Welcome to the BIG ONE, where England's women's cricket team aims to join the Red Roses and Lionesses in the pantheon of home-soil champions. To do so, they'll need to topple Australia - a team so dominant they've won the T20 World Cup six times to England's one (back in 2009, when current head coach Charlotte Edwards was captain). Both sides arrive unbeaten, having swatted aside semi-final opponents with the casual confidence of someone flicking a crumb off a clean shirt.

At Lord's, under pristine blue skies, Rita Ora is currently performing for the filling stands. Nat Sciver-Brunt and her side don't sound like the biggest Ora fans - but they'll have bigger concerns, like the fact that Australia have won the last three World Cup finals between these teams (2012, 2014, 2018). Though, to be fair, Australia have also failed to make the last two white-ball World Cup finals (2024 and 2025), so maybe England have a shot.

The toss: Sophie Molineux called correctly and inserted England. Sciver-Brunt said she'd have bowled first too, but isn't fussed. "Runs on the board always good," she noted. Both teams are unchanged, meaning Ellyse Perry plays for Australia.

Early action: Amy Jones fell for 6, caught at backward point off Lucy Hamilton's first World Cup wicket. Sciver-Brunt arrived and immediately cover-drove for four, to cheers tinged with nerves. Wyatt-Hodge survived a leg-side stumping chance when Beth Mooney couldn't gather cleanly. Then she carved Molineux for four to bring up her 300th run of the tournament - eesht! Sciver-Brunt edged and set off for a quick single; a high throw from backward point saved her by a whisker after Mooney's full-length dive.

Australia's bowling has been tight, with Mooney alternating standing up and back to the stumps to upset rhythm. Garth's second over yielded just three runs. Annabel Sutherland had an expensive start - NSB whipped her off the pads for four, then a no-ball gave a free hit that Sciver-Brunt heaved for another boundary.

As one reader noted, this World Cup final deserves top billing over Formula 1 on The Guardian's sport page. We can but hope. For now, England are 20-1 after 4 overs, with Wyatt-Hodge on 7 and Sciver-Brunt on 7. Can they post a decent score? All eyes on Danni Wyatt-Hodge.