Cuttack: South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp sent Pakistan crashing out of the ICC Women’s World Cup India 2013 after the 23-year-old from Port Elizabeth struck her maiden ODI century at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack to secure her side a position in the Super Sixes section of the tournament.
After a disappointing start, Kapp and Dane van Niekerk stabilized South Africa’s innings, and later Kapp proceeded to clean-up the Pakistan batting line-up with her useful medium-pace bowling and thus ensuring South Africa usurped Pakistan to assume the ‘B3’ position in Group B.
Meanwhile in other Group B fixture in Cuttack, Australia tussled with old foes New Zealand in an exciting match in front of some 4,000 fans that saw White Ferns’ captain Suzie Bates score a century, but her efforts were in vain as Australia’s Meg Lanning made a stunning 112 and Jess Cameron’s 82 secured the side a seven-wicket victory.
Lanning, Bates and Kapp’s centuries now bring the total scored in the tournament thus far, not including the current India v Sri Lanka game, to eight.
{niftybox width=300px,background=ivory,textcolor=maroon,float=right,textalign=justify,border=gold,font=Arial,fontsize=12px}
Scores in Brief
Group A
At BKC
West Indies 101 all out, 36.4 overs (Kyshona Knight 33, Daley 30 not out; Shrubsole 4-21, Brunt 2-10, Brindle 3-0)
England 103-4, 35 overs (Wyatt 40; Dottin 3-20)
England won by six wickets
Group B
At Barabati Stadium
South Africa 207-5, 50 overs (Kapp 102 not out, Van Niekerk 55 not out; Qanita 2-30, Asmavia 2-31)
Pakistan 81-10, 29.4 overs (Sidra 15, Kapp 3-18)
South Africa won by 126 runs
At DRIEMS Cricket Ground
New Zealand 227-6, 50 overs (Bates 102, Perkins 41, Browne 39 not out; Schutt 3-40)
Australia 228-3, 38.2 overs (Lanning 112, Cameron 82)
Australia won by seven wickets
{/niftybox}
In the Group A day-match at BKC in Mumbai, England showed its superior bowling display against West Indies when the side were dismissed for a meagre 101 in just 36.4 overs and England secured itself a six-wicket victory after Danielle Wyatt led from the front.
India’s match between Sri Lanka at Cricket Club of India is currently underway and the media report of that game will be released later this evening.
At Barabati Stadium, South Africa began its attempt for Super Six qualification with a very poor start, when South Africa captain Mignon du Preez and vice-captain Tricia Chetty departed for a duck and four respectively. This left South Africa stumbling with just nine runs on the board and two wickets down.
Yolandi Potgieter, Cri-Zelda Brits and Susan Benade all attempted to stick with Kapp to stabalise the innings but with the side 79-5 it wasn’t looking good for the Proteas ladies, but all-rounder Kapp and Dane van Niekerk came to the team’s rescue.
In a day of first for the South Africa side, Kapp, scoring her maiden ODI century in a hard-fought innings, alongside van Niekerk who scored her maiden ODI half-century, helped to steer the side to a respectable total of 207 in the side’s 50 overs after some expensive bowling from the Pakistan team.
In response, Pakistan’s batting line-up, which has been weak throughout the group stages, struggled in the run-chase. Kapp snaffled three wickets for 18 runs while Shabnim Ismail, Marcia Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser and Benade shared the rest of the spoils as the team were skittled for 81 in 29.4 overs.
Pakistan will now play the 7th v 8th Play-off on 7 February at Barabati Stadium – its opponent will be decided at the conclusion of the India v Sri Lanka game at CCI.
Pakistan captain Sana Mir was once against disappointed with the side’s batting performance: “If I had to take any positives from this event it would be our bowling because we really tested Australia and the other teams in the group but when it came to our batting it just was not up to scratch.
“As a side we need to go back now and review how we are doing things as a team and reflect on how we move forward from here. Credit has to go to South Africa, they have played some really good cricket while they have been here and the way Kapp played her innings was great. We now have to turn our attention to whoever we will play in the seventh v eighth play-off and try to round off a disappointing event with a victory.”
Unsurprisingly, South Africa captain Mignon du Preez was delighted with the win which secured her side a place in the Super Sixes: “I couldn’t have asked for more from the side today, Marizanne Kapp dug deep for us and alongside Dane van Niekerk really gave us the big total we needed to help us when it came to bowling Pakistan out.”
Kapp echoed her captain’s thoughts: “I’m really happy to have contributed the way I did for the innings and it was certainly tough out there especially in the heat. I think it would be a tough call to say which was greater for me, today’s century or scoring the half-century against Australia. However, if push came to shove, I think the half-century against the Australia side felt a little greater as Australia’s bowlers are some of the best in the world, but that’s not to say Pakistan’s aren’t tough face.”
In the other Group B fixture, in front of lively crowd at DRIEMS Cricket Ground, old foes New Zealand took on Australia in a match that would ultimately see Jodie Fields’ side come out the victor after a smashing 112 from Meg Lanning who struck 17 boundaries in her performance.
Having sent the New Zealand side into bat, Fields had the side four down by the 12th over with just 39 on the board after Megan Schutt dismissed Lucy Doolan, Amy Satterthwaite and in-form Sophie Devine, while Julie Hunter sent Sara McGlashan packing.
It was then up to captain Suzie Bates to save the innings alongside Katie Perkins and Nicola Browne. Perkins and Bates played a series of great shots, much to the crowds delight, but Perkins dive for the crease fell short when the 24-year-old was run-out by Schutt.
