So utterly brilliant were the Aussie ladies in the much anticipated and widely watched ICC T20 Women’s World Cup final that not only did they smash England, the hosts at their own home but won the final contest with nearly 3 overs in the tank. Of the brilliant 153 runs they scored while chasing, 64 belonged to none other than Beth Mooney, who led the way for Australia as brilliantly as only she could have.
She scored lots of precious runs time and again throughout this tournament and ended her mega ICC T20 2026 run tally with 238 runs next to her name. But forget the runs. That they came at a phenomenal average north of 47 made the effort of the blazing left handed even more special.
She’s a calm batter and a quiet destroyer of attacks who has her way fighting both spin and medium pace without breaking much sweat. And at the back of her latest batting feat, Beth Mooney has become the first ever cricketer - male or female- to twice earn the player of the tournament award. It shall for times to come remain a great feat. But meanwhile, let’s dig into two other names with a familiar looking feat in the game.
Sam Curran was actually named the precious Player of the Tournament for his standout performances back in the 2022 T20 World Cup. It was a great tournament for him as in taking 13 wickets (second-highest overall) at an average of 11.38 and an economy of around 6.52, he earned the player of the final as well as the player of the tournament.
A similar performance- and a remarkable one at that- was noted in women’s cricket again when back in 2024 in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Amelia Kerr took 15 wickets on the whole and in the much anticipated and closely fought final against the Proteas women, she scored 43 with the bat and took a vital, decisive 3-for that helped the White Ferns win. It remains New Zealand women’s only World Cup win the game’s shortest format.
But back on Beth Mooney is no random scorer of runs with the bat. The outstanding and consistent Australia batter actually won a player of the tournament even before her latest prized 2026 award. That was back in the year 2020, where the likes of Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy were still around in the powerful Australian side.
Most importantly, her heroics with the bat and agile keeping from behind the stumps have not just enabled Australian women’s side to earn a famous and incredible 7th title in the ICC T20 World Cup competition but further helped elevate the overall standing of Australia as a cricket playing nation.
No random or bland praise this.
Thanks to her incredible unbeaten half century well supported by excellent all round cricket as played by the Molineux-led side in the recent final, Australia have now won a record breaking 24th ICC title, this includes the trophies that the men’s sides won back in the day.
If anyone ever had any doubts about the tag of undisputed champions belonging to Australia, then perhaps with their ardent and passionate success against hosts England in the final of the 2026 women’s T20 World Cup, the Aussies have shattered all doubts.
Beth Mooney’s calculative stroke play and ability to combine risk taking with outstanding shots to all sides of the park have further elevated her status, in fact, as a comprehensive batter who holds her weight commendably against the likes of big names in the game like Smriti Mandhana, Laura Wolvaardt, and the likes.
