This was one of the great Lord’s finals and there was a buzz around St John’s Wood before a ball was bowled. On the Wellington Road the ticket touts were out in force and they seemed more eager to buy than sell. Not even Rachel Heyhoe Flint, one of the world’s great optimists and the captain of England in the first World Cup final in 1973 – they were two years ahead of the men – would have dared to envisage this.
- Indian wicketkeeper Sushma Verma lines up with teammates in the Long Room at Lord’s ahead of the final.
After two riveting World Cup semi‑finals here was a final that had a capacity crowd nervously glued to their seats one moment, then leaping out of them in delight yet still never knowing which side would prevail until the final ball was bowled.
- Clockwise from top left: Fans from both sides enjoy the atmosphere outside the ground; a young supporter writes a message on a giant white cricket ball; flames rise as the players walk out on to the pitch.
It was a final the competition deserved, with fans queueing round the block. Even the MCC members, not usually so receptive to women’s cricket, were in formation outside the Grace Gates before 7am. The weather played ball as the rain, forecast for the early afternoon and expected to knock the match into a reserve day, was ignored even when it did arrive, with four overs left to go. It turned up for the best bit.
- A waitress offers canapés to former England players in the President’s Box as the match gets underway.
Both sides said that there was little they could take from the opening match of the tournament, in which India beat England in Derby by 35 runs. Time has passed, personnel have changed and so have their collective merits.
- Supporters of both teams hold up signs at Lord’s.
England made hard work of batting first after winning the toss and relied on many hands to break beyond 200 and, eventually, to 228 for seven from their 50 overs. The pitch, new by modern standards - it was last used for the men’s ODI between England and Ireland on May 7th – was not particularly troublesome. Nor were the boundaries, with three at 65m and the shortest, away to the Grandstand, just 60m. All four saw boundaries but none were cleared until India’s innings.
- Eileen Ash, (née Whelan) who made her debut for England against Australia at Northampton in 1937, reacts as England lose a wicket with the MCC president, Matthew Fleming.
Individually, England will rue a series of ruined starts, often in quick succession. That meant, collectively, batsmen had to undergo periods of consolidation which ate up balls that might have been used to test the solidity of electronic sponsor boards just beyond the boundary sponge. What had started as a steady Power Play eventually saw 43 scored, with two maidens off the opening 10 overs.
- Lauren Winfield is the first England batsman to be dismissed as she is bowled by Rajeshwari Gayakwad for 24.
But neither Lauren Winfield or Tammy Beaumont were able to motor beyond 24 or 23 respectively. Winfield, having previously dab-sweeped effectively, was bowled around her legs by left-arm spinner Gayakwad trying to repeat the trick. Beaumont was just as culpable for hers, swiping a full toss from leg-spinner Yadav to Jhulan Goswami out in the deep.
- Clockwise from top left: Heather Knight walks off after being dismissed by Poonam Yadav for one; Natalie Sciver dives to make her ground on her way to making a half-century; the view of England’s innings from the President’s Box.
Yadav would go on to remove Heather Knight on review, trapped lbw for one attempting to sweep, as England lost their opening three wickets in the space of 31 balls, for the addition of 16 runs. It was at this point, 63 for three on the board, that Sarah Taylor and Nat Sciver came together, pushing the field out with handful of boundaries before knocking singles to those outside the 30-yard circle. Those boundaries, by the way, in a stand of 83, came exclusively from the bat of Sciver, as Taylor ran every one of her 45 runs. Sciver would go on to complete her half-century from 65 balls – her third score of fifty or more this tournament.
For a while, India were coasting in their chase of 229. Harmanpreet Kaur, who single-handedly destroyed defending champions Australia with 171 from 115 balls, and opening batsman Punam Raut took their side to 138 for two, before Kaur was smartly caught at square leg by Tammy Beaumont off the bowling of Alex Hartley.
- Clockwise from top: wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor looks on as Punam Raut hits more runs; Heather Knight drops a catch which would have dismissed Veda Krishnamurthy; Anya Shrubsole appeals with success for the crucial wicket of Raut.
Anya Shrubsole then returned to the attack from the Pavilion End, with four overs to bowl and the early wicket of Smriti Mandhana in her back pocket, she dismissed Raut, lbw, for 86. In the next over Sushma Verma was bowled around her legs by Hartley before Shrubsole removed Krishnamurthy and Jhulan Goswami – a period of three for three from eight of her deliveries.
- The authorities made an exception and allowed drums and percussion into Lord’s for the final.
Her next turn came in the field during the 48th over when Shikha Pandey found Shrubsole, who gathered and threw to Sarah Taylor to remove the bails as the number nine desperately tried to regain her ground. With 12 balls remaining, India’s ask of 11, with all-rounder Deepti Sharma looking dangerous on 14 and a batsman still to come, was far from impossible. But the wave of emotion – call it momentum – was with Shrubsole.
- The scoreboard operator manually adjusts the numbers.
The start of the penultimate over saw her remove Sharma, caught at midwicket, for her fifth of the innings. Two balls later, hands were over faces when Jenny Gunn, one of the best fielders in the XI, dropped the simplest catch at mid-off to remove Poonam Yadav and confirm England’s win. Would it matter? Not on Shrubsole’s watch. She charged in next ball, yorked Rajeshwari Gayakwad charged off to celebrate one of the most remarkable World Cup wins. Her final, match-turning spell saw her take five wickets for 11.
- Clockwise from top left: Anya Shrubsole celebrates with Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight after taking the final wicket of Rajeshwari Gayakwad; Mansi Joshi looks down after that final wicket; the final Indian pair appear dejected at the end and England supporters celebrate.
Anya Shrubsole arrived at this World Cup short of match practice. It was only in the semi-final win against South Africa that she bowled her allotted 10 overs. Those who knew her said she was peaking. How right they were. With the performance of a lifetime, Shrubsole bowled England to a miraculous World Cup win with a remarkable spell of six for 46. The best World Cup bowling figures for England and the country’s second best in all one-day international cricket.
- Heather Knight walks through a guard of honour made up of the players’ family and friends.
It is England’s fourth World Cup win – 2017 joining 1973, 1993 and 2009 on the mantelpiece. Shrubsole was a non-playing member of the 2009 squad. She is the toast of the country eight years on.
- The England team celebrate on their dressing room balcony at Lord’s.
