WWC 2017, ENG v SA, Semi-final Review: England beat Proteas in a nerve-wrecking encounter

Nothing can get better than a World Cup Semi-final getting into the final over with both sides very much fighting it out for a place in the finals. But unfortunately, the rules allow only one team to progress and its the English eves who’ve booked a berth at The Lord’s to face either India or Australia.

Anya Shrubsole provided the first breakthrough for England after South Africa had decided to bat first. Shrubsole rattled Lizelle Lee’s stumps and Trisha Chetty and Laura Wolvaardt(66 off 100 balls) ensured their team didn’t lose anymore wickets in the powerplay. Wolvaardt played some beautiful shots though and kept the scoreboard ticking. But Chetty failed to capitalize on the start she got and was back in the gallery in the 12th over, leaving Proteas at 48/2.

The star of the innings for South Africa, Migon du Preez(76 off 95 balls) then came in to accompany Wolvaardt. Du Preez’s innings was all about classy power hitting and she also kept picking the ones and twos at regular intervals. The duo consolidated South Africa’s position and it didn’t take a long time for them to get to the 100 mark.

The young and fiery Wolvaardt soon brought up her 7th half-century in International cricket and this was one of the most flawless innings one can come across. It was perfect in 50-Over terms and got a standing ovation from her teammates, a well deserved one. England were desperate for a wicket and it was the skipper Heather Knight who took the ball in hands and broke the shackles.

Wolvaardt was bamboozled by a lifeless delivery which neither had bounce nor turn and it just went through everything to rock the bails. Marizanne Kapp then ran herself out after facing just two balls, leaving her side at 126 with four chips down. Skipper Dan Van Niekerk played some big shots and kept the scoreboard moving. But good strike rotation was lacking in their partnership which neutralized the effect of the odd boundaries.

In an attempt to pick up a couple, Niekerk ran herself out with 9 overs still left in the innings. That indeed was a huge blow as despite Du Preez’s valiant efforts, they failed to finish well. They eventually finished at 218 for the loss of 6 wickets and they had managed to score just 61 runs in the last 10 overs.

Sarah the “Savior”

England were off to a decent start in the powerplay. Though runs didn’t come along at a brisk pace, they were going well with the required run rate and most importantly, Lauren Winfield and Tammy Beaumont ensured they didn’t lose early wickets. After adding 42 for the first wicket, Ayabonga Khaka sent back Winfield with a sharp bouncer which induced her into a lackluster pull, only to get top edged and caught at point.

Few overs after that, Khaka cleaned up the other opener and skipper Knight had joined the eventual star of the day, Sarah Taylor(54 off 76 balls). The hosts still had the wickets factor in hand but the required rate was creeping up. After crossing the 100-run mark, Knight(30 off 56 balls) was looking to up the ante and struck a couple of boundaries. Taylor had completed a splendid half-century and some disastrous incidents followed.

But Taylor and Knight fell on two successive deliveries in the most bizarre ways possible to put England into trouble. Natalie Sciver soon gave her wicket away attempting a nothing shot and the match was back to being 51-49 in South Africa’s favor.

A nail-biting finish

Katherine Brunt tried to stick for sometime alongside Fran Wilson(30 off 38 balls) but nothing went right for her. She eventually got out after scoring just 12 runs in 27 balls. Wilson on the other side looked determined to take her side all the way alongside Jenny Gun(27 off 27 balls). Though they needed just 42 runs in 7 overs, they had only 3 wickets in hand which propelled a tantalizing finish.

The duo batted beautifully without taking too many chances and the odd boundary here and there just vanished South Africa’s hopes. Things took an interesting turn when Wilson was dismissed in the 48th over and the next over went for just 3 runs, leaving 3 runs to get in the final over.

A sitter was dropped off the first ball and that was the match for England. Ismail did bowl well and picked another wicket in the over, but Anny Shrubsole came and struck the boundary of her life to leave the South Africans in tears, scenes which were reminiscent of the 2015 World Cup semifinal at Eden Park. There were tears of tranquility on the other end and the first ever Women’s World Cup final at The Lord’s had its first entry, to add some icing on the cake, it was the home side.

Brief Scores

South Africa: 218/6 in 50 overs(Du Preez 76*, Wolvaardt 66, Knight 1/8)

England: 221/8 in 49.4 overs(Taylor 54, Wilson 30, Khaka 2/28)