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HAMLTON: India crashed out of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 as South Africa clinched a last-ball thriller with three wickets to spare.
South Africa’s win ensured that West Indies book a berth in the semi-finals of the World Cup as India crashed out after losing the do-or-die match. Fifties from Laura Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez brought the curtains down on India’s World Cup campaign.
There was no shortage of drama, including a wicket that came off a no-ball off what should have been the penultimate ball, as the game went down to the wire. Needing one run off the last ball, Mignon du Preez flicked it over mid-wicket to take South Africa to a win.
The Indian spinners bowled brilliantly to bring the team back in the game after the 125-run stand between Wolvaardt and Lara Goodall but couldn’t get the team home.
Defending 275, India got off to a perfect start with the ball. A direct hit from Harmanpreet Kaur finding Lizelle Lee well short of her ground, breaking the opening partnership in the fifth over. Thereafter, South Africa dominated the Indian bowling, with Wolvaardt and Goodall coming to the party.
With 14 needed off two, South Africa decided to play out Gayakwad’s final over, playing the field to take seven runs off the penultimate over. Du Preez got to her fifty in the final over but Trisha Chetty was run-out off the same ball as they tried to steal a double.
With three required off two, Du Preez holed out in the deep as the Indian team broke out in celebration but the joy was short-lived when it was shown on the big screen that Deepti Sharma had overstepped. Needing a single off the last ball, Du Preez easily put the ball over mid-wicket as India crashed out of the World Cup.
Earlier in the day, fifties from Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Mithali Raj took India to 274/7 in their 50 overs after opting to bat first. South Africa. India looked good to finish on a score close to 300 but South Africa managed to pull things, giving away just 51 runs in the last 10 overs.
Openers Shafali Verma (53) and Smriti Mandhana made their intentions early and the pair found the boundary with ease to help India bring up their 50 without loss. Verma was run out in the 15th over to give South Africa some relief and Yastika Bhatia (2) followed shortly after to Chloe Tryon (1/24) as India were quickly reduced to 96/2.
Mithali Raj started to take the attack to the bowlers and got to her fifty in the 36th over. The onslaught continued before another good catch from Tryon ended Raj’s innings. South Africa managed to tie India down at the start of the death overs.
