Bangla Desh won the toss and Joty decided to bat. From the outset South Africa kept things quiet enough. And there seemed no disposition for haste from the batsmen. After forty overs they had meandered to 2/150. One wondered what the plan was. Joty had shown some signs of life with a comparatively lively 32. She fell next ball to Mlaba, and Shorna Akter strode to the middle. This teenage leg-spinner is not so much a breath of fresh air as a sprightly hurricane, and she set about the bowling with all the enthusiasm of a kitten with a new toy. At the other end Sharmin Akter seemed lost in a daydream. When she wandered out of her crease and failed to make it back in time it was almost a relief for the spectators. She had made a careful 50 from 75; but urgency was now required.

When Ritu Moni emerged at an unaccustomed no.8, a wonder of change came over the game. Their partnership lasted 18 balls and produced 37. Shorna completed a brilliant unbeaten 51 from 35, including three sixes. Until tonight, apparently the entire history of Bangla Desh women’s cricket had seen just twenty sixes. There are now 23, and Shorna has four of them. She hits hard and often, mostly straight down the ground. The Bangla Plan A seemed to be to compile a careful 200 and hope. As it was, South Africa now face a target of 233. They have successfully chased far more than that; but against the spin quintuplet this will not be the walk in the park Wolvaardt might have hoped for.

The Proteas’ crest fell with Nahida’s first delivery to Tasmin Brits, who hit a carrom ball straight back to the bowler. Wolvaardt and Bosch set about the task and were cruising at 1/58 before the captain was run out. A clatter of wickets fell and suddenly the Proteas were staring defeat in the face at 5/78. Thereafter Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk pushed on, holding their nerve, and secured a narrow win. The eventual margin was three wickets, with three deliveries in hand. The Bangla women had in truth let victory slip through their fingers with a number of missed chances. South Africa heaved a huge sigh of relief. The only consolation for the defeated was the reflection that nobody will take them lightly in the future.

Slow and steady was also the watchword for Sri Lanka, facing New Zealand at Colombo. Although 0/52 from the power play was, if anything, rather quicker than that. This they owed to their star player Athapaththu. Thereafter progress slowed, as the home side preferred to keep wickets in hand. They lost both openers, but not before posting a century opening stand. At forty overs the score was 2/178. Somebody would have to get a move on; but with eight wickets in the shed a variety of auditions were possible. The jackpot was rung by Nilakshi Silva, who electrified the ground with a whirlwind half-century. Her unbeaten 55 occupied just 28 balls, and meant that Sri Lanka finished with a challenging total of 6/258.

Silva swung repeatedly across the line, sweeping or pulling the ball off her stumps and hitting with tremendous power. For the White Ferns it was a fielding performance to forget. Missed stumpings, missed catches, missed reviews: all told a tale of dismal woe. They have been horribly out of form thus far, and will need to play at their best to climb the mountain against the local spin battery. The good news is that the pitch has been newly relaid and looks excellent for batting.

The bad news was the weather, which closed in with tropical rapidity and prevented any more play. New Zealand are now on the brink. Sri Lanka, with just two draws and two losses, are probably out of the reckoning. More rain may have saved England’s bacon tonight. After 25 overs against Pakistan they are hanging on by their fingernails at 7/79. Fatima Sana won the toss and sent England in; and she was unstoppable. The pitch has a little seam movement in it: enough to lose both openers in the first quarter hour. England have had the luck of the devil thus far. It is of course possible that they might have climbed out of the crevasse they find themselves in. But if the rain does not relent – and it shows no sign of stopping any time soon – then they have been blessed by fortune yet again.

Healy won the toss and inserted the Indians on an awfully flat-looking wicket. Both sides have experienced major stutters with the bat thus far. Today there was none of that. India took on Australia’s bowling and pillaged to their hearts’ content. Had it not been for Annabelle Sutherland India might have made 400. Pratika and Mandhana began with an opening stand of 155 at better than a run a ball. Thereafter the rest of the side chipped in with useful runs. But no-one made a century, and this ultimately was the difference. Sutherland’s changes of pace – she has three different slower deliveries – flummoxed the Indians at crucial moments. Her 5/40 saved the women in yellow from an impossible chase. In the end India were bowled out a trifle early for 330.

