Live Cricket Update – IND-W vs SA-W Final – Live – India, South Africa battle for their maiden World Cup title
Captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Laura Wolvaardt have a chat with umpires•ICC/Getty Images
No changes for the two finalists, which means Masabata Klaas stays out for SA and India stick to their six-bowlers strategy. Both captains say the pitch could be a little sticky at the start, and Wolvaardt wants her new-ball bowlers to do their thing. “It is a special occasion to play in front of a crowd like this,” she says.
Firdose Moonda chimes in: “It’s understandable to go with the same XI after a sensational semi-final win but I don’t like what South Africa have done here. Anneke Bosch and Annerie Dercksen have both struggled at the tournament so far and stacking the XI with batters demonstrates there’s not as much trust in the top seven as there should be. South Africa could also need another seam bowling option and it seems harsh to leave Masabata Klaas out. But… I’ve been wrong before. A lot.”
South Africa XI: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
Harmanpreet wanted to bowl first too, looking at the overcast conditions. She doesn’t expect the pitch to change much after the first few overs.
India XI: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh
