It was a joyous moment for South Africa Women on Thursday as they defeated the India Women in the final of the Women’s T20I Tri-Series by five wickets at Buffalo Park in East London. The road to winning the trophy was not easy for the hosts as they won only two of their four league matches in the group stage.
With ten points from two wins, one loss, and one abandoned game, the team finished second in the standings. Going into the final, India was the favorite after being unbeatable in the league round and ending up at the top of the points table. However, it was a poor batting performance by the Women in Blue as they scored only 109 runs on the scoreboard.
Meanwhile, the third side in the tri-series, West Indies Women failed to put up any good performance as the team lost all four league games. While West Indies Women do not have anything to celebrate after the conclusion of the tour, some of their players made sure to make their presence felt in the series.
Let’s have a look at the Team of the Tournament of the Women’s T20I Tri-Series in South Africa 2023:
Openers: Hayley Matthews (West Indies) and Smriti Mandhana (India)
West Indies Women succumbed to pressure on their tour to West Indies as the team concluded the tri-series without even a single win to its name. However, despite not making it to the final, the opening batter, Hayley Matthews, was the standout performer.
She ended up as the top run-scorer in the tournament with 125 runs in four matches at a commendable average of 41.67 and a strike rate of 100.81.
The 24-year-old was the only consistent performer for the Caribbean side, as no other batter even made it to the top five on the list. For India, Smriti Mandhana was the one leading the attack with the bat as she was the second-highest run-getter for the Indian team with 86 runs in five matches. The opening batter delivered her best performance in one of the league games against West Indies Women by scoring 74 runs off 51 balls.
Middle-order batters: Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Chloe Tryon (South Africa), Harleen Deol (India), Yastika Bhatia (India)
The Indian skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, led from the front in the tournament as she was the top run-scorer for her team. The batter occupied second place in the overall list with 109 runs in just three innings at an impressive strike rate of 136.25.
Harmanpreet’s most memorable performance in the series came against West Indies Women as she stitched a 115-run partnership with Mandhana.
Chloe Tryon was the main villain for India in the final as South Africa scored a win by five wickets. The hosts were given the task of chasing 110 runs, but they were in trouble after losing their four wickets early. Indian bowlers were leading the game, but with her knock of unbeaten 57 runs, Tryon shifted the momentum completely on South Africa’s side.
Chloe Tryon won the player of the match award in the final as South Africa won the trophy
She faced 32 balls in the middle and smacked six fours and two sixes to take her team home in 18 overs. Overall, the 29-year-old collected 86 runs in three batting innings at a remarkable average of 43.00. Other than Tryon, the other player who shined during the intense final was India’s Harleen Deol.
The high-profile game witnessed a collapse of the Indian batting line-up as they were reeling at 69-3 in 14.6 overs. Despite the fallout, the team managed to put up 109 runs on the scoreboard courtesy of Harleen Deol.
Deol held the fort at one side and played a good knock of 46 runs under pressure. Overall, Harleen was the third-highest run-getter for the Indian team with 79 runs in four innings at a strike rate of over 85.
Overall, wicketkeeper-batters from all three teams failed to make an impact in the tri-series. However, if we have to pick the best among the worsts, then it will be India’s, Yastika Bhatia. The 23-year-old featured in all five games for India but racked up only 53 runs at a poor average of 26.50 and a strike rate of 92.98.
All-rounders: Marizanne Kapp (South Africa) and Deepti Sharma (India)
South Africa’s veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp played a leading role in their win in the home tri-series as she contributed both with the bat and ball. The 33-year-old was decent with the bat as she accumulated 74 runs in two innings at an average of 37.00. As far as bowling is concerned, she was successful in picking only one wicket.
India’s Deepti Sharma continued her brilliant all-around performance in the tri-series, as she was one of the top performers. She caused carnage on the field by ending up as the highest wicket-taker with nine wickets in five matches at an average of 9.89.
Deepti Sharma was awarded the player of the series award for her all-round contribution
Meanwhile, with the bat, Sharma collected 49 runs at the same average. The Indian stalwart also won the player of the series award for her exploits.
Bowlers: Nonkululeko Mlaba (South Africa), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (India), Masabata Klaas (South Africa)
With her exemplary bowling throughout the tournament, Nonkululeko Mlaba laid the foundation for South Africa’s win. She finished as the top wicket-taker for the hosts with six wickets in five matches at an average of 8.67 and an economy rate of 3.25.
Her best performance came in the final as she dismissed two Indian batters while giving away only 16 runs in her four overs.
For India, apart from Deepti Sharma, the spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad was another hero with the ball. She picked a total of four wickets while bowling at an average of 15.25 and an economy rate of 4.07. The final saw the spin sensation dismissing the top-order batter Lara Goodall when she was playing at seven runs.
South Africa recorded a 44-run win in their first tri-series match against West Indies Women and the credit for the same goes to the pacer Masabata Klaas.
The 32-year-old delivered one of the best performances of her international career in the game by scalping a total of four wickets. Moreover, her economy rate of 5.2 helped her win the player of the match award.