Wolvaardt’s efforts in vain as Proteas eclipsed by India in World Cup final

Laura Wolvaardt could do no more. Having pulled her side into a World Cup final, with a knock for the ages, in the biggest match of her life, she produced another glorious performance – but this her effort wasn’t enough.

SA lost it’s first ODI World Cup final to host nation India by 52 runs, an outcome that set off joyous scenes in the stands at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, and no doubt throughout the rest of that cricket crazy nation.

The defeat is certainly not Wolvaardt’s fault. Just like in the T20 World Cup final at Newlands two years ago – SA’s first occasion in an ICC final – when she held the innings together with a half-century, Sunday saw her score a hundred, but like at Newlands, none of her teammates were able to lend her proper support.

The Proteas will have many regrets from Sunday’s clash, be it Anneke Bosch’s two dropped catches, one of which was extremely costly, the number of soft dismissals in their innings, and the inability of anyone to stay with their captain.

Wolvaardt was superb. Her 101 was scored at better than a run-a-ball, but it was very different from the innings she played in the semifinal. That was an innings littered with stunning shotmaking, where Sunday’s effort, while still high on skill, was much more workmanlike.

India’s bowlers executed their plans to her perfectly. There was no room provided outside the off-stump, so the signature cover drive was absent. Instead, the Proteas captain worked the ball smartly through the leg-side with some nifty wrist work, while she pulled and swept with purpose.

Like she did against England, Wolvaardt fulfilled her plan to get to the 40th over, the trouble was by that stage, the kind of hitting she was able to do in the semifinal couldn’t be repeated.

When she did go to the slog sweep, instead of it sailing 80m like it did in Guwahati it went 50m, into the hands of Amanjot Kaur at midwicket, who did her best to drop the ball, but eventually clung onto it in one hand.

Amanjot was buried under a heap of teammates. Wolvaardt left the arena with her head down.

South Africa had actually achieved a goal in keeping India to under 300, although the pitch for the final and conditions in the outfield weren’t as slick as they were for India’s victory over Australia in Thursday’s semifinal.

The dew wasn’t as prevalent, and India’s spinners were able to get the ball to grip and turn late in the South African innings.

Nevertheless having kept India to 298/6, the Proteas would have been pleased at the break. The mood should have been happier, but two guilt-edged misses both by Bosch, in the final outcome proved fatal.

Both were comfortable opportunities, the first going the way of Shafali Verma who was on 56, when Bosch let slip an opportunity off Marizanne Kapp’s bowling. Shafali, who’d only come into the tournament before the semifinal as a replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal, would go on to make 87, a knock which gave India’s innings impetus.

Bosch also dropped Richa Ghosh when she had 32 although that wasn’t as costly.

Wolvaardt also missed a difficult low chance diving forward when Deepti Sharma, who would go on to make 58 had 38.

Otherwise, SA’s ground fielding was actually excellent, with Annerie Dercksen, Nadine De Klerk and even substitute Tumi Sekhukhune, producing several outstanding stops on the boundary.

The death bowling, led by a sublime spell from Ayabonga Khaka, restricted India to just 69 runs in the last 10 overs.

Tazmin Brits played in that scratchy manner of hers, but shared a 51-run first wicket partnership with Wolvaardt. However her run out, was one of three soft dismissals which gave India the initiative, even as Wolvaardt was building her innings.

Shafali, who can barely be classed as a part-timer, was given the ball in the 21st over and it proved an inspired piece of captaincy by Harmanpreet Kaur as she took a wicket with her second ball, when Sune Luus, casually clipped the ball back to her.

Kapp was caught down the leg-side, and suddenly SA had to re-build, something it took a few overs to do. Dercksen struck two enormous sixes in a 61-run stand with her skipper, but was brilliantly yorked by the head-smart Deepti for 35.

Wolvaadt barely acknowledged her own hundred – becoming the first player to score centuries in the semifinal and final of a World Cup.

Ultimately, as magnificent a player as she is, Wolvaardt can’t do it all by herself, and that will be the cause of plenty of heartache for her teammates.