Women’s World Cup final: Nat Sciver hits 51 as England post 228-7
Written by News on 23/07/2017
Natalie Sciver top scored with 51 as Jhulan Goswami’s three-wicket haul restricted England Women to 228-7 in Sunday’s World Cup final at Lord’s.
Sciver and Sarah Taylor (45) initially rebuilt England’s innings with a fourth-wicket stand of 83 after they had lost Lauren Winfield (24), Tammy Beaumont (23) and skipper Heather Knight (1) for 16 runs in five overs.
However, Goswami (3-23) then ousted Taylor and Fran Wilson (0) from successive balls before trapping Sciver lbw five overs later, leaving Katherine Brunt (34), Jenny Gunn (25no) and Laura Marsh (14no) to swell the hosts’ score.
Knight’s side – on a seven-match winning streak since losing to India in the group stage – are hunting a fourth World Cup title and third on home soil, having won the tournament in England in 1973 and 1993 and in Australia in 2009.
Winfield and Beaumont put on 47 for the opening wicket before Winfield – who had successfully overturned an lbw dismissal against Goswami on 22 – was bowled by spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad around her legs on the sweep
Knight also fell to that shot – the England captain initially given not out lbw but departing on review with Hawk-Eye showing that Poonam Yadav’s ball, which pitched outside off stump, would have spun and hit middle.
Winfield and Knight’s wickets sandwiched Beaumont’s dismissal, the Kent player spooning a Poonam full toss to Goswami at midwicket, having amassed 410 runs for the tournament and topped Australia’s Ellyse Perry (404) as the leading scorer.
Taylor and Sciver’s 101-ball partnership was full of swift running, with Taylor – now the third-highest run scorer in this World Cup with 396 to her name – going boundary-less during her 62-ball knock at HQ.
The 28-year-old walked off after feathering Goswami down the leg side in the 33rd over and was followed by Wilson (0) next ball, the Middlesex player pinned lbw on her home ground with a delivery that would have clipped leg.
Brunt blocked the hat-trick ball with a solid forward defence and, despite Sciver being dismissed playing across the line, some lower-order thrashing lifted England to a total they will feel they can defend.
Watch continued live coverage of the Women’s World Cup final on Sky Sports Cricket (channel 404) and Sky Sports Mix (channel 121) now. There is also live over-by-over text commentary on our blog.
(c) Sky News 2017: Women’s World Cup final: Nat Sciver hits 51 as England post 228-7
