Ex-South Africa skipper Ali Bacher says absence of Australia and England from World Cup final after decades of dominance shows other teams are improving
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (left) with South African counterpart Laura Wolvaardt at the toss ahead of Sunday’s final. Pic/Getty Images
Former South Africa captain Ali Bacher believes the India vs South Africa Women’s World Cup final was the perfect shot in the arm for women’s cricket, after decades of dominance by Australia and England.
Both India and South Africa had never won the tournament before. In fact, the latter had never even featured in the summit clash of the women’s showpiece event prior to Sunday — a reflection of Australia and England bossing over the tournament (they have won 11 of the 13 ODI World Cup titles). But now, Bacher reckons the tide is changing.
Ali Bacher
“The final was played between my two favourite countries. Now, finally, Australia and England will realise that two more countries have come up [in women’s cricket]. It’s good for women’s cricket, as well as world cricket,” Bacher, 83, told mid-day.
Speaking about the final, Bacher hailed the quality of cricket that Harmanpreet Kaur’s side displayed at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.
“India was [definitely] the favourite in the final. They played superb cricket. Firstly, they piled on a huge total, showing that their batters played freely, and then they fielded really well to back it up,” said Bacher, who played 12 Tests for the Proteas.
However, Bacher was left baffled by certain tactical calls made by South Africa during the chase, such as sending in explosive bowling all-rounder Nadine de Klerk at No. 9.
“South Africa made a few errors in the final. I could not understand why De Klerk came in at No. 9. She scored a 16-ball 41 against Pakistan, showing that she can clear the field [at will]. When a team is chasing 299, they should have sent a free-flowing batter like her up the order. The team was already in trouble when De Klerk came out to bat. But, I’m sure they will learn from this and play better in the future,” Bacher concluded.
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