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South Africa showcase batting prowess to knock India out of the World Cup

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Last updated on 27 Mar 2022 | 09:16 AM
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South Africa showcase batting prowess to knock India out of the World Cup

The top-order of the South African side fired in unison to help the team chase a mammoth 275 runs under lights

In a game that mattered the most, India crumbled under pressure in the back end of the innings with both bat and ball to hand South Africa their fifth win of the competition. 

After plenty of ebbs and flows and a lot of drama, we were down to the last over of the innings, with South Africa needing seven off the final six deliveries. However, a no-ball on the penultimate delivery ensured the Proteas to stay in the contest and ultimately knock India out of this edition of the World Cup. 

With seven points, West Indies are through to the final four of the competition and will face Australia in the first semi-finals on 30th March at the Basin River in Wellington. 

After electing to bat first in this high-voltage clash, Mithali Raj revealed the most significant news at the toss as India were playing a World Cup game without Jhulan Goswami for the first time in her two decade-long career due to a side strain. 

On a wicket conducive for strokeplay, the Women in Blue started the innings in a commanding fashion as Shafali Verma, and Smriti Mandhana stitched a 91-run stand for the first wicket to lay a solid foundation for the side. 

While the teenager was the aggressor of the two and became the second-youngest to record a World Cup half-century, Mandhana played the role of an anchor to absolute perfection en route to their destructive stand. 

The right-handed batter smashed 53 off 46 deliveries, with eight boundaries before being run out courtesy of a horrible mix-up on the last ball of the 15th over. 

While the Women in Blue lost two wickets in quick succession as Yastika Bhatia perished early, Mithali Raj walked in at number four to consolidate the innings. 

Along with the free-flowing strokeplay of Mandhana, the duo stitched a crucial 80-run stand for the third wicket before the southpaw was caught brilliantly in the field by Chloe Tryon for a sublime 71 off 84 balls. 

With over 18 overs to spare, the onus of the side relied heavily on Harmanpreet Kaur and the skipper to keep the scoreboard ticking and help India to a massive first innings total. 

The duo did exactly that as Mithali displayed an array of strokes all around the ground to score yet another half-century and become the oldest player to smash a fifty in the Women's World Cup history. 

En route to her score of 68 runs, the 39-year old also become the second-highest run-scorer in the mega event with 1321 runs in 36 innings. However, her wicket in the 43rd over resulted in the Women in Blue losing a flurry of wickets in pursuit of quick runs.

With the vice-captain of the side firmly in control at the other end, she kept taking the attack to the Proteas bowling unit before being dismissed in the final over of the innings for an attacking 48 off 57 balls. 

Riding on half-centuries from Shafali, Mandhana and Mithali, India managed to post a mammoth 274 for 7. 

In pursuit of 275, the Proteas got off to a horrendous start as Lizelle Lee was run out with the scoreboard reading 14 in the fifth over. However, Laura Wolvaardt and Lara Goodall steadied the innings by accumulating ones and twos. 

In the seven league matches of the tournament, South Africa have struggled to find the ideal number three batter. However, with the sublime innings of 49 runs in this innings, Goodall has eased the pressure heading into the semi-finals of the competition.  

En route to her 125-run stand for the second wicket along with Wolvaardt, the duo ensured South Africa stayed on course in the run chase. While she was dismissed trying to run the ball down the ground to the left-arm spin of Gayakwad, the turning point of the game was the dismissal of Wolvaardt for 80. 

The 22-year old was beaten by the flight and missed the turning delivery from Harmanpreet to give the Women in Blue the opening they required to get back in the contest. 

However, with the experience of du Preez and the composure of Luus, South Africa consolidated the innings with a vital stand for the fourth wicket to help the team inch closer to the target. 

With the wicket of Luus and Marizanne Kapp after a brief partnership, it was down on the shoulders of du Preez in this run chase. After a lukewarm outing in the tournament, the 32-year old scored a sublime half-century and kept her nerve in this tense run chase. 

Making optimum use of her international experience, she relied heavily on manoeuvring the field and running hard between the wickets and scored only two boundaries in her unbeaten knock of 52 runs in the second innings. 

With one run required of the final ball, the right-handed batter clipped the ball through mid-wicket, breaking a billion Indian hearts.

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