The shenanigans at New Delhi notwithstanding, everything would have to go right in such a massive run-chase. The power play produced eighty-odd without loss. Healy lost Litchfield for an excellent 40, but Perry provided excellent support until she had to retire hurt. Then Mooney and Sutherland fell cheaply and the home crowd’s spirits swelled in admiration. But Healy was unstoppable. Tonight she shook off her want of concentration and waited for the ball to come to her. She put on 95 with Gardner and victory beckoned. But by the end she was exhausted, and chipped a low catch to Rana. By then she had made 142 from 107, and the end seemed plain sailing.

Appearances were deceptive. India fought hard, and fielded as though their lives depended on it. Much of the home team’s recovery depended on Shree Charani, whose quickish left-arm orthodox halted Australia in their tracks. Her ten overs produced a priceless 3/41, and she dragged India to within a gasp of victory. Charani’s secret is that she spins the ball hard, producing both turn and drift. But the return of Perry at no.8 turned the tide in Australia’s favour. She and Garth calmly picked off the runs; Perry concluding proceedings an over early with a straight-driven six.

This was surely the match of the tournament thus far. Both teams produced their best efforts. Because only the best would do.

India and South Africa played out a familiar script at Visakhapatnam. After the power-play India were flying at 0/55. An hour and a bit later they were 6/102. The pitches at the World Cup are ideally suited for left-arm orthodox spinners. South Africa has Chloe Tryon and Nonkululeko Mlaba, who shared five tidy wickets between them. Want of purpose and impatience saw the women in blue make another mess of their batting. Richa Gosh was however hiding down the order at no.8, and she applied herself to the task at hand with relish. She was given able assistance by Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana. But the match turned when South Africa’s bowling and fielding fell to bits. What had been a low-scoring match suddenly wasn’t. 98 were scored from the last ten overs, mostly from Gosh, who fell just short of a brilliant century. 251 all out looked about par, all things considered. But it ought to have been far less than that.

South Africa seemed determined to follow India’s example. They lost their top five wickets inside 20 overs and the game looked done and dusted. Wolvaardt kept her head and made a patient 70. With Chloe Tryon she managed 61 for the sixth wicket. The game turned on Wolvaardt’s dismissal. Nadine de Klerk had experienced the horrors with the ball, losing both line and length piteously. But there was nothing tentative about her innings. She put on 69 in ten overs with Tryon. On the latter’s departure, the eighth wicket saw 41 in three overs. Khakha contributed one of these runs. de Klerk was unstoppable. Eight fours and five sixes out of 84no from 54 saw the Proteas unexpectedly home with seven balls to spare.

We appear to be seeing a pattern here. Perhaps batting really does get easier in the latter stages. This is an older paradigm for one-day cricket: caution until the 40th over, then party time. Perhaps teams might consider not throwing most of their wickets away early on?

Tonight it appeared New Zealand had absorbed the lesson at Guwahati. Suzie Bates got off to a flyer but managed to run herself out. Plimmer and Kerr got themselves out, unable to negotiate the fivefold spin attack. At 3/38 off 11 overs, and without the luxury of dynamite hitters down the order, the situation cried out for caution. Which was exactly what Devine and Halliday employed. Between them they batted for more than 30 overs. They laboured, but both managed sixties. Devine’s struggles in the stifling humidity were piteous; but, exhausted as she was, she managed a couple of late sixes before departing. Aside from Green, none of the others troubled the scorers overmuch, but the eventual tally of 9/227 was far better than earlier proceedings had promised. The pick of the bowlers was the youthful and fearless Rabeya Khan, whose 3/30 was no less than she deserved.

A bridge too far for the Tigresses? And so it was. The three seamers Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair and Lea Tahuhu reduced them to 6/33 after 14 overs and the rest was anticlimactic. Fahima and Rabeya prolonged the resistance without threatening an upset, and the White Ferns were on the board at last. England meanwhile took on Sri Lanka and made somewhat heavy weather of their innings. All except for Nat Sciver-Brunt, whose run-a-ball 117 was easily the standout performance. Beaumont and Knight made useful runs, and the rest came and went, mesmerised somewhat by Ranaweera’s left-arm orthodox offerings. She took 3/33 from her ten. The other bowlers also contributed well.

