Nadine de Klerk on Thursday hit 84 not out off 54 deliveries as South Africa upset hosts India by three wickets at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
De Klerk, who stroked five sixes and eight fours, put on vital lower-order partnerships after skipper Laura Wolvaardt hit 70 off 111 balls to help South Africa reach 252-7 in 48.5 overs.
That was in reply to India’s 251 all out in 49.5 overs. De Klerk took 2-52 and Chloe Tyron picked up 3-32 in 10 overs apiece as South Africa’s bowlers restricted India to 102-6 at one stage.
Photo: AP
Richa Ghosh’s 94 off 77 balls — including four sixes and 11 fours — helped take India to a competitive total before the Proteas registered a winning chase.
It was South Africa’s second straight win following a lopsided, 10-wicket opening loss to England, and they moved to fourth in the standings. The Proteas next face Bangladesh at the same venue on Monday.
“I am lost for words at the moment,” said De Klerk, the player of the match. “I just wanted to finish the game, so I tried to dig deep and give ourselves the best chance. I do love being under pressure and hopefully this gives us a lot of confidence. I love World Cups and [there is] no bigger stage than playing India at home.”
Photo: AP
India maintained third place on the table — with two wins from three games — ahead of tomorrow’s game against defending champions Australia.
Put in to bat, India failed to impress for the third time running. Smriti Mandhana (23) and Pratika Rawal (37) added 55 for the first wicket.
Left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba (2-46) dismissed Mandhana in the 11th over and then bowled Harleen Deol for 13. In between, Rawal was caught to leave India at 91-3.
Tyron trapped Jemimah Rodrigues LBW for a duck and then dismissed skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (9) as India slipped to 100-5. That became 102-6 as Marizanne Kapp (2-45) sent back Deepti Sharma.
Ghosh turned the innings around with a patient partnership with Amanjot Kaur (13) and added more with Sneh Rana, who scored 33 off 24 balls.
The Proteas lost Tazmin Brits for a three-ball duck just days after she scored a ton against New Zealand.
Like India, the Proteas lost regular top-order wickets and were 81-5 in 19.4 overs with Sune Luus (5) and Marizanne Kapp (20) back in the pavilion as well.
However, skipper Wolvaardt held one end and strung together vital partnerships to save the innings.
First, she added 23 off 33 with Sinalo Jafta (14) to stem the tide and then 61 off 97 balls with Tryon in a momentum-turning partnership.
Gaud bowled Wolvaardt in the 36th over and there was still a lot to be done at 142-6. De Klerk and Tryon combined to script a stunning chase.
Sneh Rana trapped Tryon LBW in the 46th over for one final twist, but De Klerk resisted.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday turned tennis heartbreak into history by becoming the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semi-final with her thrilling 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 victory over Karolina Pliskova at the Madrid Open, as Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei exited in the women’s doubles quarter-finals. The Russian-born Austrian, who lost in qualifying last week, has capitalized on her unexpected main draw entry and stunned former world No. 1 Pliskova in a roller-coaster clash despite squandering three match points. Potapova’s run has included impressive victories over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. Asked if she had thought
RSS