Last Updated on 3 hours ago by Charbel Coorey
South Africa did their job. Just.
Laura Woolvardt’s team snuck home in a tight contest against spirited Bangladesh team in the first of a huge double-header at Lord’s on Sunday. After restricting Bangladesh to 117/5, South Africa had many nervous moments – including run outs and potential run outs – before getting home off Chole Tyron’s bat in the final over.
Marizanne Kapp, visibly relieved and somewhat frustrated, said South Africa could have been a lot better, but getting the result was all that mattered. The great all-rounder won player of the match for her spell of 1/9 off four overs.
“We seem to always do this [nervous finishes], but we take the win. A win is a win. Even if it was very scrappy,” she said after the match.
South Africa’s win means India must beat Australia in the final match of the group stages
The result leaves India needing a win against high-flying Australia to qualify. Defeat will mean elimination, which would be a bitterly disappointing outcome.
India’s loss to South Africa earlier in the tournament could prove crucial, but a big performance against the Australians can give the 50-over champions plenty of momentum.
Smriti Mandhana called for aggressive cricket. Speaking to the media on match-eve, the opener revealed the team won’t hold back.
“It’s a big game obviously. We’ve all spoken a lot about how we really want to be playing the aggressive brand of cricket and that’s something which we’ll all look to do,” Mandhana said.
India batter Punam Raut believes the batters must perform amid some sketchy bowling and fielding throughout the tournament. She believes it’s Harmanpreet Kaur’s time to deliver.
“For almost four or five games now Harman hasn’t got a performance with the bat yet. Everyone has been expecting her to click with the bat, and now, with just one [league] game left, she will have to play an important knock, said Raut, as quoted by mid-day.com.
“I think she will perform. She’s a big-match player. I have seen her play against big teams. She might just come out stronger against Australia.”
