Ending England, Australia era, Indian & SA women eye maiden ODI World Cup cricket title

By the end of Sunday evening, the history of women’s ODI cricket will change. Ending the era of England and Australia, the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup Trophy will either remain in India or will fly to South Africa after the final is played here on Sunday.

Since 1973, the first edition of the tournament, Australia has won the event seven times, while England has bagged the trophy four times. The New Zealanders have won it once in the 2000-01 edition.

India had their chances of winning the trophy twice when they reached the finals — the first time in 2005 (when they faced a 98-run defeat against Australia) and later, in 2017 (when they went down by nine runs to England).

Notably, this is the third time that the nation is hosting the cup. In 1997, Australia won the title at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, followed by another in 2013. Hosting the third World Cup, Indian fans are a bit anxious to see the title at home, but it definitely won’t be so easy.

The Proteas have now emerged as the only nation to reach the fifth successive ICC final across genders and age groups. After losing to New Zealand in the last year's T20 World Cup final, they are not prepared to let go the title easily.

On the women's ODI front, the Proteas women will be playing their first final. “I don’t know how to tackle the massive support from the stands for tomorrow’s game. I think winning the match will be the best and only option,” said Laura Wolvaardt, the South Africa skipper.

While she seems high on the team’s latest performance against Australia, so was Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who termed the moment as ‘surreal’. “We have experienced emotions after defeat, I think it’s time to experience the World Cup winning emotions. Reaching a World Cup final, amid a home crowd... it’s a dream of every player. All we need is to end it on a happy note,” said Harmanpreet.

Both skippers also appreciated the fact that there will be a new ODI world champion on Sunday. On a flat DY Patil Stadium surface — known for its high scores and evening dew — it may be another run-fest, which could swing the winning factor either way. However, there also hangs the possibility of unexpected rain.

In this very tournament, the Proteas had defeated the co-hosts during the league stage. However, at DY Patil Stadium, the Indian team has registered two wins, including the record chase against Australia in the semifinal, while one match was washed away by the rain. Had it not been for the weather, the team could have won that match against Bangladesh. On the other hand, after playing the semifinal in Guwahati, the South African side will be playing their first match of the tournament here.