Hussain: England Must Shed Mental Baggage for Australia Final
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- England meet Australia at Lord's on Sunday (3:30pm first ball) in the Women's T20 World Cup final, with both unbeaten sides having won all six tournament matches en route.
- Nasser Hussain told England to leave all 'mental baggage' behind, pointing to the 16-0 2025 Ashes thrashing and Australia's warm-up win in Cardiff as the psychological scars they must shake.
- Nat Sciver-Brunt, back from a calf complaint, and Heather Knight hit half-centuries in a 133-run stand off 90 balls to lift England from 23-3 to 169-5 against South Africa in the semi-final.
- Sophie Ecclestone anchored England's defence with figures of 1-21 from four overs and sharp catches, as South Africa were limited to 129-8 at The Oval.
- Charlotte Edwards, appointed head coach after the Ashes, earned praise from Hussain for sharpening England's fielding under pressure after earlier lapses.
- Australia enter as six-time T20 World Cup champions and bookmakers' favourites, with Hussain citing their long batting line-up as their biggest strength but flagging over-reliance on batters coming next.
- England's lone T20 World Cup title came in 2009; they lost the 2018 final to Australia in the Caribbean.
Why it matters: England's bid for a first title since 2009 hinges on the psychological mountain Australia have built — a 16-0 Ashes thrashing followed by another warm-up win in Cardiff. A Lord's victory on Sunday would validate Charlotte Edwards's post-Ashes reset and end a 17-year wait for a T20 World Cup crown against the side that beat them in their last final.