But the occasion was Sciver-Brunt’s. She also took two handy wickets as Sri Lanka subsided for 164, devastated by Ecclestone’s incisions. 4/17 is impressive enough from ten overs; but these were all top-order players. England leads the table, following India’s shock defeat. Tonight India takes on Australia. The winner will qualify. The loser may also; but not without palpitations.

Fatima Sana won the toss and sent the Australians in on a slow, turning wicket. The Experts called this decision into question, since the pitch is expected to deteriorate during the evening. Yet she was vindicated in the short term. Australia began brightly, but Healy continued her distressing pattern of losing patience, and lofted a wayward drive to Diana at mid-wicket. Litchfield experienced an adrenaline rush and hit an atempted swipe straight up in the air. The Australians kept chasing the ball, and the Pakistan spin trio of Sadia, Shamim and Nashra cashed in. They bowled brilliantly, with subtle changes of flight and length, and some sharp spin, and 6/98 from their combined thirty overs was no more than their due.

Perry alone was not really to blame for her dismissal. She advanced down the track to drive Nashra and found the ball exploding off the surface like an adrenaline-soaked firecracker. Sidra whipped the bails off in a trice and Perry was on her way. Sidra Nawaz is certainly the form wicket-keeper in world cricket. She stood up to all the bowlers and did not miss a trick until the final over. Halfway through the 22nd over Australia found themselves hanging over the precipice at 7/76. On pitches like these you must wait for the ball to come to you. The only one who did was Beth Mooney. Amid the carnage she held her nerve and refused to panic. Like many a player before in this tournament her unheard cry must have been for someone to consider staying with me out here?

Kim Garth knuckled down and defended stoutly until a wide from Diana found her momentarily out of her ground. Though completely unsighted Sidra pouched the ball and swept off the bails. At 8/115 Australia was still in a whole world of trouble. Alana King strode to the centre wicket and proceeded to play herself in. At one stage she played out a maiden from one of the spinners; but for the most part she turned the strike over without taking needless risks. And Mooney batted on, delighted to have found such a stalwart companion. The score rose steadily, without fuss. When Mooney brought up her latest and best hundred the crowd erupted in jubilation. Then King took over proceedings. She is a noted belter through bovine corner, but had restrained herself admirably until the final two overs, which went for 34; most of them to King’s ferocious smiting.

Australia probably needs to stop doing this. It is tempting fate to dig yourself into such a cavernous hole and have to excavate your way to safety. And they must be kicking themselves for omitting Molineux, for reasons which escape us. This is assuredly a pitch ideal for her left-arm orthodox bowling. Nevertheless, Mooney (109 from 114) and King (51 no from 49) deserve all the praise showered upon them. Their ninth-wicket stand produced an improbable 106 from 16 overs.

Could Pakistan recover from this reversal of fortune? No, they could not. Kim Garth and Megan Schutt took five wickets in the power play and the match was over. Unless of course they had a Beth Mooney. Sidra Amin has been Pakistan’s only form batsman, and she held the Australians off for a while. But there was to be no second miracle. When Sidra fell to Gardner the last hope was extinguished. All out for 114 left Pakistan at the bottom of the table. Australia, briefly, are on top.

In Dorothy L Sayers’ Murder Must Advertise, the aged Mr Brotherhood enquires with some asperity ‘Why on earth did you send this man in ninth?’ (This referred, inevitably, to Lord Peter Wimsey’s dazzling batsmanship.) A similar question might be asked of Nigar Sultana Joty. Fresh from their thrilling victory over Pakistan, the Bangla side found themselves inserted at Guwahati on a pitch with a degree of turn available. Bell removed Dzhili early, and Smith induced a feeble catch from Joty. At 2/25 and suddenly deprived of their twin batting heroes, Bangla Desh seemed rudderless, adrift in a Sargasso Sea of inertia. No blame whatever attaches to Sobhara Mostary, who held her end up and collected such runs as made themselves available. As wickets steadily fell around her, it was all she could do to fight on and attempt to get some sort of total on the board. She top-scored with a patient 60 (off 108), but her partners seemed mesmerised by England’s spin quartet.

