Australia’s greatest sporting team? Lanning’s ‘Megastars’ are in the conversation

All that remains for this extraordinary, pioneering Australian women’s cricket team is to be beaten. As they pick up yet another world title, their 13th in white-ball cricket, they maintain that one of their goals is to grow the game globally. That legacy will be assured only when they at last meet their match.

Just now, that day still seems distant. In one sense, this final was a threshold for women’s cricket: a new and surprising finalist, a full house for the final – albeit that full at Newlands is 15,000 – another country alive to and energised by the revelation that is women’s cricket. That was a milestone in itself.

Meg Lanning lifts the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup – again.Credit: Getty Images

But the contest was predictable. On a holding pitch, reigning Belinda Clark medallist Beth Mooney found a way to make runs as only the best do. The other Australians batted busily around her to make a defendable score.

Laura Wolvaardt played a handsome innings with Mooney-like effect for South Africa, but the rest of their batting fell away, squeezed by some skilfully executed Australian bowling.

To their credit, South Africa did not freeze on stage the way India did at the MCG in 2020. But Australia were never behind in this match. Save a wobbly moment in their semi-final against India, they were never behind in this tournament.

They’ve rarely been behind in the last decade. They’ve played in a way that has changed the status and perception of women’s cricket forever and made some of them household names, and they’ve compiled a record that puts them in the conversation about the greatest Australian sporting teams.

Their triumph in the 2020 World Cup before 86,000 at the MCG represented a corner turned for good. But they’re not done yet.

“You guys are very annoying,” said South African captain Sune Luus at the presentation. “But congratulations to Meg and the team. You are setting the benchmark for other teams to live up to.” Still.

On the evidence of this tournament and final, Australia still lead the world by the head start they stole in the first decade of this century when they began to invest in the women’s game, established and consolidated the Women’s Big Bash League and made pay parity a cornerstone.

Beth Mooney in full flight for Australia.Credit: Getty Images

On the eve of the final, they received another shot in the arm with news of a record surge in registrations among 5-12-year olds. This is especially notable in the context of a plateauing and even thinning in other sports post-COVID-19.

But the gap between Australia and the rest of the world could close sooner than you might think. England, India and New Zealand will not rest, and the West Indies did beat Australia in a Twenty20 final in 2016.

South Africa have come a long way quickly. Their lead-in results were unimpressive and then on the eve of the tournament they sacked veteran captain Dane van Niekerk because of a lack of fitness. It prompted uproar at the time, but might now be seen as setting high and non-negotiable standards.

The South African team are strikingly multi-hued, and from accounts this has happened more organically than for the men’s team, whose striving to be more representative of their country has been torturous. The women’s coach, Hilton Moreeng, is a black man who was taught to play cricket by a woman: imagine that!

Ash Gardner launches during the World Cup final.Credit: Getty Images

Their future is here: Wolvaardt, their star in the final and the tournament’s highest run-maker, is just 23.

World Cup done, the women haul off to the inaugural Women’s Premier League, providing their game with more exposure and the stars money on a scale unimaginable even three years ago.

It’s exciting – and ominous. Since the inauguration of the men’s Indian Premier League in 2008, India has spent more time than any other country on top of the world rankings. Cricket’s power base has shifted. For all South Africa’s heroics in this tournament, India’s women’s team remains Australia’s likeliest usurper.

Be that as it may. For now, Australia have two missions. One is to continue to freshen up this legendary team.

It can be a tricky proposition. NB the men’s team and Dave Warner. All their foundation stars are now in their 30s save Mooney, who is 29. Captain Meg Lanning already has taken time away from the game. At least Australia’s forward planners know they have numbers and can reasonably expect quality. But it is one thing to be inspired by legends, another to tread in their footsteps.

Their other and more immediate role is to lead the nation in celebration of their latest triumph. You can and will debate their place in the Australian pantheon. But it’s almost impossible to deny that when everything that matters is taken into account – achievement, grace, inspiration to a generation and social impact – they’ve put more stakes in the ground than any other.

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