World Cup-winning Australia have no weaknesses and the rest are playing

Nasser Hussein believes Australia’s World Cup-winning team has “no weaknesses” when Claire Connor, managing director of women’s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board, says “the rest of the world is playing catch-up”.

Meg Lanning’s side won the record-breaking seventh Women’s World Cup title with a 61-run victory over England in Christchurch with a great 170 off 137 balls by Alyssa Healy.

Despite Nat Siver’s great unbeaten 148 off 121 balls, England came down to chase their 357 as Australia once again showed their dominance in the 50-over format.

“They are the best team so far, they have daylight after them and then the rest,” Hussein said. “There is no weakness in him.

Alyssa Healy’s 170 was the highest score in a World Cup final

“Meg Lanning is a brilliant captain. A team often reflects the values ​​of their captain and this is exactly what the Australian team does – they try to get better day by day. They have won 38 of their last 39 games, they just keep losing to the team.

“They’ve been out-bowled, out-batted, out-fielded all over the last few years. It takes four weeks to work out what you can tell them in four days: they’re going to win this thing. “

Hussein also highlighted the number of top quality players in Australia’s hands, even some of the team’s biggest names.

“It was an outstanding tournament and an outstanding performance from Australia,” he told Sky Sports. “Not only that [in the final], They won every game. They have won 40 of their last 42 World Cup matches.

“They are setting the standard for world cricket. They look trim, they look athletic, their skills are perfect and the depth of their cricket is extraordinary.

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“We were just talking to Alice Perry and you know, if Alice hadn’t played today, Annabel Sutherland would have been there, and they’d be just as good. And that is about one of the greatest cricketers who has ever played in Perry.

“The word and feeling here is that England have done quite well but this is not good enough against the Australian team.”

Connor, meanwhile, acknowledged that England and other top teams in the world are not currently at the level of new world champions and argued that the huge infrastructure that exists for women’s cricket in Australia is a significant factor.

The former England captain told Sky Sports, “A remarkable, almost one-generation performance from Australia.”

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England captain Heather Knight admitted that Healy’s remarkable 170-run knock was the difference between the two teams.

“You are talking about their depth and the rest of the world is keeping up with that depth domestic structure, path, investment, cricket Australia has given priority to women’s sport for years.

“You can clearly analyze their ability to build partnerships and their skills and their discipline. [but] It’s more about infrastructure, our domestic competition, and helping the next generation of Net Cybers and Katherine Brunts accelerate their development.

“Take Tahalia McGraw, for example, who has already played 40 to 50 domestic professional 50-over games, compared to Sophia Dunkley, who is playing a similar middle-order role, playing six or seven.

“The learning and exposure of some of the players in the Australian set-up naturally means that they are going to put a lot of pressure on them.

“For all of us, it’s inspiring and it gives us even more motivation to ensure women’s play, especially in England, but I’m sure other countries see it as standard.

“It’s not rocket science and it doesn’t happen by magic. It happens year after year through investment, focus, dedication, wealth and culture. They did it brilliantly. That’s what gave the Australian women’s cricket team a platform to perform like that. “

‘Women’s cricket is on the rise’

While Australia deserved to win, Hussein was full of praise for the entire tournament where conditions were created that allowed for a higher standard of cricket.

Nat Siver scored an unbeaten 148 but England fell short in the final

“I think it was an absolutely cracking tournament,” he added. “Not just a close finish, you may have bad cricket and a close finish but that’s not what we got. We had great cricket, had icing on an exceptional standard and finishing cake.

“I think you have to give New Zealand cricket a lot of credit, with the epidemic, with all you have to do to bring the team and the broadcasters here to Covid.

“The pitches over the last few years have been so important to women’s cricket, not recently. If you can make a game pitch like that – and in Hamilton – we’ve scored over 600 runs and you’ll see all their skills.

“The value is going through the roof, fast. When you look at Sever’s bat that he did like today, Sever was incredibly good against Healy.