When Ritu Moni was finally out for 5 off 36 it seemed a moment of relief. Yes, there was spin. But not extravagant spin. It was like watching a somnolent net practice as the run-rate plunged downwards. Two-thirds of the balls bowled were dots. There was no attempt to force the pace or improvise, save against the two seamers, whose twelve overs cost 1/60. Ecclestone, Dean, Smith and Capsey took the other nine wickets exceedingly cheaply. When Rabeya Khan went out to bat at no.9 the camera kept turning to the pavilion, where Joty expostulated visibly. Could somebody please DO something?? she appeared to be beseeching the heavens.

Rabeya is but twenty years old, and has it appears no fear of anybody. As she swept, drove, glanced, glided and clubbed the English attack all over the park, it simply went to show what might have been possible. When the final wicket fell in the last over she was left stranded, unbeaten on 43 off 27. Going by what we saw, she must be sent in no lower than no.6 in future. But even as she thrilled the crowd with her exuberant strokeplay, the lasting impression on the viewer was What Then Will England Do?

Marufa began proceedings with her customary brio, trapping Jones leg before in her first over. She then dropped Beaumont off Nahida: an easy catch which ought to have been taken. Undeterred, she had Knight caught behind: a decision later reversed on mystifying grounds. She then trapped Beaumont in front, and repeated the dose to Knight, who successfully appealed again, and was spared once more. At least this time the decision was comprehensible. Marufa must have steeped on a pavement crack, or else crossed the path of a black cat; for she had little luck.

The Bangla spin battery kept things relatively quiet at one end. At the other was Nat Sciver-Brunt, who had had quite enough of all this excitement, and raced to a run-a-ball 30 by drinks. Thereafter Knight enjoyed yet another bewildering reprieve, this time for a catch in the field. She would be well-advised to buy herself a lottery ticket tomorrow. Then Fahima Khatun took a hand in proceedings. She induced a loose waft from Sciver-Brunt; trapped Dunkley in front, and had Lamb go for an ambitious leg-side swipe which landed in Nahida’s grasp. For a dreadful moment the umpires reviewed the catch. For a direful moment it seemed Bangla Desh might be sawn off yet again, but sanity prevailed and Lamb was on her way.

With England at 5/78 the match was tottering towards an upset. Capsey strode to the wicket and played an excellent cameo of 20 until she played all over the left-arm spin of Meghla and was palpably leg before. England 6/104 and still knee-deep in trouble. What would Knight do? By this stage she had reached a cautious, sedate 27, trusting in the favourable star which had thus far preserved her. But she appeared to decide that Charlie Dean was a reliable partner. And Joty’s problem was that, the excellent Khatun aside, her wrist-spinners were steadily bleeding runs. And indeed Knight and Dean calmly picked off the runs, taking their time about it because they could. They saw off Khatun, whose ten overs produced 3/16. Bangla Desh had put up a tremendous fight, but the palm went to England after all. Knight’s unbeaten 79 was the difference.

The weather which denied Australia two days previous held off, and nothing worse than clouds of insects discommoded the players. It seemed there was something irresistible about the cricketers out there which inspired clouds of winged spectators. The fielding side attempted to discourage them with spray cans, but they may as well have tried to drain the Indian Ocean with a bucket and spade. Having been thoroughly trounced by Bangla Desh in Colombo, Pakistan’s match against India looked to be the mismatch of the tournament. Yet Pakistan showed considerable fight despite a poor beginning.

And India have problems of their own. All their batsmen got a start, but none carried on to an innings of great substance. Only a punishing 35no (from 20) by Richa Gosh saw India reach even a moderate total of 247. And Pakistan, for the first time, actually bowled India out on the final ball. Diana Baig had a bad day with the ball, but still managed four wickets. Could Pakistan make a fight of it with the bat, after their previous horror show? Indeed they did. Sidra Amin made a superb 81. But she did not get enough support after Kranti Gaud tore through the top order. Deepti Sharma finished the job, but India are still misfiring. They will need to play better against Australia and England.

