With all teams having played at least four games, we are a little over halfway through the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022. It has been a really interesting and exciting tournament so far. We’ve seen upsets from the West Indies and Bangladesh have only had to wait three matches for their first World Cup win. England’s chances of making the semi-finals were looking all but gone after losing their first three matches, but a win against India has reignited their hope. On the other side of this, South Africa have won all four of their matches so far, basically assuring them a spot in the knockout stages. So, what else has happened this far?
Slower bowling is dominating
As predicted in our Meet the Teams article, taking the pace off the ball is proving to be very effective in this tournament. Spinners and medium-pacers are amongst the leading wicket takers and most economical bowlers. They also have some of the best bowling figures so far in the World Cup. The West Indian spin-duo of Hayley Matthews and Anisa Mohammed have 14 wickets between them and both sit in the top 10 for wickets taken. Rajeshwari Gayakwad of India is in the top 10 for both wickets taken and economy rate, while New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr has taken 8 wickets so far. Charlie Dean of England is having a breakout tournament, taking 4-23 against India in just her second ever World Cup match. Finally, the imperious Marizanne Kapp from South Africa has the equal-most wickets (10), with tournament-leading figures of 5-45 against England.
Tight games
The opening game between New Zealand and the West Indies set the tone for the tournament. This match came down to the wire with Deandra Dottin defending six runs in the final over to crash the hosts’ party. Since then, both teams have been involved other tight matches. The West Indies’s victory over England was taken to the final over, with England falling seven runs short. New Zealand almost defended their below-par total of 228 in a see-sawing match with South Africa. Marizanne Kapp only managed to take the game away from New Zealand in the final two overs. South Africa also took it deep in their history-making win over England. Bangladesh had to work hard for their first ever win at the World Cup, beating Pakistan by nine runs. In a low-scoring thriller Bangladesh fell just four runs short of completing an astonishing victory over the West Indies. Australia completed a record chase against India in the final over after looking comfortable for most of the innings. Finally, England scrapped a one-wicket win over New Zealand after collapsing just as they were reaching the finish line.
Consistency has been missing
Three of the teams chasing the semi-final spots have struggled to find consistent form. After their loss to the West Indies in the opening match, New Zealand strolled to a comfortable win against Bangladesh in a rain-affected match in Dunedin. They then followed this up with a commanding victory over India. However, a big loss against Australia and the heartbreaks against South Africa and England mean they will almost certainly miss out on the semi-finals.
Two early wins for the West Indies against New Zealand and England had them looking good for a semi-final spot. But two big losses against India and Australia have dented those chances. If it comes down to net-run-rate, the West Indies could be in trouble and will be regretting the nature of their losses so far.
India have suffered much the same fate. A good win over rivals Pakistan in their first match was followed up by a disappointing loss to New Zealand. They then bounced back spectacularly against the West Indies. A truly all-round performance saw India win by 155 runs. However, they followed this up with a batting collapse that meant they only posted 134 in their loss to England.
On the other hand, four wins out of four have put both Australia and South Africa in great positions to make the semi-finals. Australia in particular have looked unstoppable in their charge to make amends to their 2017 heartbreak.
Players of the tournament (so far)
Hayley Matthews has been simply outstanding so far in this tournament. She scored the first century of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, scoring 119 against New Zealand. She also also took two wickets, including Amelia Kerr, to help the West Indies get over the line in the last-over thriller. In total Matthews has scored 225 runs and taken 10 wickets in five matches so far. Her performances at this tournament have seen her leap to 2nd in the all-rounder World Rankings.
South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp is having a great tournament as well. On top of her 10 wickets, Kapp has come up clutch with two important innings in the wins over England and New Zealand. Also from South Africa, Laura Wolvaardt has been at her best so far this World Cup. Wolvarrdt hasn’t been dismissed for less than 40 runs in 8 World Cup matches, a streak that stretches back to the previous tournament. She has made 260 runs at an average of 65, including three consecutive 50s.
Fargana Hoque Pinky has been impressive for Bangladesh so far. She has scored 154 runs in four matches, which is more than the likes of Amelia Kerr and Meg Lanning. She has scored two fifties, and her 71 runs were crucial in securing Bangladesh’s first ever World Cup win.
What’s next?
Most of the teams have three games remaining, with only New Zealand and the West Indies having just two. Australia and South Africa have almost certainly secured their spots in the knockout rounds. Four teams will be fighting it out against each other for the remaining two semi-final berths – England, New Zealand, West Indies, and India.
England need to win all of their remaining games to qualify for the semi-finals. Their win against New Zealand will give them confidence moving forward, but the nature of their batting collapse will be of great concern.
New Zealand are effectively out after their loss to England. While they can still mathematically qualify, they will need many other results to go in their favour.
The West Indies have a little more freedom with their remaining matches. If they had lost against Bangladesh, the equation would have been a lot more difficult. The West Indies could lose one of their remaining matches against Pakistan and South Africa and they could still get through. However, as previously mentioned their poor net-run-rate could come back to hurt them. If they can win both of the last two games, they would be guaranteed to go through.
India will need to win both of their final games to get through to the semis. The trouble for India is that they have a tough match left, against South Africa in the final round-robin game. If they can win this game, and then their one against Bangladesh, their good net-run-rate should be enough to see them qualify for the next round.
The best World Cup ever?
The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 has served up some amazing action so far. The fight for the final two semi-final spots means we will get some great match-ups going forward. There are some tantalising games coming up, with so many ‘must-wins’ for a number of the teams. This World Cup has acted as a wonderful advertisement for women’s cricket and this will only continue as we head towards to pinnacle of the tournament. Will anyone be able to stop Australia? Or will they remain unbeaten in their pursuit of glory?
Written by Damon Lillis
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