Four Englishwomen, three Indians, three South Africans, and an Australian make up our team of the tournament
Shashank Kishore and Annesha Ghosh 24-Jul-2017.1. Laura Wolvaardt – 324 runs, average 64.80, strike-rate 68.21It’s possible that the 18-year old could consider medicine over cricket, but after showing promise in the Women’s World Cup, she could perhaps do a rethink. The composure, assurance, and maturity in her game shone through while she scored four fifties and remained unbeaten twice in seven innings for South Africa. She was technically correct – with a cover drive to feast one’s eyes on – and a livewire on the field.2. Tammy Beaumont – 410 runs, average 45.55, strike-rate 76.92One of the poster girls of the Mark Robinson era in England cricket, Beaumont quashed any remnants of her post-2014 World T20 self-doubt while plundering runs at the top of the order. She validated her role as opener, stitching up mammoth partnerships including stands worth 275 and 170 with Sarah Taylor and Natalie Sciver respectively. The outcome of her obstinacy at the crease? England won the World Cup at Lord’s, and Beaumont walked away with the Player-of-the-Tournament award in front of a sell-out crowd.3. Mithali Raj (capt) – 409 runs, average 45.44, strike-rate 70.15On the eve of the tournament, she made headlines with her assertive stand on the individuality of women’s cricket. On matchdays, she grabbed eyeballs, reading books as she waited for her turn to bat. When she did stride out to the middle, she stood out with fluent strokeplay and tactical nous as captain, as her side exceeded her pre-tournament belief that making the semi-finals was a “realistic dream”. The ultimate glory, in her fifth World Cup, slipped by, but there’s no doubting that Raj has woken up a young generation of women’s cricketers. She finished the tournament as its second-highest run-getter behind Beaumont .4. Harmanpreet Kaur – 359 runs, average 59.83, strike-rate 95.47; economy rate 5.25If one performance could define the extent to which the eleventh edition of the Women’s World Cup captured the public imagination, Harmanpreet’s unbeaten 171 in the semi-final against Australia did so. Harmonster, Harmanator, Kaur-ageous, Kaur-nage – the puns on social media were as plentiful as her boundaries: 20 fours and seven sixes. A lukewarm beginning to her campaign – she scored 77 in her first five innings – made way for three successive fifty-plus scores, giving India a real shot at a maiden title.Harmanpreet Kaur smashed the highest individual score in a Women’s World Cup knockout game•Getty Images5. Ellyse Perry – 404 runs, average 80.80, strike-rate 77.54; nine wickets, economy rate 4.60Perry’s stellar run in the tournament, with bat and ball, coincided with her leapfrogging Stafanie Taylor to become the world’s top-ranked allrounder. In the lead-up to the semi-final, Perry scored five consecutive half-centuries – the joint-most in the World Cup – and moved to a career-high ranking of No.3 among ODI batsmen. She was an unstoppable force in combination with Meg Lanning, and in her captain’s absence lent stability to the middle order. In addition, Perry routinely shared the new ball with Megan Schutt and made up for the lack of a third frontline quick in Australia’s XI.6. Sarah Taylor (wk) – 396 runs, average 49.50, strike-rate 99She endured a difficult 2016, pulling out of the game due to anxiety-related issues, but her return to the set-up ahead of the World Cup couldn’t have come at a better time for England. Spectacular behind the stumps – her stumping of Trisha Chetty in the semi-final against South Africa was among the most eye-catching moments of the tournament – and adventurous in front of it, she was the driving force behind England’s eight-match winning streak.7. Natalie Sciver – 369 runs, average 46.12, strike-rate 107.58She was born in Tokyo, played professional football as a child in Poland, and tried her hand at hockey and tennis before settling for cricket. The variety shows in her game too. Her ‘Natmeg’ – squeezing yorker-length deliveries between the legs and into the leg side – became an instant hit. Her utility in the team came to the fore in the final at Lord’s, where no other England batsman made more than her 51. She chipped in with her medium-pace as well, picking up seven wickets at 28.57 while conceding less than five runs an over.The Natmeg: one of the most enduring images from the Women’s World Cup•Getty Images8. Deepti Sharma – 216 runs, average 30.85; 12 wickets, economy 4.70In the run-up to the World Cup, Raj had equated the on-field tenacity of the 19-year-old Deepti Sharma to that of her own younger self. That Deepti finished as India’s highest wicket-taker in the tournament besides chipping in with two half-centuries, effecting run-outs and taking back-pedalling catches, was testament to her potential as a world-class allrounder in the making. She picked up match-winning three-wicket hauls in India’s tournament opener and semi-final, and dug in with the bat during a 137-run stand with Harmanpreet against Australia in the semi-final.9. Dane van Niekerk – 99 runs, average 19.80, strike-rate 70.71; 15 wickets, economy rate 3.46She marshalled South Africa to their first World Cup semi-final in 17 years on the back of three four-wicket hauls, including a record-breaking 4 for 0 against West Indies. If her legspin weren’t enough for the opposition to contend with, van Niekerk played dogged knocks in the middle order. Off the field, she took pride in her bowling attack for being the “best in the world”. On it, she led them with gusto, finishing atop the wickets charts while sharing laughs and tears in a memorable journey that culminated in a final-over elimination at the hands of England.Anya Shrubsole ripped the fight out of India in the final•Getty Images10. Marizanne Kapp – 13 wickets, economy rate 4.46Kapp combined with Shabnim Ismail to form what was perhaps the tournament’s most fearsome new-ball pair. Her bustling run-up, slingy action and late outswing cast doubts in the mind of the batsmen. When she was summoned to pick up wickets at difficult stages, she delivered, and her lower-order batting and athletic fielding also contributed to South Africa’s all-round strength.11. Anya Shrubsole – 12 wickets, economy rate 4.62Until the semi-final, she wasn’t the same threat England have known her to be. She wasn’t expensive, but six wickets in eight games suggested batsmen had found ways to negate her threat. But she stood tallest when it mattered most, her 6 for 46, the best figures in a World Cup final, ripping the fight out of India. Sixteen years ago, when her father Ian played in a club final at Lord’s, Shrubsole told him she would like to play at the ground too. On July 23, she did her father and her entire country proud.(12th man) Amelia Kerr – 10 wickets, economy rate 4.48While her Tawa College mates were busy taking mid-year exams in Wellington, Kerr redefined life goals for fellow 16-year-olds and delivered masterclasses in legspin. As New Zealand’s youngest representative at the World Cup, Kerr’s control with the ball was as impressive as her ability to soak up pressure. Even the likes of Meg Lanning, Beaumont and Sciver struggled to negotiate her deft changes in pace and wily wrong’uns.
