| Event | 1988 Women's Cricket World Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
| Australia won by eight wickets | |||||||||
| Date | 18 December 1988 | ||||||||
| Venue | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia | ||||||||
| Umpires | Robin Bailhache and Len King | ||||||||
| Attendance | 3,326 | ||||||||
← 1982 1993 → | |||||||||
The 1988 Women's Cricket World Cup Final was a one-day cricket match between Australia and England played on 18 December 1988 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. It marked the culmination of the 1988 Women's Cricket World Cup, the fourth edition of the tournament. Both Australia and England had previously won the competition; England won the inaugural tournament in 1973, while Australia won in both 1978 and 1982. Australia won the match by eight wickets to claim their third world title.
Australia and England finished first and second in the league-stage to claim their places in the final. England batted first in the final, but were hindered by a slow outfield, and found scoring difficult. The humid conditions helped Australia's spin bowlers, Lyn Fullston and Lyn Larsen, who combined for five wickets. Jan Brittin top-scored for England with 46 runs, as they made 127 for seven. In response, Australia initially struggled, losing two early wickets for 14 runs. An unbroken partnership of 115 runs between Lindsay Reeler and Denise Annetts saw Australia to victory with more than 15 overs remaining.