Mignon du Preez stars in dramatic bound to knock India out, West Indies qualify for semi-finals
Half of-centuries from Mandhana, Verma and Raj inch in vain as South Africa bound down 275 off the final ball
South Africa 275 for 7 (Wolvaardt 80, du Preez 52, Goodall 49, Kapp 32, Harmanpreet 2-42, Gayakwad 2-61) beat India 274 for 7 (Mandhana 71, Raj 68, Verma 53, Harmanpreet 48, Klaas 2-38, Ismail 2-42) by three wickets
India secure been knocked out of the 2022 World Cup, after South Africa done their highest a hit bound in ODIs, attempting down a tight purpose of 275 after a center-inform trip. The discontinue result places West Indies in the semi-final in fourth characteristic, meaning they’ll face Australia in the final four. South Africa will play England in a repeat of the 2017 semi-final, after England beat Bangladesh in their final neighborhood stage match earlier in the day.
South Africa’s unbeaten flee batting 2d has now prolonged to 16 fits, including four at this opponents, where all their victories secure been nail-biters. They done with five wins in seven neighborhood-stage fits, and their batting has improved on every event. This time, they wished 20 runs off the final three overs, 14 off the final two, and 6 off the final over, and had former captain Mignon du Preez and the tail to carry conclude them there. du Preez reached her first half of-century of this World Cup, and highest secure in 12 fits since September 2021, however it no doubt became no longer with out its maintain drama.
She became caught at prolonged-on off what would secure been the penultimate ball off the match, bowled by Deepti Sharma, with South Africa needing three runs off two balls. The batter became nearly off the field when the umpires requested her to abet, and checked Deepti’s front foot. Her heel became lifted above the line and the no-ball became called. du Preez returned to hit the winning flee via midwicket to send India packing.
Within the changeroom, a distraught Jhulan Goswami watched after missing out on this match with a facet stress. It became the first time in five World Cups and two a long time that India secure performed a World Cup match with out Goswami and she became ignored in the field. Meghna Singh, who replaced her, conceded 37 runs in six overs and went wicketless.
India’s defence began neatly after they ran Lizelle Lee out on the non-striker’s discontinue for six to prolong her sorrowful flee. Lee has scored honest 79 runs in six innings in the opponents after missing the first match. Her opening accomplice, Laura Wolvaardt, has been in substantial invent, though. She brought up her fifth fifty of this match and grew to change into the first batter to attain over 400 runs on the match, and now sits 75 runs forward of her nearest competitor, Meg Lanning, for this match.
For the first time on the opponents, Wolvaardt realized a No. 3 to invent a necessary partnership with. Lara Goodall, who replaced Tazmin Brits, shared in a 125-flee 2d-wicket stand and became stumped one flee in need of her fifty to support assert up South Africa’s bound. However the over after Goodall’s dismissal, Wolvaardt became drawn forward by Harmanpreet Kaur, beaten by flight and flip, and bowled.
That left it to Sune Luus and du Preez to set South Africa relief heading in the right route. Luus became out lbw for 22, which brought Marizanne Kapp to the crease with 93 wished off 14 overs. She approached the finisher’s characteristic, as she has performed all the plot via the match, with aggression. Kapp realized the fence three cases, however with India’s field unfold, she needed to push to rotate strike, which became her undoing. Kapp became flee-out and left South Africa leaving 46 runs off 31 balls.
du Preez took two fours off Pooja Vastrakar‘s final over and Chloe Tryon took on Rajeshwari Gayakwad for three fours in her five balls, earlier than he became caught off a forefront as the profit swung wildly in the final period. South Africa wished 20 off the final three overs and obtained there to construct their neighborhood-stage flee on 11 facets.
Earlier, half of-centuries from Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Mithali Raj, and a 48 from Harmanpreet gave India a aggressive whole on a tight pitch, however India would secure been dissatisfied no longer to secure closer to 300 after a stable originate. Mandhana and Verma scored 68 in the first powerplay, and Verma brought up her first fifty of the match and third general, off 40 balls. Their first-wicket partnership grew to 91 in 15 overs earlier than Verma became flee-out on the non-striker’s discontinue for 53.
Two overs later, Yastika Bhatia attempted to brush an innocuous Tryon transport and managed to edge the ball on to her stumps and South Africa had been ready to drag things relief. Within the subsequent ten overs, they gave away 39 runs and conceded honest two boundaries.
Mandhana brought up her fifty and became rebuilding with Raj, and their partnership had reached 80, when Mandhana miscued a heave in opposition to mid-off, where Tryon needed to spring relief and to her exact, and put in a dive, to drag off a two-handed cling conclude. She did all that, after which flicked the ball casually away in celebration.
Raj hit her 64th ODI fifty and 13th at a World Cup – essentially the most by any player – off 69 balls and demonstrated elegant timing and placement as India entered the final ten overs on 223 for 3. They scored 11 runs off the first 14 balls earlier than Raj became brushed aside, after which misplaced four wickets for 37 runs as South Africa’s attack rallied. Shabnim Ismail and Masabata Klaas done with two wickets every and India had been saved to below 275.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent