounder Ellyse Perry and front-line fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck, Meg Lanning’s side produced their best performance of the tournament in the match that counted.
For India, who lost the one-day World Cup final to England at Lord’s three years ago, their wait for a maiden global trophy in women’s cricket will go on.
They will rue a nervous start at the MCG, when opening bowler Deepti Sharma sent down three full tosses and was plundered for 14 runs in the first over.
The 16-year-old opener Shafali Verma’s dream tournament ended in huge disappointment, when she dropped Healy at cover on nine runs and was later caught behind for two by the wicketkeeper-batsman.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad put down a caught and bowled chance that would have dismissed Mooney for eight and the openers went on to produce a 115-run stand that set the platform for victory.