Australia 47/2 after 17 overs
Australia has lost its experienced opening pair of Belinda Clark and Lisa Keightley in the opening hour of the 2005 World Cup Final against India.After Clark won the toss and elected to bat, the Australians have been in trouble against some fine swing bowling from Amita Sharma and Jhulan Goswami. At the first drinks break they are 47/2 after 17 overs.
Clark made 19 before getting a fine edge to wicketkeeper Jain off Sharma. She had played some fine shots including three boundaries, however was fortunate not to have been given out lbw in the third over of the morning when on 2. Keightley made 5 before she fended at a widish ball from Goswami taken by Rumeli Dhar at second slip.
Karen Rolton started shakily but has played some glorious drives to the point boundary since settling in. Mel Jones has been uncomfortable at the crease. Rolton is 12 and Jones 5 at drinks. Goswami’s opening spell went for 1/14 from six overs, Sharma took 1/15 from her seven over spell.
There’s a very small crowd at Centurion in bright sunny conditions with a fast outfield.
Australia 100/3 after 33 overs
Australia consolodated their position in the second hour of the Women’s Cricket World Cup final at Supersport Park, Centurion.After 33 overs, the Australians are 100 for 3. Melanie Jones was the last wicket to fall, out lbw when attempting to sweep Neetu David. Jones was just starting to look dangerous when dismissed for 17.
Left-arm spinner Neetu David and quickish right-arm offie Nooshin Al Khadeer have both bowled impressively, making an excellent foil to the new ball pair of Goswami and Amita Sharma. Rolton was unbeaten on 40 at the drinks break and looking prepared to gather momentum. With her at the crease is Indian-born Lisa Sthalekar on 12.
If they do not lose too many more wickets, Australia look on target for a score of around 170-180.
Australia 215/4 in 50 overs
India need to score 216 runs if they are to win their first-ever Women’s Cricket World Cup at Centurion this afternoon.Karen Rolton scored a brilliant 107 not out, the first century in a Women’s World Cup Final, as Australia completed their fifty overs with a score of 215 for 4. Rolton added 139 for the fourth wicket with Lisa Sthalekar, who was out caught and bowled in the last over by Rumeli Dhar for 55.
Equal to the largest partnership of this World Cup (139* by Juliana Nero and Pamela Lavine for the West Indies against Ireland), Rolton and Sthalekar’s hallmark was aggressive running between the wickets.
Rolton gave one chance, dropped at mid-on by Amita Sharma off Neetu David when 62, before bringing up her sixth ODI hundred off 126 balls including ten boundaries. Alex Blackwell was the other Australian batter at the crease at the end of the innings, on 4.
For India, four bowlers took one wicket apiece: Goswami (1/45), Amita Sharma (1/39), Dhar (1/34) and David (1/39), the latter finishing her World Cup with 20 wickets for the tournament. India’s tight bowling early in the innings fell apart later in the face of Rolton and Sthalekar’s aggression.
Australia’s total of 215 is the highest innings total in a World Cup final, indeed the first score in excess of 200.
(The last match of the 1973 World Cup, in which England scored 279 for 3 in 60 overs against Australia and Enid Bakewell made 118, has been erroneously described as the Final of that tournament. In fact, there was no final and that game was part of the last day of the round-robin, and it just so happened that the winner was decided as a result of that match.)
India 43/2 in 18 overs
India have made a tentative start to their pursuit of Australia’s World Cup Final record total of 215 for 4. At the first drinks break, the Indians are 43 for 2 from 18 overs.India lost their first wicket when Jaya Sharma, who has had a poor 2005 World Cup, was run out after making an absurd call for a single. Sharma made 5. Veteran opener Anju Jain played a confident innings of 29 from 52 balls before chipping a Clea Smith delivery to Sthalekar at mid-off.
Smith and Julie Hayes have been miserly with their bowling and the Australian fielding has for the most part been sharp. Not out at the drinks break are Anjum Chopra on 5 and Indian captain Mithali Raj on 3. India need 173 to win from 32 overs at a required run-rate of 5.41 per over.
India 65/6 in 26 overs
India’s Women’s Cricket World Cup aspirations are unravelling in the face of some brilliant Australian fielding. Taking full advantage of some poor calling by the Indian batters, Australia has captured four run outs to leave India reeling at 64/6 in the 25th over. The target, an unprecedented total for a Women’s World Cup Final at 216, seems a distant hope now.Anjum Chopra (10) was run out by a direct hit from Julie Hayes. Rumeli Dhar (6) fell foul of a direct hit from Australian captain Belinda Clark, and Hemlata Kala (3) was likewise a victim of Lisa Sthalekar’s arm. In amidst all this, Mithali Raj (6) was trapped leg before wicket by South Australian left-arm spinner Shelley Nitschke.
The not out batters at the end of the 26th over are Amita Sharma on 1, and Jhulan Goswami yet to score. India now need 151 runs from 24 overs, Australia need four wickets to win the Jack Hayward Trophy for the fifth time.
India 104/7 in 40 overs
Australia have the proverbial one hand on the World Cup. India need to score 112 runs in their last ten overs if they are to become women’s cricket champions of the world. They have only scored 104 in their first forty.India’s seventh wicket fell with the score on 97. All-rounder Amita Sharma had led a revival of sorts after her side had collapsed to 64 for 6, but when on 22 she was given out lbw off the bowling of Lisa Sthalekar.
With the game entering its dying stages, Deepa Marathe is on 3 and Jhulan Goswami 11. India 104/7 in 40 overs in reply to Australia’s 215/4.
Australia wins the World Cup
Australia has won the 2005 Women’s Cricket World Cup. They defeated India by 98 runs, India being bowled out for 117 in 46 overs.The end came when Nooshin Al Khadeer was comprehensively bowled by Shelley Nitschke without scoring. Earlier, Jhulan Goswami (18) was caught by substitute fielder Kate Blackwell off the bowling of Cathryn Fitzpatrick to become India’s eighth wicket down, after which Neetu David lost her off stump courtesy of Fitzpatrick without scoring a run herself. Fitzpatrick’s world record tally of ODI wickets now stands at 148.
Karen Rolton was named Player of the Match for her masterful 107 not out, the first century scored in any officially designated Women’s Cricket World Cup Final. Rolton was also named Player of the Tournament for scoring 246 runs and taking 10 wickets.
While Mithali Raj appeared crestfallen during the post-game ceremonies, the Indian team has plenty to be proud of in this World Cup, having made the final for the first time. In the end, the Australians proved far too good with their outfielding, and possess a captain and an all-rounder who both rank among the greatest that the women’s game of cricket has seen.
Brief scores: Australia 215/4 in 50 overs (K Rolton 107*, L Sthalekar 55) defeated India 117 all out in 46 overs (A Jain 29, A Sharma 22; C Fitzpatrick 2-23, S Nitschke 2-14) by 98 runs.
(Note: This article was originally written for the Cricketwoman website in 2005. It may contain links to Cricketarchive which have long since ceased to exist. Cricketwoman was a partner website of Cricketarchive at the time of the 2005 Womens World Cup. – RE, 2017-07-21)