Meanwhile in Indore Laura Wolvaardt lost the toss against New Zealand. This is very much by the form book. Some captains are born under a fortunate star when it comes to coin tosses. Wolvaardt isn’t. This is a vital game for both sides, coming off losses. Lose this and you’re in deep trouble. Devine stared at the piebald pitch, pondered the non-appearance of dew in Australia’s game, and seems to have decided the surface won’t get any better later on. The Kiwis lost Suzie Bates first ball to Kapp’s late outswing when what looked like a leg-side drifter turned out not to be. Thereafter the Wellington twins Plimmer and Kerr played with circumspection and a great many dot balls. When the Proteas erred in line and length – a rare enough occurrence – the batsmen cashed in. The power play ended at an unusually sedate 1/38.

The match continued to meander aimlessly. Plimmer’s struggles were awful to behold; and Kerr, feeling that Something Ought To Be Done, swiped de Klerk wide off mid-off and was taken by Luus. Devine strode to the crease and managed to kick-start the scoring rate. But Plimmer remained stranded in the doldrums, and eventually succumbed to Tryon’s first over. Her 31 had chewed up 68 deliveries and she may even have felt some fleeting relief that her travails were over. Brooke Halliday may have rubbed inadvertent salt into Plimmer’s wounds by joyfully hopping into Tryon’s spin. She raced to 31 off 18 by drinks and seemed to be having fun out there. Devine must have appreciated the respite at the other end. Halliday has discovered the joys of sweeping, and the spinners suffered. The seamers had been bowling straight, and both Devine and Halliday glanced so often that Wolvaardt felt obliged to retire to deep fine leg to stop the boundaries.

3/148 off 32 appeared to promise an eventual score in the region of 260-270, with Devine and Halliday picking up singles at will. But on 45 Halliday skied Mlaba back to her and departed. Mlaba finished with 4/40 from her ten overs of skilful left-arm spin. She varied her flight and pace and the White Ferns had no answers. Chief among her wickets was Devine, who was unfortunate enough to be bowled off her pads. Wolvaardt’s catch to dismiss Tahuhu was more redolent of a conjurer’s stage than a cricket field. 231 was far less than New Zealand had hoped for. But this pitch is slow, and a little uneven. If the White Ferns could equal their opponents’ brilliant fielding and disciplined bowling, they still had a fair chance.

This hope proved as evanescent as morning mist. After Jess Kerr removed Wolvaardt early, Brits and Luus strolled towards their goal and nothing went right for the White Ferns. Sune Luus struggled for survival without throwing her hand away, and finished unbeaten on 83. But the Proteas’ innings was all about Tazmin Brits. She danced down the pitch and clubbed the spinners anywhere she pleased. She reached her fifth century this year with fifteen fours and a six, from 89 deliveries. When she was finally out the target was 46 from almost 20 overs. Three late wickets fell, but this was junk-time. South Africa have revived their campaign. New Zealand are on the brink.

Only 34.3 overs were possible tonight, despite the presence of competition heavyweights England and South Africa. Rain? Not so much. What South Africa served up was a display of bungling incompetence which left their captain Volvaardt white of face, tight of lip, and unable to see any humour whatever in the situation. England had chosen a triple-spin attack of Smith, Ecclestone and Dean, with Capsey in reserve if required; plus Bell and Sciver-Brunt for seam. Smith opened the bowling and was taken off after four overs. Her figures of 3/7 earned her a Player of the Match trophy. She caught the captain from a teasing drifter, and bowled Brits and Kapp, the Proteas’ three gun batsmen.

The rest, dismayed, subsided meekly save for the keeper Jafta, ninth out for 22. Nobody else managed double figures. You would think this had been a raging turner. As in Colombo last night, it really wasn’t, as shown by the ease with which Jones and Beaumont knocked off the runs. Rarely has an ODI been so one-sided, or finished so early. Asked afterwards what her secret might be, Smith’s response said it all. ‘Attack the stumps’. Cricket can be a simple game. England bowled exceptionally well on a pitch which offered only the most modest of help. And South Africa lost their way in a calamitous fashion. One imagines that Annerie Dercksen – inexplicably omitted tonight – will return to the side. The rest: back to the nets and practise waiting for the ball to come to you.

