5 reasons why Australia won Women's 20-20 World Cup 2023

Australia Women's team (Image credits: Twitter)

Australia were crowned Women's 20-20 World Cup 2023 champions after dominating throughout the tournament and defeating South Africa by 19 runs in the final on February 26. South Africa's hope to win their maiden World Cup title after making their first final appearance (both senior men's and women's) was dashed by Meg Lanning and Co. Beth Mooney's brilliant knock of 74 and a tight bowling performance by the Aussie bowlers helped Australia win their sixth 20-20 title.

Mooney was named Player of the Match for his match-winning performance in the final, while Ashleigh Gardner was named Player of the Tournament for her brilliant all-round display throughout the tournament. Australia have been consistent and dominant throughout the event and there are many reasons why the mighty Aussies won this time.

Here are the 5 reasons why Australia Women's won the 20-20 World Cup:

1. Strong total

The South African bowlers tried to put pressure on Australia by picking up six wickets but managed to score 156 runs on a pitch which presumably had a par score of 140. Aussie opener Mooney who scored 74 runs off 53 balls gave Australia the upper hand and was the match-winning player of the match. South Africa went well but conceding 34 runs in the last 3 overs really hurt them and probably increased the pressure on them. Meg Lanning's side were happy after putting up a reasonable total on the board.

2. Poor start from Proteas batters

Chasing an above-par total on a used wicket, the Proteas batters did not have a good start to their batting innings. They could only score 22 runs in the first 6 overs, and even lost the wicket of their opener Tazmin Brits (10 off 17). The story was not different even with their middle-order batters. South Africa lost back-to-back wickets after conceding too many dot balls in a high-pressure game against a high-quality bowling team.

Laura Wolvaardt was the lone fighter for them as she scored 61 runs from 48 balls. Until she was dismissed in the 17th over, Australia was in a state of bother as she continued to hit boundaries and try to take the team home. Had there been proper support from any other batter, the story of the Africans would have been different.

3. Squad strength

Australia once again proved that they are the powerhouse of women's cricket. The Aussies squad is full of amazing talent which has been one of the main reasons for their dominance all these years. Their batting quality, power hitting, fielding, depth and bowling strength are something other teams can only dream of.

Moreover, the Aussies have five of the ten top-ranked batters in the game. And it was Mooney and Gardner (ranked second and seventh respectively) who excelled on their sixth title-winning occasion. Gardner, who was awarded the player of the tournament, is one of three Aussies in the top ten of the bowling rankings too. They have experienced players and versatile options in their squad to perform well in high-pressure matches like these.

4. Meg Lanning’s captaincy

Australia's sixth World Cup title winning was also a historic achievement for Aussie captain Meg Lanning. Lanning is now undoubtedly the most successful captain in the history of cricket, surpassed legendary skippers Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni in the list of most Cricket Governing Body titles as captain. Under her leadership, Australia have become five-time champions and with yesterday's victory over South Africa, Lanning became the first captain in the history of the game to win three consecutive 20-20 World Cup titles.

5. Form throughout the tournament

Australia have been consistent in their form throughout the tournament, dominating the opposition in all departments. Lanning's team reached in the final of 20-20 World Cup after winning all their group matches. They also crushed India Women in the semi-finals by 6 runs in a thriller encounter. Australia were only unbeaten team in the tournament. This clearly shows their power-packed squad and their ability to perform in major tournaments.