Australia lead 33-8 in contests against India © Getty Images
Five rounds, 21 matches and 18 days since its start, the Women’s World Cup is still without a confirmed semi-finalist. That will change after Wednesday’s triple-header that features all of the top five teams, each within a point of the other. If teams have equal points, then the semifinalists will be decided by most wins, then Net Run Rate, and finally head-to-head.
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Though they hold a 33-8 advantage in meetings against India, Australia have reason to be wary having suffered their first loss of the tournament, against England. Captain Meg Lanning called for more discipline from the bowlers, with Australia conceding 32 wides.
Lanning may also want to avoid too much experimentation in the slog overs. Her gamble of using the part-time medium-pace of Elyse Villani in the 50th over against England cost them 13 runs.
Australia’s batting order struggled against left-arm spinner Alex Hartley. That could be the cue for India to add a fifth spinner in place of opener Punam Raut. Raut has scored only 85 off 143 balls in four games since her 86 against England. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s ability to deftly flight the ball and get it to dip and turn, and the fact that she’s picked at least one wicket in her last nine ODI innings, including three four-wicket hauls and a three-for, should strengthen her case for inclusion.
By extension, letting Deepti Sharma open with Smriti Mandhana would also help Mithali Raj ease back into her regular No. 3 slot. Batting a position down since the tournament opener against England has led to a slump for the Indian captain.
Shikha Pandey explained the need to impose themselves on their opponents to come out of the uncertainty the loss to South Africa has put them into. “We need to pull ourselves back from the defeat. The best cricket that we can play is there, so hopefully it will come against Australia. Our initial breakthrough has been a concern for us. We need to play more attacking cricket.”
South Africa will bank on Dane van Niekerk’s imperious form © ICC
South Africa, red-hot after an emphatic 115-run victory against India, will be eyeing their fourth win in the tournament in Taunton against Sri Lanka.
The last time the two sides met, at the World Cup qualifiers in Colombo, South Africa wrapped up a nine-wicket win with 85 balls to spare- one of the 10 times they have beaten Sri Lanka in 14 completedmatches. Dane van Niekerk, the South Africa captain, however, refused to rest on history. “We know how good they are, and we’re not going to go out there underestimating them,” she said. “We are going to go there to play our best cricket, the way we have been playing and our brand, and hopefully, that is good enough to get another two points.”
Van Niekerk would herself hold the key as South Africa chase a substantial win. Her nine wickets – the joint-most in the tournament – includes two fur-wicket hauls. Equally crucial would be the potent fast-bowling pair of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, and opening batsman Lizelle Lee, who redefined the art of power-hitting with a 65-ball 92 against India.
Sri Lanka, one of two winless sides so far, will look to put behind their 47-run defeat to West Indies – the most-recent of five consecutive losses. Top-order batsman Chamari Atapattu, the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, sounded optimistic, arising from their familiarity with the opposition. “We have played a lot of cricket against them, both home and away. I scored a few 50s and hundreds against them. I think we have a chance, and we will do our best.
Annesha Ghosh is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo