ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2022: Australia Win, Alyssa Healy's 170 Sets All-Time World Cup Record

Australia won their seventh ICC Women's ODI World Cup title on 3 April 2022, defeating England by 71 runs in the final at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand. The match was defined by one extraordinary innings: Alyssa Healy's 170, the highest individual score ever made in any Cricket World Cup final — men's or women's. Australia posted 356/5 from their 50 overs; England responded with 285, falling 71 runs short. The margin did not reflect how close England had been for much of their innings — Australia's all-round depth across bowling and fielding ultimately proved decisive.

Alyssa Healy's 170: The Greatest World Cup Final Innings

Alyssa Healy's 170 in the 2022 Women's ODI World Cup final is the highest individual score in any Cricket World Cup final in the history of the sport — surpassing scores by male batters in men's ODI World Cup finals. Healy, Australia's wicketkeeper-batter who opens the innings, constructed her innings with a combination of timing through the offside and pulling powerfully through the leg side. By the time she was dismissed, the match was effectively over: 170 from a World Cup final opener creates a total that no team has the resources to chase down in 50 overs. Healy was named both Player of the Match for the final and Player of the Tournament, finishing the competition with 509 runs — the most by any batter in the 2022 World Cup.

England's Response and Sophie Ecclestone's Season

England chased Australia's 356/5 with genuine ambition — their 285 all out, while 71 runs short, represented a competitive batting effort against Australia's varied bowling attack. The tournament's leading wicket-taker was England's Sophie Ecclestone, the left-arm finger spinner from Lancashire, who took 21 wickets across the competition. Ecclestone's tournament confirmed her status as the world's best women's spinner — her ability to deceive batters in both the powerplay and middle overs of 50-over cricket has been central to England's international white-ball results. Despite Ecclestone's brilliance across the tournament, England could not find a batter to match Healy's output in the final.

Australia's World Cup Dynasty in Context

Australia's 2022 Women's ODI World Cup title was their seventh in the competition's history — by far the most dominant record of any nation in either the men's or women's ODI World Cup. Australia have won: 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013, and 2022. Their dominance is built on professional domestic structures (WBBL), full-time contracts for elite players since 2014, and a squad depth that means Australia's 11th-best women's ODI player would be in the starting XI of most other nations. The 2022 final was a reminder that despite England, India, South Africa, and New Zealand all significantly improving their women's cricket programs in the 2010s, Australia's ceiling remains higher than any other team in the 50-over format.