CHRISTCHURCH: England women are one win away from successfully defending the World Cup title after thrashing South Africa by 137 runs in their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 semi-final.
Australia had defeated the West Indies by 157 runs the day before and the two sides in red hot form will now meet in Sunday’s showpiece.
Remarkably, this will be the first time the teams have met in the World Cup final since 1988, a fact that becomes even more astonishing when you consider that between them, the teams have won 10 of the 11 previous World Cups.
Danni Wyatt (129 off 125 balls) punished South Africa for dropping her five times as her second ODI hundred propelled England to 293-8 from their 50 overs.
England spinner Sophie Ecclestone then bagged 6-36 – the best figures by a bowler in this World Cup and her maiden five-wicket haul in ODI cricket – as South Africa were rolled for 156 in 38 overs.
South Africa – whose wait for a maiden World Cup final appearance goes on – lost openers Laura Wolvaardt (0) and Lizelle Lee (2) inside four overs to slip to 8-2, Anya Shrubsole (2-27) with both wickets.
Ecclestone moves to 20 wickets for the tournament, six clear of Shabnim Ismail who will not be able to add to her tally after South Africa were knocked out.
The 22-year-old will now come up against youngster Darcie Brown, who at just 19 is frighteningly good, as Australia captain Meg Lanning admitted the other day.
Wyatt had similar feelings on Ecclestone, revealing that the spinner was not fun to face in practice, but there were plenty of smiling faces on the pitch as Ecclestone and England took a stranglehold of the semi-final.
While Australia have reached the final without a defeat to their name, England have done it the hard way losing the first three games, including a final-over thriller to Australia, to be in a knockout mindset with over half the group stage still to play.
As the winning ways came back so did the smiles, but England, and Australia, know there will only be one team smiling come Sunday.
