Shafali Verma punched above her weight and put on a redemption story as her all-round performance went a long way in helping India win the World Cup for the first time ever. Shafali Verma meant business and wanted to do something for the team and boy she did well today. Batting first, she top scored with 87 while Deepti Sharma made 58 and others chipped in as India finished with 298/7 in 50 overs.
In reply, South Africa fought hard with Laura Wolvaardt’s magnificent hundred but she lacked support from the other end. Deepti Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 5/39 in 9.3 overs while Shafali Verma picked up 2/36 in 7 overs. India winning by 52 runs and win their maiden ICC Women’s World Cup.
Shafali Verma’s brilliant innings takes India to competitive 298/7.Â
Put into bat first, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma came out to open for India while Marizanne Kapp had ball in hand for South Africa. Kapp started with a maiden over. Ayabonga Khaka had ball in hand from the other end. Shafali welcomed her to the attack with a boundary by shimmying down the wicket and square drove it between backward point and cover point for a boundary. Kapp continued as Mandhana got into the act by cutting in the gap between point and cover point for a boundary.
Shafali whipped Khaka away by whipping it behind square in the leg side as she completed 3500 runs in international cricket. The ball reached the backward square leg fence. Kapp continued as Shafali advanced down the track and got it past covers for a boundary. Shafali was in the zone as she flicked it away past midwicket for a boundary. Khaka continued as Mandhana opened the bat face on impact to steer it behind square to short third for a boundary as Mandhana got to 400 runs in this World Cup. Khaka gave away 5 wides as a bonus to the batting side.
Kapp continued and bowled a poor ball which Mandhana waited and flicked it away behind square for a boundary as the 50 came up for India in 6.3 overs and of the partnership. Nonkululeko Mlaba came into the attack next. Shafali welcomed Mlaba with a boundary as she crunched it crisply to the left of covers for a boundary. Nadine de Klerk came out to bat next. Mandhana caressed the bowler through the off-side to beat diving point fielder.
Mlaba came to bowl the last over of the powerplay and she kept it tight. India were 64/0 in 10 overs at the end of the first powerplay. Nadine continued after the powerplay and bowled a decent over. Mlaba also kept it tight. Nadine also bowled a decent over. Mlaba continued as Mandhana stayed deep in her crease and guided it with an open bat face past the backward point fielder for a boundary. Shafali then launched Nadine by playing lofted drive down the ground for the maximum. Mlaba bowled another tight over as India were 92/0 in 16 overs as we paused for the Drinks Break.
Sune Luus came into the attack after the break. Mandhana nicely swept her away to deep square leg for a boundary. Chloe Tryon came into the attack next. Mandhana took the aerial route and lofted the ball over mid-off for a boundary. The 100 came up for India in 17.2 overs. Tryon got rid of Mandhana for 45 off 58 balls with 8 fours to her name. Tryon bowled a fuller length outside the off-stump. Mandhana rocked back and looked to cut but only managed to get an outside edge that is taken well by keeper batter Jafta. Jemimah Rodrigues came out to bat next. She got off the mark straightaway while Shafali reached her fifty in 49 balls.
Luus continued and bowled a decent over. Tryon too bowled a quiet over as India were 114/1 in 20 overs. Shafali Verma got a reprieve as Anneke Bosch dropped her at deep backward square leg off Sune Luus. Rodrigues drilled her through the covers by leaning into the drive for a boundary. Tryon continued as Verma rocked back and pulled it to deep square leg for a boundary. Luus bowled another decent over. Tryon also gave runs in singles. Luus continued as Verma broke the shackles by stepping down the track and launched it over long-off for the maximum as the 150 came up for India in 24.5 overs. At the halfway stage of the innings, India were 151/1 after 25 overs.
Ayabonga Khaka returned for another spell. Khaka overstepped but the free hit did not yield any runs. But the next ball was put away as Khaka backed away and lofted it towards left of long-off for a boundary. Mlaba came back into the attack and bowled a miserly over. Khaka continued and dismissed Shafali Verma for 87 off 78 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes to her name.
Khaka bowled full and on the leg stump. Shafali made room on the leg side and looked to clear mid-off and didn’t get the elevation and the ball went straight to Luus who backtracked a bit at mid-off and took a good catch. Harmanpreet Kaur came out to bat next. Kapp came back as Kaur got off the mark and got down on one knee and scooped it over the keeper’s head for a boundary. Khaka continued and got rid of Rodrigues for 24 off 37 balls with a boundary to his name.
