Women's T20 World Cup: Australia's 'formal' win sends international game warning

"No. Not at all," is the answer, according to the T20 Women's World Cup winner and player of the tournament , Australian Cendre Gardner.

But when one team is so dominant - winning six of the last seven T20 world titles, including the success of Sunday on South Africa, and being 50+ and Commonwealth Games champions - there is a danger of monotony and risking irrelevance.

Sport needs competitiveness to survive, and in international women's cricket its predictability could be its downfall.

"It just feels like a case of 'what's next?' for Australian players," said England all-rounder Georgia Elwiss on the Test special. BBC match, as Meg Lanning's side hugged and kissed on the Newlands outfield.

"There's only a quick celebration. Australia wins, it just became a formality."

Acknowledging this concern is not to discredit what Australia has achieved over the past decade.

They are setting the benchmark, reaping the rewards of a well-funded national system. They set the ultimate standard of professionalism in every aspect of the game, from athleticism on the field, to mental toughness, to always finding a way to win.

"Australia have been professional for six years longer than England," said the former English spinner Alex Hartley on BBC Test Match Special. "You have to have time to be professional.

"The teams are getting closer, even if I fear that Australia, England and India walk away from everyone else."

South Africa delivers a well-deserved surprise

While the tournament began with a shock result with Sri Lanka beating hosts and eventual runners-up South Africa, the rest of the encounters followed expected trends and the final four ended up being a repeat of the 2020 World Cup.

Only when- there, when Cape Town was treated to two hard-fought semi-finals, the competition felt alive.

< p class="" data-reactid=".1ae5uxqpvt2.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-18 ">"We saw improvements from some teams,” Hartley said. I'm the team that improved the most, but they dipped after starting well.

"South Africa did not win the World Cup but they won the heart of their country."

England batsman Tammy Beaumont, who worked for Sky Sports, said: "Women's cricket is definitely progressing. Australia are improving and the top three or four nations are raising the bar, but below there is a very good level of competition."

And on the occasion of the final, it was like the feat of South Africa - it was the first time they had had a men's or women's team in a world final - played in front of thousands of adoring and passionate fans, such was the story.

It's not that the outcome of the finale seemed out of place, but rather an inevitability - and the question must be asking if this is sustainable for international play in the future.

"I don't think not that Australia's dominance is a good thing," Elwiss said.

"It's nice to have a benchmark to aspire to, and it was great to see South Africa get to that final, but I don't think any of us really believed we could do it without a stellar performance and a po...