Major Impact Players for 2022 World Cup – Part 1
– March 4th is around the corner, the opening match for the ICC Women’s cricket World cup between New Zealand and the West Indies will signal the beginning of the 12th edition. We have had to wait an extra 12 months for the tournament due to its postponement but the wait is finally over.
I am extremely proud to see that we have two female officials from South Africa representing at the World cup tournament- Lauren Agenbag and Shandre Fritz. I know they will make us proud!
Interesting fact, the Momentum Proteas have maintained more squad members from the 2017 tournament than any other team. 12 players have been retained, the closest to that number is 9 from the Australian and West Indian teams. Could this added experience of them being at the World Cup be an advantage and help them lift the trophy? I surely hope so.
The current title holders of the 50 over World cup is England, their victory at Lord’s was the 4th time they lifted the trophy. I was there to witness the Indian middle order implode on themselves and basically hand the trophy to England. It was so frustrating to see the poor decision making out on that pitch.
Here’s my first thoughts on what will be the major impact to this year’s tournament. In my humble opinion, whose middle order will perform the best will either take them to the final or eventually help their team lift the trophy come April 3rd at Christchurch.
Traditionally, the opening pair is a balancing act of your risk batter with your orthodox stroke batter. We have the perfect example of that with Lee and Wolvaardt, then comes in your 3rd, 4th and 5th batter who are your specialist’s, a good example of this is Lanning, Haynes & Mooney from Australia, followed by the 6th, 7th & 8th who make up the slots of the wicket keeper and all-rounder’s (sometimes but more often than not- Australia are probably the exception here and it works for them). 9th, 10th & 11th are reserved for your specialized bowlers.
In every match we want the top 5 to make runs but when they fail we trust that the middle order, 6th, 7th & 8th players will make runs. It is so vital for these batters to understand their role. I am all for someone to come in and smash it around if it is required but most times it calls for a calm cool personality. A player that will come in and ‘marshall the troops’ but what usually happens is they give it away too cheaply and fail to bat out 50 overs or keep a run rate up at a run a ball. Unfortunately, teams have paid the price for this and ended up losing vital matches.
Looking back at the 2017 semi final between England and South Africa this was exactly the case. Batting first on a track that offered a little bit to the bowlers but our top 5 did a decent job with two half centuries. Our 6th, 7th & 8th batters only managed 49 runs that day but the England team managed 69 between the three of them. There were admittedly a few other factors that contributed to the loss, 2 dropped catches & a missed run out and way too many wide’s but for me the inability to ‘go at a run a ball’ in the latter period is where they opened the door for England. And if my memory serves me correctly Dané did say in the post interview that they felt they were 30 odd runs short in their innings.
An example of how paramount this is, is the recently played series against the West Indies and South Africa at the Wanderers;
1st ODI rained out
2nd ODI South Africa batted first and managed a very low score 160 all out. 6th, 7th & 8th only scored 17 runs and could not bat out the allotted overs. West Indies then came in and South Africa bowled well upfront but the West Indies batters in at 6th, 7th & 8th scored 74 runs and almost stole the win but a super over later and the Proteas lost.
3rd ODI South Africa batted first again and scored an impressive 299- Wolvaardt with an impressive 117 (her 3rd ODI Hundred), the 6th, 7th, 8th batters scored 66 runs and pushed the game out of the West Indies reach. West Indies batters at 6th, 7th & 8th only scored 51 and did not bat out the allotted overs and lost the game.
4th ODI West Indies batted first and their 6th, 7th & 8th only managed 22 runs and once again did not bat out all their overs. A very low 174 runs, the Proteas came into bat and managed to chase the score down with 10 overs to spare.
There are so many examples, too many to mention where games were lost at this critical batter’s period.
So, I strongly believe that the Momentum Proteas need to ensure whomever is coming in at 6, 7 and 8 has the ability to go at a run a ball. Mignon Du Preez and Marizanne Kapp’s style of playing is perfect here.
Yes, there are readers out there that are probably saying- she’s lost her marbles if that’s all it takes to win. I have not forgotten that there are many factors that need to be considered and I agree there are. I am just advocating the emphasis must be placed on the role of these batters.
During the 2022 edition; there are some key players that will play a pivotal role in and around those slots of 6th, 7th and 8th. Either they will have to anchor or come in and support the 6th batter. Tahlia McGrath (Australia); Chloe Tryon (South Africa), Sophia Dunkley (England), Katey Martin (New Zealand), Deepti Sharma (India), Aliya Riaz (Pakistan), Chedean Nation (West Indies) and Rumana Ahmed (Bangladesh). One of these players will play a major role in this World cup and help their team lift the trophy.
In part two I will delve into the bowling aspect and where my thoughts lie on that subject.