Bates departed for 102 while Browne’s 39 helped add to a respectable total at the DRIEMS ground, one that the White Ferns’ felt was probably defendable, had it not been for the superb batting skills of Meg Lanning and Jess Cameron.
Lea Tahuhu clean bowled Rachael Haynes early in the innings but Lanning and Cameron set their minds to securing victory for the Southern Stars. The duo added a huge 182 runs before Cameron departed at the hands of Sian Ruck.
By that point the Australians were well on their way and when Player of the Match Lanning departed to Rachel Candy the side needed just 14 more runs, which veterans Lisa Sthalekar and Alex Blackwell ensured were knocked off the total to make it three wins out of three for the Australians as they head into the Super Six stages.
Lanning was pleased to have contributed so highly to the innings: “I think the pitch played out pretty well throughout the match and it was a better batting wicket than the one we played on against South Africa. Myself and Jess Cameron were happy to be out there batting through the afternoon, it was a good bit flatter and it was good to make the most of it.”
Fields admitted there were a few things the side needed to work on ahead of the Super Sixes: “I think it’s just a few one-percenters we need to improve upon going forward. We had a few fumbles out in the middle and a few overthrows and things like that can’t happen in the Super Sixes against teams like England, like West Indies – those players don’t give you room for error – so we just have to remain positive moving forward.”
Bates was obviously disappointed with the loss but happy to have qualified for the Super Sixes: “We would have obviously liked to have finished today with a win and we had a disappointing second innings especially after we had grafted so hard to get a good total on the board after losing wickets early on.
“Our bowling and fielding let us down today and, no discredit to Meg Lanning and Jess Cameron, we weren’t up to scratch and in these matches all three aspects have to be firing.”
Looking ahead to the Super Sixes Bates admitted it was now about treating every game like a knock-out: “All the teams who reach the Super Sixes deserve to be there and they will all prove tough on any given day.
“As a side every game needs to be treated like a knock-out in the Super Sixes and I’d say England is probably the side that will prove to be one of the toughest in this side of the tournament for us. We’ve faced them a lot but we know we need to play consistently good cricket against all the sides to win Cricket World Cups. It’s all about consistency.”
England seamers Katherine Brunt (2-10) and Anya Shrubsole (4-21) took full advantage of early morning conditions at the Bandra Kurla Complex Ground to dismiss West Indies Women for a paltry 101 in a Group A game of the ICC Women’s World Cup. England stuttered in its chase losing four wickets before achieving the target with 15 overs to spare.
After a surprising decision by West Indies captain Merissa Aguillera to send England into bowl, Brunt and Shrubsole got breakthroughs in their first overs. Brunt struck off the second ball of the match, sending Kycia Knight packing. In the next over, Shrubsole cleaned up Stafanie Taylor, centurion from the last match, who played all over a full delivery.
Shrubsole struck twice in the 9th over to get rid of Shemaine Campbelle and Juliana Nero to leave the West Indies women reeling at 14-4. Once skipper Aguillera was run-out going for a non-existent single and the dangerous Deandra Dottin edged a Brunt delivery to wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor, West Indies were staring down the barrel at 31 for six wickets.
Kyshona Knight (33) and Shanel Daley (30 not out) salvaged the situation to some extent adding 58 for the seventh wicket, but once Kyshona was stumped off Arran Brindle, West Indies quickly collapsed. Brindle cleaned up the tail to finish with dream figures of 3-0 off two overs. Six West Indies women were dismissed for a duck with only two getting into double figures. Extras were the third highest contributor with 28 courtesy three wides that went for boundaries.
In reply, England started off steadily gathering 66 for the opening wicket, before losing four quick wickets for 13 runs before knocking off the runs.
Player of the match, Shrubsole was pleased with her effort. “I didn’t expect such helpful conditions in India. But with the 9am start, there is dew and the ball always does a bit.”
Shrubsole, whose figures were a career-best for the 21-year-old, said West Indies decision to bat first was surprising. “Obviously, they had their own ideas of what they wanted to do. We were pleased to be bowling on that wicket in the morning and hoping to get something off it, which we did. The toss does not win you games, you still have to go out there and do what you have to do and we did it in this game.”
England’s chase proved on the slow side, taking 35 overs to reach the total. However, Shrubsole said that their main focus was just to get over the line. “The wicket did a bit all day. Even during the end, their bowlers were getting some swing. We wanted to get over the line. It was important to get a win and get into the super sixes. That was our focus.”
West Indies captain Aguillera said that her batters could not cope up with the conditions at the start. “When we batted, it was a bit damp. The pitch played extremely different to what we have been accustomed to in this tournament. The ball was swinging a lot, even when the ball was old, it was swinging a lot. The sun came out pretty late. It was about adjustment and we were not up to it today.
“We are a young team and such things happen when you don’t have much experience. We need to be more consistent and that is an area of concern for us.”
Aguillera admitted that the decision to bat first was not the correct one. “If I was given a chance again, I would bowl first. It could have gone differently. But it happened for a reason. We will learn from it and try and go forward from here.”
On England’s slow batting, Aguillera said that West Indies bowlers deserved credit. “My feeling was that England wanted to win without losing a wicket. But credit must go to our bowlers also, who bowled very well.”
West Indies now awaits the result of the match between India and Sri Lanka to find out its fate in the tournament.