Belief back as England brace for their biggest game since 2017
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- England women's cricket team meet Australia in the T20 World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday, the venue sold out, with Edwards' side arriving on an eight-match winning streak after their semifinal victory over South Africa.
- Charlotte Edwards, dropped as captain a year before England's 2017 World Cup triumph and told to watch from the commentary box, is now the coach of a turnaround built from a 16-0 Ashes defeat and a group-stage exit at the last T20 World Cup.
- Freya Kemp smashed 39 off 13 balls to rescue England from defeat against India in Bristol six weeks ago — the turning point the article identifies — and England have not lost since, winning all eight subsequent matches.
- Danni Wyatt-Hodge is the tournament's leading run-scorer; Nat Sciver-Brunt returned from three games out with a calf injury and Heather Knight has, in Edwards' view, "banished any doubts her best days are gone."
- Australia arrive as favourites: they have played 10 World Cup finals since 2000 and lost only one, and England have not beaten them in any of five World Cup knockout meetings since the 2009 semi-final.
- Ellyse Perry appears to be winning her race to be fit, while Australian captain Sophie Molineux played down the Ashes shadow: "different conditions… a different style of cricket."
- A FIFA schedule U-turn on Saturday morning means the final will not be pitched against football, giving the match the spotlight Edwards' side "deserves."
Why it matters: A win delivers England their first global cricket title since 2017 and completes Edwards' personal redemption arc; a loss extends Australia's unbeaten World Cup knockout record against England since 2009 — 5 meetings, 0 English wins — and confirms the 16-0 Ashes blueprint still defines the gap between the sides.
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