ICC Women's World Cup: Five talking points ahead of the final between England and India

Sport360 staff 01:04 22/07/2017
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  • England and India will meet in the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup on Sunday at a sold-out Lord’s.

    Here are five things to look forward to.

    A repeat of the league game or a different result?

    The two finalists met back on June 24, day one of the tournament, which was the curtain-raiser for both teams.

    The result was a bit of a surprise, with India turning over the strongly-fancied hosts by 35 runs at Derby, with England taking only three Indian wickets before being dismissed for 246 themselves.

    After an inauspicious start, Heather Knight’s side have rallied in style, learning from their false start and winning every match since. Will the previous result bring back bad memories or inspire a righting of earlier wrongs?

    Nat your average batter

    Nat Sciver earned plenty of attention for the ‘Nat-meg’ shot she produced against New Zealand, dexterously diverting a yorker between her front and back leg, but that trick shot is just one of her many achievements in the tournament.

    She is the only player in the tournament to hit two centuries and – while she does not hold the highest aggregate or best average – her strike-rate is unmatched.

    Her 318 runs have come at 115.63 per 100 balls, head and shoulders above anyone else among the top 20 run-scorers. For comparison, Mithali Raj and Tammy Beaumont, the final’s top two run-scorers, have been striking at 71 and 78 respectively.

    Harmanpreet’s semi-final heroics still fresh in the mind

    After facing just 91 deliveries in her first five innings at the tournament, India batter Harmanpreet Kaur has come into her own. After a score of 60 against New Zealand in a virtual quarter-final, she dominated the semi-final victory over Australia, scoring an Indian World Cup record of 171 not out in 115 deliveries.

    England already know all about the 28-year-old Punjab cricketer, who will play for Surrey Stars in this year’s Kia Super League, but there will be extra emphasis on her following her brilliance at Derby.

    On the other hand, Harmanpreet will definitely believe that she can produce another classic innings at the home of cricket.

    Will the England new-ball bowlers take control?

    England’s new-ball pairing of Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole haven’t found peak form at the start of the innings, with the latter’s most obvious match-winning turn coming when she hit the winning runs against South Africa in the semi-final.

    A line-up that bats deep and taking pace off with the ball have been the main strengths for England, but the feeling remains that the pace duo will be itching to make a statement.

    With 179 ODI wickets between them, the idea of leaving the job for others on such a grand stage will simply not appeal.

    Women’s cricket grows from strength to strength

    The impact of the competition has already been considerable, with strong sales, global interest and media coverage. But a classic encounter in front of a packed crowd at the game’s most historic arena could prove a real tipping point for women’s cricket.

    There will be more eyes than ever before on the match, with the host nation and world cricket’s superpower competing against each other and a top quality contest could draw an army of new followers.

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