BENGALURU, July 4 (Reuters) - Australia will bid for a record-extending seventh Women's Twenty20 World Cup title when they face arch-rivals England in Sunday's final at Lord's, with the tournament's two unbeaten teams chasing history on the biggest stage.
Six-time champions Australia are seeking to further cement their dominance in the format, while England hope to become the first nation to win two Women's T20 World Cups on home soil after winning the inaugural event they hosted in 2009.
Australia booked their place in the final with an eight-wicket victory over West Indies, completing a flawless run of six wins from six matches under new captain Sophie Molineux.
Molineux, who succeeded skipper Alyssa Healy earlier this year, has overseen a campaign built on depth rather than dependence on a handful of stars.
Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Georgia Wareham and Ashleigh Gardner have all made significant contributions at different stages of the tournament, with Perry emerging as Australia's indomitable force after bagging three player-of-the-match awards in six games.
"The advantage that we do have in some regard is that we've played in a lot of finals, we've got a core group that's played in a lot of finals as well, so making sure that we can tap into that (will be important)," Gardner said after the semi-final.
"We're not relying on one or two people, so it's almost like in those big moments, different people are standing up."
England head into the final with confidence and momentum. Danni Wyatt-Hodge leads the tournament's run-scoring charts, while Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean are among the top-six wicket-takers.
Their commanding 40-run semi-final win over South Africa underlined the form that has carried them to their first T20 World Cup final since 2018. Yet the biggest challenge remains Australia.
England have not beaten Australia in any format since July 2023, suffering eight successive defeats, including an away Ashes whitewash last year.
"The way that we've gone about our cricket in this tournament is planned out and the way that we can beat them," captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who overcame a calf injury in the tournament, said after the semi-final win.
"Australia are a world-class side that have had huge success in the last few years, but standing up and going toe-to-toe with them is the way."
Victory would reinforce Australia's supremacy in women's cricket, while England have the chance to end a lengthy winless run against their fiercest rivals and claim their second T20 World Cup title after a 17-year wait.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Chopra)
