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Beth Mooney starred in yet another ICC Women's T20 World Cup final when Australia overcame the tough challenge of the hosts South Africa with a 19-run win at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on Sunday, February 26. She carried the bat with a brilliant 74 off 53 balls on a slow pitch as Australia set a target of 157 for the Proteas to chase down, which they failed to do.
It was a hat-trick of Women's T20 World Cup titles for Australia, completing the treble for a second time. They have won six trophies — 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023 — And in doing so, also made Meg Lanning the most captain in ICC trophies with five victories (four T20 World Cups and one ODI World Cup) and one more than compatriot Ricky Ponting (two ODI World Cups and two Champions Trophies).
ICC Women's T20 World Cup match report
And Mooney herself created a new record, becoming the first cricketer to score back-to-back half-centuries in T20 World Cup finals. She scored 78 off 54 against the India Women in the 2020 final to guide Australia to glory.
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The star batter got slightly cocky after the match, which was affordable given her exemplary performance. When asked on how to stop his side from winning, she said, "Just don't turn up, it's too hard. Don't bother going (laughs).
However, getting more serious, she answered, "No, I'm not too sure, I think. I have played in a lot of teams, it starts with probably within yourself more so than anything rather than worrying about what other people do. It's a tough question to answer. If I give too much away, I might start getting beaten but the good part about the game is every team is evolving at a rapid pace and the game is evolving at a rapid pace too. I am excited about what's to come and the challenges that are ahead of us.
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The 29-year-old opener admitted that her side is not done winning trophies as other sides continue playing catch up, "Well as many [titles] as they are out there, I think. We don't get tired of it. Something we speak about as a group is making sure we are always evolving along the way. We are seeing that teams around the world are getting better and better as the years go on.
"We know that we are being hunted. People are looking at us for what we do and how we go about it. So certainly, it won't last forever but we want to enjoy it for as long as we can. Hopefully, we can keep piling up those trophies and enjoy," she said when a reporter asked how many more titles Australia would like to win.
She also commended her side's fielding in the final and the semifinal, especially during the crunch tie against India. "The game is never over until it's over, I think that's what keeps bringing us back," said Mooney.
"We fought really hard against India, it was an exciting contest, but we know if we're half a per cent off here and there in T20 World Cups, you can lose the game. For us, it's never boring. I think we're always in a contest and always in a fight," she added.