This column opined, after the disastrous Test series against Australia, that it was time for a female coach for England. Charlotte Edwards is now at the helm, and the team looks refreshed and ready for anything.

Thus Ernest Bramah, an enterprising purveyor of Edwardiana. The Kai Lung books have little to do with any version of China recognisable by historians, but he did have a fine turn of phrase. It seemed an apposite description of tonight’s match in Colombo. Pakistan won the toss on a good wicket and batted. Their opponents? Bangla Desh, who are only at this World Cup at all after narrowly defeating the once mighty West Indies in the qualifying rounds. If Pakistan expected an easy win they were in for a rude awakening.  Marufa Akter is the Bangla side’s only seamer. But her opening over rattled through Omaima and Sidra. 2/2 was hardly the start they had expected. Marufa swung the new ball at a good pace and demanded exaggerated respect.

The remainder of the Bangla attack was spin, spin, and yet more spin. Their five-fold battery tied up the Pakistani batsmen into Turks’ head knots. They had no answers, and were bowled out in the 39th over for a pitiable 129. All the spinners took wickets, and Shorna Akter finished with the absurd figures of 3/5. The much-decorated Diana Baig, batting at no.9, was left unbeaten and untroubled on 16. Not for the first time, she must wonder why she is not sent in earlier. During Diana’s opening spell the target of 130 looked a long way off. She is a multi-talented athlete who has also represented Pakistan at soccer, and has carried their attack for more years than she probably cares to remember. Five overs in the power-play yielded her figures of 1/2. Most of the dot balls were from plays and misses. Had she beaten the bat any more often she could justly have demanded forfeits from the hapless batsmen.

Fatima Sana beat the bat almost as often. And yet the Bangla women stood their ground and refused to throw their hands away as Pakistan had done. Their batting has long been fragile, and relies heavily on their captain Nigar Sultana Joty. When Joty came out at no.4 she took her time to play herself in. She also took time out to reassure her partner Rubya Haider Jhilik, who had batted through from the outset and clung to the crease like a short-sighted limpet. The substance of their talks was self-evident. No, this is not Galle, where the ball turns square. Let’s take these spinners on now, and belt them out of the attack. And they did, forcing the recall of Diana and Fatima. Fatima accounted for Joty, but the game was gone by then. Victory was achieved with nineteen overs and seven wickets to spare, with Jhilik unbeaten on 54. Minnows in world cricket, are we? We’ll see about that.

Matters got underway yesterday when the home side took on their co-hosts Sri Lanka in the distant north. Reduced to six down for not very much, India faced embarrassment. But dropped catches lose matches, and there were plenty thereafter. It ended up a comfortable victory for India, largely through the all-round efforts of Deepti Sharma. In Madhya Pradesh – home apparently to female revolutionaries in the legendary past – Australia (reigning champions) took on New Zealand (reigning T20 champions). After the briefest of looks at the pitch of baked mud, the lightning outfield and some shortish boundaries, Healy wasted no time in deciding to bat.

It looked a 300 pitch, at the very least; but so effortlessly did Australia commence that they reached 1/81 at the end of the power play. The sole casualty was Healy, who lost patience after a thoughtful 19 and holed out to cover point from Illing: a promising left-arm swing bowler. The bulk of the runs were achieved by Litchfield, who raced to 45 from 30 without noticeably incommoding herself. She was granted a goodly serving of half-volleys, and wasted none of them. Who’re you gonna call? Why, Amelia Kerr, naturally. Who else? Her first delivery was a googly to Litchfield, who played all over it and lost her off-stump.

Thereafter Mooney and Perry played Kerr and Tahuhu with circumspection. On 29 Perry edged a flighted leg-spinner just past Gaze’s gloves. Not only did the stumper fail to catch it, the ball disappeared to the boundary. Then, feeling she should be getting on with things, Perry attempted a lofted swipe and hit it straight to Suzie Bates at mid-off. Sutherland whacked Kerr for a boundary, and three balls later hit one straight to Bates again. At 4/114 Australia were on the brink of a crevasse. It is a pitch for circumspection after all, it would seem. There is no pace in it, and attempting to force the ball is a recipe for mishap.

