CHRISTCHURCH: South African opener Laura Wolvaardt top-scored with her astonishing knock of 80 runs before middle-order batter Mignon du Preez shone with a half-century to propel her side to a thrilling victory over India in the last round match of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup.
In the 28th match of the ongoing World Cup, South Africa sealed a thrilling victory over India by three wickets and knocked the latter out of the semi-final hunt.
With India’s exit from the World Cup, West Indies have made their way into the knockout stage of the global event.
Batting first in the last round match, India get to a commendable 275/7 in the allotted 50 overs, thanks to the half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and the skipper Mithali Raj.
The openers Mandhana and Verma provided a solid start to the side with a brilliant 91-runs partnership. Verma made her way back early after scoring 53, while Mandhana stood firm and top-scored for the side with her 71.
Later, Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur bolstered the side to a decent total with their valiant knocks. Mithali scored 68 off 84 balls, while Harmanpreet chipped in with 48.
For South Africa, Masabata Klaas and Shabnim Ismail bagged two wickets each, while Chloe Tyton and Ayabnonga Khaka made one scalp each.
In the run chase, South Africa steered to the victory on the final delivery with three wickets in hand.
Deepti Sharma, who was bowling the final over for India, managed to pick du Preez’s wicket but overstepped and hence the proteas women steered to the victory on the final ball.
The middle-order batter du Preez remained unbeaten with her gritty knock of 52 off 63 balls, while Wolvaardt top-scored with 80 off 79 deliveries. The left-handed batter Lara Goodall, on the other hand, also chipped in with 49.
For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Harmanpreet managed to pick two wickets each.
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