- Will rain play spoilsport?
After a month of action and 30 fierce contests, it all boils down to the biggest one of all: the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Cricket World Cup (WC) final at Navi Mumbai’s 45,300-capacity D.Y. Patil Stadium.
Tournament hosts India take on first-time finalists South Africa in a blockbuster clash, with a new world champion set to be crowned.
A sensational five-wicket victory over defending champions Australia guided India to the final, while South Africa overpowered England to reach the summit clash.
India have an unbeaten record on this ground at this tournament, having registered victories over New Zealand in the league stage and Australia in the semi-finals, alongside a washed-out no result with Bangladesh. South Africa have never played at the venue.
Rain played spoilsport in one of the league matches in Navi Mumbai and it could cause some problems during today’s (2) final.
The forecast predicts sunny spells through the afternoon with a passing shower or two, and the possibility of a late-night downpour.
The teams last met on 9 October, during a league game of the tournament, where South Africa beat India by three wickets in Visakhapatnam.
All-rounder Nadine de Klerk was named the Player of the Match for her unbeaten 84 and 2-52 bowling figures.
Neither team has lifted the trophy, though India came close twice, reaching the final in 2005 and 2017, losing to Australia and England, respectively.
India last defeated South Africa in a Women’s ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka in May, beating them by 23 runs in Colombo. Jemimah Rodrigues was the Player of the Match following her excellent 123-run knock.
The countries have played each other in 34 Women’s ODIs, with India winning 20 times, including the last series they met in.
Indian middle-order batter Rodrigues showed nerves of steel to drive India to an unexpected semi-final win over giants Australia, thanks to her unbeaten 127 off 134 balls. The 25-year-old initially struggled for consistency and was dropped once in the league phase, but bounced back with determination when her country needed her the most.
With a ton and a half-century each to her name during her 268-run display so far, Rodrigues stands ninth in the top-batting charts.
The tournament’s leading scorer with 470 runs in eight innings, South Africa Captain Laura Wolvaardt has been South Africa’s most reliable batter.
After recovering from a slow start, the opener found her rhythm and consistency, hitting three half-centuries during the league stage.
Wolvaardt, though, saved her best for the crucial moment, smashing a whopping 169 runs in Wednesday’s (29 October) semi-final victory over England – the third highest in the knockouts of the Women’s World Cup and the highest by a captain.
Her batting masterclass carried the South Africans to 319-7, the third-highest score in World Cup knockout matches.
After losing in two finals, India will be hoping the third time is the charm. India punched their ticket to the knockouts by finishing fourth in the league phase, losing three games, including one against finalists South Africa.
Against all odds, India stunned record seven-time winners Australia in the semi-finals, pulling off a record chase of 339 runs in women’s ODIs.
Rodrigues was the architect of India’s well-fought five-wicket victory with her maiden World Cup ton, while Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also shone with the bat with 89 runs.
Opener Smriti Mandhana has been India’s top and overall second-highest scorer in the tournament with 389 runs.
Deepti Sharma, the joint top wicket-taker with 17 wickets, and left-armer Shree Charani (13 wickets) have been India’s best performers.
Today’s clash will be South Africa’s first World Cup final following semi-final defeats in 2017 and 2022.
At this year’s tournament, they lost two of their seven league games – to Australia and England – to finish third in the league phase before thrashing England by a massive 125-run margin in the first semi-final in Guwahati.
Captain Wolvaardt has been in impressive form as the tournament’s leading run scorer, while Marizanne Kapp is joint sixth on the bowling charts with 12 wickets, including a career-best 5-20 in the semi-finals. Kapp shares sixth place with her teammate Nonkululeko Mlaba.
After the semi-final, Kapp also overtook India’s Jhulan Goswami as the all-time highest wicket-taker in the Women’s World Cup with 44 wickets.
(Source: Agencies)
Predicted lineups
- India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, and Renuka Singh
- South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (Captain), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta (wicketkeeper), Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, and Nonkululeko Mlaba
Lankan Michell Match Ref for WC final
Sri Lankan Michell Pereira will be the Match Referee while Eloise Sheridan and Jacqueline Williams of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Umpires will be the on-field umpires in today’s (2) ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 final between India and South Africa.
The match takes place at D.Y. Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, where both nations are bidding to become champions for the first time.
Sheridan and Williams were in the middle for South Africa’s memorable 125-run victory over England in the semi-final.
Williams also umpired the group game between the two finalists on 9 October, which South Africa won after a brilliant run chase.
Sue Redfern is in place as Third Umpire and Nimali Perera is Fourth Umpire.
(Source: ICC)