After watching every game of the Cricket World Cup 22, LockerRoom cricket columnist Kristy Havill hands out her brickbats and bouquets before the grand final.
This ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 has been like no other. If we want to be really bold – it's been the best ever. The competitiveness of the matches, and the skill level of the teams and collective individuals. Every match being televised, more online coverage than ever, and Twitter feeds full of celebrations, opinions, analysis and viewpoints.
It’s been a heck of a time, that’s for sure.
If you’ve been following it every day for the last month, you’ll probably have experienced any number of the follow symptoms: heightened stress, alarming greying of hair and heart palpitations.
Right from ball one at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on March 4 - the opening match between New Zealand and the West Indies - through to the conclusion between Australia and England at Hagley Oval tomorrow, it's been a month to remember for millions of people around the world.
Before we turn our attention to the big finale tomorrow, let’s take a look back at some of the highs, the lows, and the OMGs.
Most improved team
This unofficial award has to go to the Bangladesh team. Having never played at an ODI World Cup before, and having the least resources and preparation in comparison to other teams, these women were incredible.
Always playing with a smile on their face, and with passion and pride invigorating their every move, they delighted the world when they secured their first World Cup win to beat Pakistan by nine runs.
And they didn’t stop there, as they very nearly knocked off the West Indies as well, along with putting in quality periods of play against much stronger opposition.
They've secured their place in the next edition of the ICC women’s championship, which means the next World Cup cycle will be full of more tours and matches against quality sides, so these wāhine are only going to get better and better the more they play.
The sky's the limit, and we can’t wait to see where things lead to from here.
Best catch
Core blimey, there’s definitely plenty of candidates to choose from here. The footage and photographs stemming from the vast array of speccie catches this tournament has been brilliant.
Images of Ash Gardner, Beth Mooney and Maddy Green sailing through the air have captured the imagination of viewers all around the world as to what the human body is capable of doing in high pressure moments.
But it has to be Deandra Dottin flying away to her left, hand outstretched and pulling in a screamer at backward point to remove England's Lauren Winfield-Hill down at University Oval in Dunedin near the start of the tournament that takes the cake.
In terms of the match situation, with West Indies perhaps setting an under par total of 225, it was a crucial wicket to remove the England opener early and put the defending champions under immediate pressure.
Ultimately, this all paid off as wickets continued to crumble through the England middle order before the West Indies snatched the win at the death.
Biggest letdown
There haven’t been too many throughout the tournament, but some of the catches dropped have been pretty horrific. As we salute the brilliant ones taken, a blight has been the number of straightforward chances shelled.
Personally, as a Kiwi, we’d probably all say the White Ferns not progressing to the semifinals was also a real low point.
But in terms of the wider context of the tournament, the biggest letdown would probably have to be the two semifinal matches.
After an extraordinary number of single digit margin results, last over thrillers, and last ball heart attacks with a side of a hernia, the two semis fizzled out completely.
Fair play to Australia and England for absolutely steamrolling their opposition, in the West Indies and South Africa respectively, but here’s hoping we get an absolute doozy of a match to finish on a high tomorrow night.
Best content
Two words for you.
Baby Fatima.
That is all. What an absolute cutie.
Funniest moment
There’s been a few giggle-worthy moments throughout this World Cup. The introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) where teams get to refer an umpire’s decision to third umpire to take a second look has provided some quality entertainment.
DRS is nowhere near as regularly available in women’s cricket as it is in men’s, and so it’s understandable teams are still coming to grips with when is a good time to refer and when it isn’t.
Sophie Ecclestone found that out in England’s semifinal against South Africa on Thursday evening, as she insisted to her captain Heather Knight to use a review after umpire Eloise Sheridan turned down Ecclestone’s appeal for an lbw.
Replays showed that not only did the ball not hit the pad first, but didn’t hit the pad at all as it absolutely clattered into the middle of the bat. Not out remained the decision, and laughs all round between Sheridan and Ecclestone, who took a wicket the next ball anyway.
Biggest ‘OMG' moment
Again, plenty of those to choose from as well.
But I don’t think many of us will be forgetting in a hurry the conclusion to the final roundrobin match between India and South Africa at Hagley Oval last Sunday.
Needing three runs off two balls, the moment the ball cracked off Mignon du Preez’s bat into the air you knew she didn’t have enough on it to clear the rope.
The hold your breath moment was to see whether a waiting Harmanpreet Kaur at long on could hold onto the catch, with the classic late March dew in Christchurch turning the ball into a bar of soap.
She held on, and all of a sudden India were on the cusp of victory needing to defend three runs off the final ball. Two runs by South Africa would send it to a super over, while a boundary would give them victory.
Whatever happened it wouldn’t be the end of the world for South Africa. They had already booked their spot in the semifinals.
But they were determined not to have to travel to Wellington to play their semifinal. India would play the semifinal held in Christchurch regardless of where they finished in the top four if they made it.
As du Preez trudged off, it would have been a tall ask for incoming Matabata Klaas to whack a boundary off the last ball.
Until a third umpire check for a no ball. Oh yes, that dreaded no ball check.
It couldn't be could it? Deepti Sharma, an off spin bowler off a run-up that's only a few steps long, bowling a no ball?
Surely not. A spinner bowling a front foot ball is almost criminal.
Alas. It was a no ball.
And all of a sudden du Preez and Trisha Chetty needed two runs off two balls, instead of Klaas needing three from one.
It was drama of the highest order, and it was du Preez who prevailed in the end as she whipped one away through the midwicket region to ensure her team remained in Christchurch for the semifinal, and subsequently sending India packing.
Greatest decision
After the ICC made the decision to delay the tournament from March 2021 to the same month in 2022, speculation mounted about whether New Zealand could - or should - go ahead and host the tournament as we went deeper and deeper into 2021 and Covid-19 continued to run rampant.
After the successful hosting of the Men’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates towards the end of last year, and New Zealand beginning to experience the outbreak of the Omicron strain, there was speculation the Women’s World Cup may be shifted to the UAE too.
Border restrictions, crowd numbers and event restrictions were factors definitely all not falling in New Zealand’s favour when it came to hosting this event.
But the ICC stuck to their guns, and the local organising committee doubled down and stayed the course to organise a phenomenal tournament in conjunction with the major cricket associations, cities and volunteers around the country .
New Zealand as a host country didn’t disappoint, with high quality wickets and grounds being prepared that enabled all eight teams to display every ounce of their limitless skill and ability. As a result? We got blockbuster matches, spine-tingling performances and lifetime memories.
And ultimately at the end of the day for a cricket tournament – that is what matters.
Thanks ICC.
