The Momentum Proteas completed a historic run-chase to seal a 7-wicket win and an unassailable 3-1 lead in their first series win in India since 2014, writes Khalid Mohidin.
What an incredible game to witness. The Proteas were exceptional in their approach with the bat as they chased down India’s 266/4 in an exceptional display of composed batting.
Their entire top order performed well, with Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Lara Goodall and Mignon du Preez all reaching their half-centuries.
The foundation was set by the openers, with Lee and Wolvaardt stringing together an opening stand of 116 to set the foundation for the chase.
Lee was excellent in applying the sweep to find the boundary consistently and was the more aggressive of the two openers. She finished with 69 off 75 balls (10 fours).
Wolvaardt was more steady in her approach, rotating the strike well and playing the perfect anchor for the Proteas, but unfortunately, as she looked to open up shortly after bringing up her 19th half-century, found an edge to the keeper on 53 (78 balls, 6 fours.
Lara then came to the middle. She initially struggled to execute her sweeps and played across the line, searching for the feeling of bat on ball. But as she eased into the match, she became more confident. She started using her feet, playing down the ground and finding runs on her offside.
In fact, despite Mignon being named Player of the Match, I thought Lara’s innings was exceptional to watch and was the stand-out batsman to seal the win.
Mignon took the pressure off her partner exceptionally well, playing with intent and assertiveness taking the Proteas to 236/3 with 5.4 overs left in the match. She was the only batter to hit a six, finishing on 61 off 55 balls (8 fours, 1 six).
Goodall’s reverse sweeps in the penultimate over was a representation of the way her confidence grew throughout her innings, especially after falling one run short of a half-century in the 2nd ODI. She was in desperate need of a performance and she delivered, scoring 59 off 66 balls (5 fours).
Marizanne Kapp, who went wicketless for 58 runs in her 10 overs, made up for it with the bat. She contributed 22 off 18 balls (3 fours), including the winning runs, to seal a 7-wicket win.
This saw the Proteas complete the highest run chase in their history, after India posted 266/4.
The bowling was not as good as we can usually expect from the Proteas, with Tumi Sekhukhune the pick of the bowlers with her 2-63. Special mention must go to India’s Punam Raut (104 off 123 balls), and Harmanpreet Kaur (54 off 34 balls) for the way she came in and instantly took the game away from the Proteas bowlers from ball one.
The Proteas took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five match series, to complete their first win in India since 2014.
Photo: BCCI/CSA
