ENGLAND... WORLD CHAMPIONS!
Heather Knight’s troops lift the trophy
Vithushan Ethantharajah captures the drama and tension as England battle back to win a fourth World Cup title
Of the remarkable matches Lord’s has hosted, this was up there. Before 1999, women were not permitted in the famous pavilion. Not many of the current England women’s side had played on the hallowed turf, even Alex Hartley, who spent four years turning out for Middlesex Women.
Her only experience of the ground came many years earlier when her dad took her on a tour. By Sunday evening, her and the rest of the England side had it all to themselves, singing their team song on the balcony and toasting one of the most remarkable World Cup wins in front of a raucous 25,000 crowd.
The instigator of those celebrations was Anya Shrubsole. She came into the tournament with little competitive cricket under her belt, save for a handful warmup matches that lacked real spice. The semi-final victory over South Africa was the first match out of eight that she had bowled her full 10 overs. Head coach Mark Robinson said he felt she was peaking at the right time. How right he was, as Shrubsole put in a virtuoso performance to nab 6-46, snatching the World Cup out of India’s hands with a spell that will live long in the memory.
The lion’s share of that haul came as India were motoring comfortably towards glory. A target of 229 looked defendable when England managed to find the resources throughout their innings. Their decision to bat first came largely out of a desire to put a score on the board and then choke the opposition – something they had done effectively throughout the World Cup.
It did not quite go to plan. An inspired Jhulan Goswami ripped out England’s middle-order, accounting for Nat Sciver (51), Sarah Taylor (45) and Fran Wilson (a first ball duck) to give her 3-23. Valuable contributions from Katherine Brunt (35) and Jenny Gunn (25) took England to 229-8 from their 50 overs, on a pitch that offered something for both.
But Punam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur were making it look straightforward. Both had hundreds in the competition, with Kaur waking the wider world up to the power within women’s cricket with a semi-final winning 171 off 115 balls against Australia.
England, particularly Hartley, had studied how she played spin. But after a brace of sixes against the left-arm twirler, it looked like a procession, with the pair still together when just 83 was needed from the final 100 balls, with seven wickets in hand.
Kaur, tempted by Hartley into one sweep too many, lofted high towards square leg where Tammy Beaumont was lurking to take the catch. The door was prised open. But Veda Krishnamurthy batted with purpose and began closing it once more with a stand of 53 with Raut. Up stepped Shrubsole to kick it to bits with a World Cup winning final spell of 5-11 in 19 balls.
The first would be Raut, stopped on 86 by an inswinger that trapped her in front. Hartley carried on the next over, bowling Sushma Verma around her legs. Then, a moment of madness from Krishnamurthy. “We knew she was a ticking time bomb,” said Brunt next day. She played to type.
For some reason, with Shrubsole having the ball on a string, Krishnamurthy swung across the line. It went high but with no distance, allowing Nat Sciver a simple catch at midwicket. To the next batter, Goswami, captain Heather Knight asked Shrubsole to bowl length. But the ball came out wrong and Shrubsole inadvertently yorked the No.8.
Amid the wild cheers, Knight turned to
her bowler: “Length, yeah?” Amid the carnage, India were sinking. The next over, Shrubsole, stationed at point, ran out Shikha Pandey, desperate to get off strike. Two more to go. By that point, Depti Sharma, all of 19 years – one of the women’s cricket most promising talents – was showing calm beyond her years. She had one boundary, but was also picking up singles to reduce the target to 11 off 12 deliveries. At the start of the penultimate over, that calm disappeared as Sharma tried to beat mid-wicket in the air and found Sciver.
One wicket left, No.10 Poonam Yadav on strike. England just needed to take the next chance. When it came, it was a dolly.
A tame charge and chip flew in slow motion towards Gunn, the safest hands in the XI. England were celebrating. Hartley turned to the crowd and pumped her fists. Beaumont began running in from the boundary. Danni Wyatt, not in the XI, hurdled the advertising boards and was halfway out to the middle when Gunn somehow put down the catch.
The gasps of the crowd were haunting. “You’ve just dropped the World Cup.” It’s a trope thrown out regularly to fit any occasion. But here was Gunn with the catch that would have sealed all of
The tension and drama as good as anything this great game has seen. England had the World Cup and women’s cricket, finally, had pride of place
England’s hard work, not just over the last month but the last two years. And there the ball lay, nestled in the carpet green of Lord’s. “I thought she’d dropped the World Cup,” said Knight. “We were on top. It was a big ask for their 10 and 11 to get those last few runs. I thought we’d won it, and then that drop.” Luckily, fate was bowing to Shrubsole’s whim.
With the very next ball, Rajeshwari Gayakwad was yorked comprehensively and that was that. England were World Champions for a fourth time. The were tears – Brunt couldn’t contain herself, such was the explosion of emotion when victory was confirmed. The noise in the stands was unfathomable for a women’s match. The tension and drama as good as anything this great game has seen. England had the World Cup and women’s cricket, finally, had pride of place.