With a new coach and captain in charge, England say last year’s Ashes sweep is in the past as they prepare to meet Australia at Lord’s
Charlie Dean has declared the T20 World Cup final is a “fresh start” for England without any lingering baggage from last year’s crushing Ashes sweep, as the hosts look to end a 17-year title drought in the shortest format.
England breezed past South Africa in the semi-final to lock in a showdown against Australia at Lord’s on Sunday (12.30am Monday AEST), where they will be looking to lift the trophy for the first time since the inaugural women’s tournament in 2009.
It will be the first time England and Australia have met in a T20I since last year’s multi-format Ashes, where a humbling 16-0 sweep saw England undergo a reckoning that ended the tenures of coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight.
The Ashes foes have met once in an official match since, with Australia claiming a comfortable six-wicket win at last year’s ODI World Cup.
Speaking after Thursday’s semi-final, England’s vice-captain Dean said 18 months on from the Ashes, with Charlotte Edwards leading as coach along with Nat Sciver-Brunt as skipper, there would be no demons.
“We’ve not played (Australia) in six months, so it feels like a fresh start for us,” Dean said.
“But we know how brilliant they are as a side, they’ve dominated the games that they’ve played … they’re very skillful team, and we know that we need to produce our best cricket to beat them.
“But I guess on a final day it’s whoever rocks up and plays the best cricket, it doesn’t matter what’s happened before that.
“We feel like we’re in a really great place as a team, but we also know the force that Australia cricket are, so I guess it’s balancing those two elements of feeling a sense of confidence, but trying to prepare really well.”
Skipper Sciver-Brunt echoed that sentiment following her resounding return from a calf injury that kept her sidelined for much of the group stage.
Sciver-Brunt rescued England from trouble at 3-23 inside the Powerplay against the Proteas, hammering a 47-ball 75 to set up what was ultimately a comfortable win.
Both England and Australia go into the final undefeated, and England’s captain was bullish about their chances of lifting the trophy.
“The way that we’ve gone about our cricket in this tournament … (that’s) the way that we can beat them,” Sciver-Brunt said.
“Standing up and going toe to toe with them is the way.
“I think the vibe that we’ve created as a group throughout this competition has allowed us to feel really confident in ourselves and each other, so looking forward to that battle at Lord’s.
“(The final is) what we’ve been preparing for, and not only during this competition but in the months before that, throughout the winter camps that we’ve had and everything to be able to perform on the bigger stage.
“We’ve set ourselves up with an amazing opportunity to be in a home World Cup final … you don’t get that many times in your career.
“I think we’ve got what it takes.”
Sciver-Brunt is one of three remaining members of the England side who won the 2017 ODI World Cup final at Lord’s, where they saw off India in a thriller, alongside Knight and opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Dean, who came into the England side in 2021, said drawing on their experience in handling the pressure of a home final will be crucial for the squad’s younger members.
The off-spinner, who has played in two losing semi-finals as well as England’s loss to Australia in the 2022 ODI World Cup final since making her international debut and who was also part of last year’s Ashes defeat, said she felt the current side was peaking in confidence.
“I think in the small amount of time I’ve played for England, it really feels like we’re building something,” Dean said.
“There’s a lot more experience in those younger girls’ belts now, and it feels like we know our individual games a lot better.
“So, when we’re put under the pump and into those situations, we can look back on experiences that have been tough to know that we can do better.
“I feel like it is the most confident I’ve personally been in an England shirt, and I feel like that radiates from everyone else as well.”
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson
Australia’s Group 1 fixtures
June 13: beat South Africa by 65 runs
June 17: beat Bangladesh by nine wickets
June 20: beat Netherlands by 98 runs
June 24: beat Pakistan by 113 runs
June 28: beat India by six wickets
Semi-final 1: Australia beat West Indies by eight wickets
Semi-final 2: England v South Africa, The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST)
Final: Lord’s, London, July 5 (12:30am July 6 AEST)
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video
