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Rivalry adds spice to World T20 showdown

Australia and England have a storied history in women's cricket, and this weekend's World T20 final will add a new chapter

Australia must defeat their oldest and fiercest rivals if they're to claim their first major ICC trophy since 2014 in the World T20 final in Antigua, with the rivalry and long history between the Southern Stars and England to add extra spice to the encounter.

Meg Lanning's team will meet England in the 2018 tournament decider (Sunday 11am AEDT, live on Fox Cricket and 9GEM) after sealing their place in an incredible fifth-consecutive decider with a thumping semi-final win over West Indies on Thursday.

Australia storm into WT20 final

Despite being ranked No.1 in both limited-overs formats Australia don't currently hold a global trophy, after finishing runners-up in the most recent World T20 in 2016 and being knocked out of the one-day World Cup at the semi-final stage last year.

It's been a rare dry spell for an Australian team who won three World T20 titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 as well as a 50-over title in 2013.

"We're really excited," Lanning said in Antigua on the eve of the final. "We feel like we played well (in the semi-final).

"We came here to play off in this final. We've given ourselves the opportunity now to win, and coming up against England, always great games.

"We know it's going to be extremely tough.

"The group's really been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time, and we just can't wait to get out there."

Australia defeated England in the finals of the 2012 and 2014 tournaments, and knocked their Ashes rivals out of the 2016 semi-finals.

They also hold the Ashes after reclaiming the coveted trophy in 2015 and retaining it last summer and both captains agreed the weight of history between the sides would bring an added element to the blockbuster contest.

"Coming up against England, they're great rivals of ours," Lanning said.

"We play them a lot and really respect them as a team. Hopefully, it's a great game, but we can come out on top."

Australia defeated England in the final of a T20 tri-series in Mumbai in March this year, but it was England who had the better of Lanning's team during the 20-over leg of last summer's Ashes, winning 2-1 to deny the hosts an outright series win.

"I think you can't really ignore that it's the old enemy, can you?" England captain Heather Knight said.

"It's probably the two best teams in the world historically over the last few years, and we've had some amazing games of cricket recently.

"We had the Ashes series we drew out in Australia and a really good sort of T20 series out there for us, where we won 2-1, and the game to finish off the series was a real thriller.

"History suggests it's going to be a really good game, really tight game.

"We're going to have to be at the top of our game, the Australians look really strong and they've played some really great cricket this tournament."

England claimed the one-day World Cup on home soil last July and Knight said her squad would draw confidence from that triumph heading into Saturday's final, as they look to emulate the England squad of 2009 which claimed both the 50-over and 20-over titles in the same year.

"It's probably not been the smoothest ride to get to the final, but the main thing is we're here and we've got another opportunity to have a shot at winning a global trophy again," Knight said.

"What an achievement it would be, how special it would be, if we could be double white ball champions."

Australia will meet England in the World T20 final at Antigua's Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Saturday from 8pm local time (11am Sunday AEDT), with the match to be broadcast live on Fox Cricket and the Nine Network.

2018 ICC Women's World T20  

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

November 9: Australia beat Pakistan by 52 runs

November 11: Australia beat Ireland by nine wickets

November 13: Australia beat New Zealand by 33 runs

November 17: Australia lost to India by 48 runs

November 22: Semi-final: Australia beat West Indies by 71 runs

November 24: Final: Australia v England, Sir Vivian Richards Ground