The dream run ended for India on the grandest stage as they were defeated by Australia by 85 runs in the finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The record Champions were once again too good on the night for their opponents as they lifted their second-consecutive and overall fifth title. Alyssa Healey and Beth Mooney set the tone of the match since the early overs as the defending champions continued their dominance in the shortest format of the women’s game. Indian Fans Recall Horrors of 2003 World Cup Final As Australia Openers Plunder Bowlers in 2020 ICC Women’s T20 CWC Final (See Reactions).

After opting to bat first, opening duo of Alyssa Healey and Beth Mooney dominated the Indian bowling attack right from the get-go. The pair completed a century run stand before the former was dismissed by Radha Yadav on 75. Mooney continued after her partner’s wicket as her knock of 78 runs of 54 deliveries helped Australia to a score of 184 in their quota of 20 overs. Deepti Sharma bagged two wickets for herself with Poonam Yadan and Radha Yadav getting one-each. India vs Australia ICC T20 Women's World Cup 2020, Final - As it Happened

Chasing a tough score, India got off to the worst possible start as explosive opener Shafali Verma was dismissed after just three deliveries and wicket-keeper Taniya Bhatia was retired hurt after suffering a knock on her head. Jemimah Rodrigues was the next to get out as she departed without troubling the scoreboard and was soon followed by Captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

Deepti Sharma tried to stop the get the first-timers back into the game but she had very little to no support as the Indian team kept losing wickets at regular intervals and finally were bowled out for 99 runs. Megan Schutt was the star with the ball as she took four wickets while Jess Jonassen bagged three for herself.

Alyssa Healy won the player of the match for this game while Beth Mooney was named as the player of the tournament for the brilliant performances throughout the competition. This was Australia’s fifth title win as they continue to reign supreme in the game.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2020 04:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).