It was a lesson Mooney failed to embrace, and she lofted a slower ball from Tahuhu straight to Kerr at mid-off. With half the side back in the shed, it was time for a drastic reappraisal. McGrath struggled to 26 before tamely chipping Tahuhu to Kerr at mid-wicket. By this point the battle-scarred seamer had 3/20 (from 5 overs) on a pitch offering her very little. By varying her pace and trajectory she confounded the women in yellow. All save Gardner, who had adapted to the pitch by waiting for the ball and watching it right onto her bat. She hammered a six during an over of carnage from Amelia Kerr and dashed past her half-century.

Sophie Molineux has rarely batted as low as no.8.  She has battled injuries that would have seen anyone else take the hint and retire. Molineux is hardly the retiring type. She got off the mark with a crisp boundary and a six which just cleared the despairing fielder, and settled in to give Gardner needful support. Alas, she too joined the ranks of the terminally impatient and holed out to long-on from the perspiring Jess Kerr. At this point Australia had reached 7/239, with Gardner on 77 from 57. Her thoughts can only be conjectured. Yes, we can still make 300. But not if we get bowled out. Will somebody please think about staying with me?

As it transpired Australia was bowled out. But not until the final over, and with a score of 326. So well did Kim Garth bat at no.9 that Gardner was able to complete a brilliant century. Garth made a run-a-ball 38, largely through waiting for the ball to arrive instead of seeking it out with hammers and bludgeons. For New Zealand the Kerr sisters shared five wickets. Tahuhu got her three, and Suzie Bates took four catches in the field. Both sides showed signs of rust. Yet the day was Gardner’s. Her 115 from 83 showed what could be accomplished. With dew incoming, you felt 326 was no more than par.

Australia began with Garth’s bustling mediums and Molineux’s crafty left-arm spin, and the Kiwis were at once in dire straits. Plimmer run-out for a diamond duck, and Bates flummoxed by Molineux and losing her stumps. Two down for nothing? The veterans Devine and Kerr stabilised matters until drinks, taken at 2/62 from 16. Brown had erred in length and been punished, but King’s two overs had gone for just a single and two leg-byes. Something would have to be done, with the required rate creeping inexorably towards eight an over.

Just to make life harder, Gardner came on with her quickish off-breaks and kept the brakes firmly on. Kerr drove impulsively at a flighted leg-break from King and lofted it straight to Litchfield at extra cover. The expected dew having failed to materialise, and with the pitch starting to keep low, Halliday’s struggles were terrible to behold. When the asking rate reached ten she launched King for a six and a four, and followed up by picking out Litchfield on the leg boundary. Devine meanwhile had troubles of her own. She had managed a scratchy fifty without really managing to tee off. She finally got hold of the niggling line and length of Garth; and at drinks New Zealand were 4/146, still needing ten an over, with Devine on 70. If she could somehow break the chains, then her team still clung to the merest whisper of a chance.

After a brisk 20 Maddy Green managed to run herself out, having set off for a sharp single. Whether she called, or merely set out on her doom-laden quest mute of purpose, we are unable to tell. Devine was ball-watching and remained tragically oblivious to the unfolding disaster. Shrugging all this off, she greeted the return of Brown with four successive boundaries and roared into the nineties. Isabella Gaze joyfully hopped into some loose offerings from Brown and Gardner and the flame of hope refused to depart. Yet Molineux put an end to Gaze’s shenanigans and the end was nigh. Devine reached her century with a pair of sixes from Gardner, but Sutherland – who had kept her head and bowled into the pitch with slower balls – put an end to her mighty resistance. The rest was silence, as Sutherland and Molineux swept aside the remainder. Both had bowled brilliantly, adjusting to the idiosyncrasies of a pitch which contained more mischief than was at first apparent.

Australia won because of their greater depth. Depth is what wins World Cups. Australia has won seven of them. The rest of the world is still improving. So are the Australians.