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.