Khaka bowled full and outside the off-stump. Jemimah drove it uppishly to the cover fielder. Wolvaardt was there at short extra cover and was claiming the catch. The replays showed that it was a clean catch and the batter had to walk back to the hut. Deepti Sharma came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway as India reached 172/3 in 30 overs. Kapp continued and bowled a quiet over. Khaka bowled another quiet over.
Deepti broke the shackles as she launched Kapp over midwicket for the maximum. The second Drinks Break was taken with the score at 185/3 in 33 overs. Tryon returned after the break. Kaur showed deft touch as she stayed deep in the crease and opened the bat face very late to steer it through short third man for a boundary. Nadine returned to the attack and bowled a quiet over as India crossed 200 runs in 35 overs. Tryon bowled a tidy over as well.
Deepti survived a LBW appeal facing Nadine as ball tracking showed the ball pitching outside the leg stump. The umpire initially gave it OUT and then Deepti reviewed and got it overturned in her favour. Deepti then swept it past the right of fine leg fielder for a boundary. Tryon continued as Deepti got low and slog swept it away over midwicket. The ball split the gap between deep midwicket and long-on for a boundary.
Mlaba came back into the attack and knocked Kaur over for 20 off 29 balls with 2 fours to her name. Mlaba bowled it slightly short than the good length around off-stump from wider of the crease and got it to skid off the surface. Kaur backed away and went for the cut but got cramped for room and missed to see the ball crash on the off-pole. Amanjot Kaur walked out to bat next. Kapp continued and bowled a decent over. India were 229/4 in 40 overs.
Mlaba continued into the last phase of the game as Deepti got a reprieve as Laura dropped the catch at long-on diving forward. Kapp continued as Amanjot threaded the gap and played it between backward point and short third for a boundary. Mlaba continued as Deepti survived a LBW appeal with the impact outside off-stump. The decision stood and the Proteas lost their review. Nadine de Klerk got the breakthrough as Amanjot fell for 12 off 14 balls with a boundary to her name.
Nadine bowled fuller length outside off slower one as well. Amanjot looked to chip it to long-on for a single but ended up lobbing it up to the right and stuck in her right hand in the way. The ball stuck and despite a collision with the non-striker, she managed to take the catch. Richa Ghosh came out to bat next. Richa got off the mark as she made room on the leg side and thumped it over deep extra cover for the maximum. The 250 came up for India in 43.3 overs.
Khaka returned for another spell as Richa flicked it away along the ground to deep midwicket and long-on for a boundary. India were now 262/5 in 45 overs. Nadine continued as Richa sliced it away over backward point for a boundary. Mlaba continued as Ghosh played the reverse sweep between backward point and short third man for a boundary. Mlaba finished her impressive spell. Kapp was back to bowl her final over.
Ghosh sliced it away over extra cover for the maximum. Deepti reached her fifty in 53 balls and it was her 18th ODI fifty. Kapp then bowled a waist height full toss which was hit straight to Bosch and it was put down as the umpires deemed it as a fair delivery. Khaka came to bowl the 49th over. Deepti hit the low full toss outside the off-stump as Deepti made room on the leg side and lofted it over covers as the ball raced away to the fence. Khaka removed Richa for 34 off 24 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to her name.
Khaka bowled full on the leg stump angling down. Richa went back and across and looked to whip it away over deep backward square leg and didn’t get the timing or power behind the stroke and hit that straight down the throat of Dercksen who made no mistake. Radha Yadav came out to bat next.
Nadine de Klerk has the responsibility of bowling the final over and she bowled a brilliant last over as we had a run out to end the innings as Deepti was run out for 58 off 58 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to her name. Radha was unbeaten on 3 off 3 balls as India finished with 298/7 in 50 overs. 15 extras given by the fielding side.
Ayabonga Khaka bowled decently for her 3/58 in 9 overs. Nonkululeko Mlaba chipped in with 1/47 in 10 overs. Nadine de Klerk chipped in with 1/52 in 9 overs. Chloe Tryon chipped in with 1/46 in 7 overs. Sune Luus finished with 0/34 in 5 overs while Marizanne Kapp finished with 0/59 in 10 overs. This meant that South Africa needed 299 to win off 50 overs.
Deepti Sharma’s 5-wicket haul outshines Laura Wolvaardt’s century as India win maiden ODI World Cup.Â
Chasing 299 for the win, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits came out to open for South Africa while Renuka Singh Thakur had ball in hand for India. Renuka began well. Kranti Gaud had ball in hand from the other end. Brits broke the shackles and drove straight down the ground to beat mid-off for a boundary. Renuka continued as India burnt a review for LBW against Brits. Gaud bowled a decent over. Thakur continued as Laura hit it through long leg for a boundary.
