England Women Win World Cup After Indian Batswomen Collapse In Final

India lose last seven wickets for 28 runs as pacer Anya Shrubsole grabs 6/46

Updated on: 24 July 2017 9:37 am

In the end, it turned out to be ‘so near yet so far’. India came tantalisingly close to winning their first ever women’s World Cup, but England kept their nerve to eke out a nine-run win over an in-form host team at Lord’s, London, on Sunday night. In was England’s fourth World Cup win in seven appearances in the final.

India required 10 runs with their last pair – Poonam Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad – at the crease. Obviously, the bowlers were not expected to overcome the pressure and score the World Cup-winning runs. Pacer Anya Shrubsole cleaned up Gayakwad's wickets to signal England’s triumph. She finished with six for 46 -- the best bowling analysis in a World Cup final. She was adjudged the Woman of the Final.

Indian bowlers did well to restrict England to 228 for seven wickets in 50 overs, with veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami taking three for 23, after host captain Heather Knight won the toss and batted. But the Indian batswomen struggled today, after they were off to a poor start chasing 229 on a day when clouds hovered over Lord’s.

Indian batswomen spectacularly collapsed in a heap, after Shrubsole had top-scorer Punam Raut leg before the wicket for a responsible 86, losing seven wickets for a mere 28 runs. At one point, India needed only 33 from 39 balls with five wickets in hand. But then they panicked. Maybe the pressure of the big moment proved to be their undoing, and they were bowled out for 219, with eight balls left to be bowled.

England had won the World Cup in 1973, 1993, and 2009. For India, it was only their second appearance in a World Cup final; the other occasion being 2005, when they lost to Australia by 98 runs in Centurion, South Africa. Mithali Raj was captain on that occasion as well.

India had opened this World Cup with a win over England. But lost to the hosts in the most important match of the competition.

Chasing, India were cautious almost throughout. Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored a brilliant 171 against New Zealand, was circumspect as the situation demanded. She and opener Punam Raut were involved in a 95-run third-wicket partnership kept India on the track. At one stage India needed 91 off 100 balls, after struggling in the initial part of the innings. Punam too batted as the situation demanded, and top-scored with 86 off 115 balls while Harmanpreet made 51 off 80 balls.

But it was Mithali’s run out that was absolutely shocking. Off the first ball of the 13^th over, Punam took off for a single to short midwicket, with the captain backing her. But Mithali, astonishingly, did dive or tried to put her bat in the crease as a quick throw found her well short of home. She was almost standing, and running nonchalantly. Whether she did not bend her back to reach the crease was due an injury was not known immediately. Her wicket reduced India to 43/2. From then on it was an uphill struggle for the rest of the batswomen.

Earlier, Natalie Sciver scored 51 and Sarah Taylor 45 as England put up 228 for seven wickets.

Mithali, however, finished with the second highest tally of the World Cup – 409 runs, just one short of Tammy Beaumont of England. Among the bowlers, off-spinner Deepti Sharma captured 12 wickets, three less than the top wicket-taker, South African leg-spinner Dane van Niekerk.