London [UK], July 5 (ANI): International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah said the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup has become the biggest edition in the tournament’s history, highlighting record-breaking attendance and global television and digital viewership ahead of the final between England and Australia.
In a post on X, Shah said the tournament had fulfilled its ambition of setting new benchmarks for fan engagement around the world.
“We had ambitions for this #T20WorldCup to be the biggest ever, and with record-breaking crowds and huge viewership across the globe on TV and digital, we have achieved that. Best of luck to England and Australia, who will no doubt put on a great contest in the Final at Lord’s,” Shah wrote.
We had ambitions for this #T20WorldCup to be the biggest ever, and with record-breaking crowds and huge viewership across the globe on TV and digital we have achieved that.
Best of luck to England and Australia, who will no doubt put on a great contest in the Final at Lord’s. pic.twitter.com/cz0tU0EWy4
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) July 5, 2026
Meanwhile, the hosts have made only one enforced change during the tournament, with Sophia Dunkley replacing captain Nat Sciver-Brunt at number three for three games in the group stage, according to an ICC media release.
Meanwhile, six-time champions Australia have used 14 of their 15-person squad en route to the final. Alongside that, the side ranked number one in the world has been able to call on as many as eight bowlers in a single match.
It leaves Australia and Sophie Molineux with a selection dilemma, as Alana King, who has a strong track record against England, has not been part of Australia’s last two matches.
“We will definitely look at that [King playing],” Molineux said, as quoted by the ICC Media release. “The unpredictability is a big part of T20 cricket, but at the same time you have to back and trust what we have got. We have got eight or nine bowlers in our 11 at the moment. Kingy is certainly in the frame, and we will have a look and make sure we make the right call on that front.”
England made no guarantees on their XI for Sunday’s final, but the world number two side has played the same side during every game Sciver-Brunt has been available for.
There are seemingly no concerns around her fitness, having used innovative techniques, including seven hours of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance therapy to get her ready for the semi-final against South Africa, where she blasted 75 to set up England’s victory.
It is impossible to know whether England would have made other changes if Sciver-Brunt had been fit through the tournament, with young bowlers Issy Wong, Lauren Filer and Tilly Corteen-Coleman being the three players not to get a game.
Therefore, for England, the likely challenge is not what XI to pick, but how they go about delivering a fresh challenge to Australia.
Sciver-Brunt said, “We’ve got a bowling group that has the skills to bowl anywhere. The batting lineup has been explosive at different moments, in the powerplay, at the death or in the middle. I suppose it’s two teams that have played against each other a lot, and so we expect to know the opposition very well, and they’ll know us very well. I guess when it comes down to it, it’s about who can deliver their skills better on the day. The message has been to enjoy yourself and stick to the skills that we’ve been working on.”
“If we do need to go to a different plan, for the bowlers, they’ve been practising it throughout the tournament and will be ready to execute that on the pitch. I guess it’s just about staying in the moment and knowing that we have Plan B, C, and D to turn to if we need to,” she added.
England had an overhaul of their leadership as Charlotte Edwards, herself a T20 World Cup winner at Lord’s in 2009, came in as coach, and Sciver-Brunt replaced Heather Knight as captain.
Meanwhile, Molineux has taken over the captaincy from Alyssa Healy, who retired earlier this year, having been part of every T20 World Cup triumph for Australia.
Neither skipper has allowed themselves to think about what a World Cup victory would mean for them personally as well as their team.
Molineux said, “If we win tomorrow, there will be a chance to sit back and reflect, but we still have a job to do, and that is playing our best game of cricket. It has been a whirlwind captaining the team; it has been amazing so far, and I have really enjoyed it.”
For Sciver-Brunt, it has been important to block out the outside noise, although she has told her players to absorb the noise of the sold-out crowd when they take to the field for the final.
She said, “It is going to be a big occasion, but it is why we have done everything we have done so far, everything we have worked on to try and get us to this point. We acknowledge that and try and take in as much of the day as we can, be present and enjoy ourselves.” (ANI)
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