A two-week long scrumptious on-field battle between the world’s best teams ended in a familiar climax on Sunday, with Meg Lanning-led Australia’s clinically efficient 19-run triumph over hosts South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground. This was their fourth successive World Cup win in limited-overs thus far– three in T20 and one in the 50-over format – stretching back to 2018, with last year’s Commonwealth Games crown also in the vicinity. (Pic Courtesy: AP/Getty/AFP)
Updated On: 2023-02-27 04:39 PM IST
Perhaps, the real feeling of a heartbreak came when India captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s run-out against Australia brought back poignant memories of India losing out on the T20 World Cup final spot in 2019 by a whisker. India required 40 from 32 balls at this juncture, and Kaur, who scored a pivotal 52 off 34 balls, was their last and best hope of getting them. The Indian crowd back in the stands, ear-splittingly loud, fell eerily quiet as the reality sunk in that Australia had won through to the T20 World Cup final.
South Africa's Tazmin Brits produced what panned out as one of the best catches of the tournament to give her side a huge boost in their semi-final against England at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup. South Africa's Brits, fresh from top-scoring with 68 in the first innings, produced one of the most memorable moments of the World Cup in the field.
England cricketer Danni Wyatt could perhaps never let go of an unpleasant and equally frightening experience she has had in South Africa during the tournament. In what she termed as a “very terrifying” moment, Cape Town’s famed Table Mountain cable car lost power and left Wyatt hovering helplessly high above the ground. “It was a very terrifying experience. I don’t think I’ll be going up that mountain again anytime soon. I’m not going on that cable car ever again. Next time. I’ll take the stairs,” she was quoted as saying.
Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali Siddiqui hogged the limelight after she struck a magnificent century to help their side to a crushing victory over Ireland at Newlands. Muneeba’s century was not just her first for her side in the format, but the first ever by a Pakistani cricketer in a Women’s T20I. There have only ever been four scores higher than Muneeba’s 102 at a T20 World Cup.
With top women cricketers on the verge of their first-ever big payday at Women’s IPL auction, there were speculations about the auction distracting the players from the big-ticket tournament. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) broke the bank for India vice-captain and batting mainstay Smriti Mandhana, who became the most expensive player in the history of Women’s Premier League. At the Jio Convention Centre in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex, the franchise shelled out a mammoth INR 3.4 crore for Mandhana, who had a base reserve price of INR 50 lakh.