Wolvaardt hammered Gaud through the leg side through midwicket region for a boundary. Brits then launched Thakur straight over the bowler’s head for the maximum. Amanjot Kaur came into the attack next. Wolvaardt climbed onto her by hitting her for back-to-back boundaries to short fine leg and through the midwicket region. Deepti Sharma came into the attack next and dropped a tough chance off Brits. Brits then belted her down the ground for a boundary over the bowler’s head. The 50 came up for South Africa and of the partnership.
Renuka came back to bowl the last over of the powerplay. Against the run of play, Brits was run out for 23 off 35 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to her name as Amanjot threw down the stumps at the bowler’s end. Anneke Bosch came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. South Africa were 52/1 in 10 overs at the end of the powerplay.
Deepti continued after the powerplay as Wolvaardt cleared the long-on boundary with ease. Nallapureddy Charani came onto bowl next. She removed Bosch for a duck. Charani bowled short of a good length delivery around the leg and turned away a fraction that kept a bit low. Bosch was caught on the crease while trying to flick it. She missed it completely and wore it on the front pad in front of the stumps. Williams took her time before raising the finger as the batter walked out without reviewing. Sune Luus came out to bat next.
Amanjot Kaur came back into the attack as Wolvaardt planted her front leg and drove it crisply down the ground past mid-on and mid-off for a boundary. Charani bowled a tight over. Luus broke the shackles as she hung back and cut Amanjot hard behind square in the off-side to backward point for a boundary. South Africa were 78/2 in 15 overs when we paused for the Drinks Break, the first of the innings.
Charani continued as Wolvaardt got down on one knee and swept it along the ground past the left of short fine leg for a boundary. Radha Yadav came into the attack. Wolvaardt helped herself by putting the juicy low full toss outside off-stump as Wolvaardt stood still and dragged it leg side as Mandhana from long-on ran to her right and dived with both hands to concede four runs. She reached fifty in 45 balls., her 39th ODI fifty. Wolvaardt got a streaky boundary that ran away to the third man fence.
Charani continued as Wolvaardt bent her back leg and pulled it hard and split the gap between deep backward square leg and deep midwicket for a boundary as the 100 came up for South Africa in 18 overs. Radha continued as Luus climbed onto her by sweeping to square leg and paddled it fine past the keeper for a boundary. Deepti continued as Luus shuffled across and swept it to the left of deep square leg for a boundary. The 50-run stand partnership came between the two players. South Africa were 113/2 in 20 overs.
Shafali Verma came into the attack now and she was the women with the golden arm as she dismissed Luus for 25 off 31 balls with 4 fours to her name. Shafali bowled full and tossed up delivery around off-stump that turned back into the batter. Luus looked to work it on the leg side but closed the bat face too early. She got a leading edge that went low to the bowler as Shafali took a good catch. Marizanne Kapp came out to bat next and she got off the mark straightaway.
Deepti continued as India burnt their review against Wolvaardt. Shafali got another as she got the wicket of Kapp for 4 off 5 balls. Shafali Verma bowled from over the wicket a length ball on middle and leg stump that turned into the batter. Kapp hung back and looked to flick and got a feather on it and a sharp catch behind the stumps by Ghosh. Sinalo Jafta came out to bat next. She got off the mark soon.
Radha returned and bowled a quiet over. Shafali continued and bowled a tight over. South Africa were now 127/4 in 25 overs at the halfway stage of the game. Radha continued as Jafta broke the shackles by stepping down and drove it to the left of covers for a cracking boundary. Charani bowled a decent over. Deepti returned and tightened the screws. Shafali changed ends and bowled a quiet series. Deepti got the breakthrough again as she got rid of Jafta for 16 off 29 balls with a boundary to her name.
Deepti bowled full and tossed up outside the off-stump. Jafta again stepped down and doesn’t get to the pitch of the ball. She looked to go over midwicket and didn’t get the elevation and it came off the toe end of the bat and went straight into the hands of Radha at midwicket. Annerie Dercksen came out to bat next. The 150 came up for South Africa in 29.5 overs and after 30 overs South Africa were 150/5.
India changed the complexion of the match in the last 20 overs of the match as India bowled out for 246 runs in 45.3 overs. Laura Wolvaardt fought a lone battle as her ton went into the vain & apart from her scored 40 runs in the match