Nadine de Klerk’s unbeaten 84 powered South Africa to a thrilling three-wicket victory over India with seven balls remaining in their ICC Women’s World Cup clash on Thursday.
Captain Laura Wolvaardt anchored the chase with a composed 70, while Chloe Tryon’s brisk 49 helped the Proteas recover from a precarious 142/6 to successfully chase down 252, finishing at 252/7 in 48.5 overs. The win earned South Africa four valuable points, lifting them into the top four, while India slipped to their first defeat in three matches but held their place in the top bracket.
Chasing 252, South Africa endured early setbacks as Kranti Gaud removed Tazmin Brits for a duck. Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, and Sinalo Jafta departed cheaply, leaving the visitors reeling at 81/5. Wolvaardt and Tryon steadied the innings with a 61-run partnership before Tryon fell for 49. De Klerk then took control, smashing five sixes and several crucial boundaries to steer her team home.
Earlier, South Africa’s bowlers had India struggling at 102/6 after choosing to bowl first. However, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh turned the tide with a blistering 94 off 77 balls, rescuing India with vital lower-order stands — 50 with Amanjot Kaur (13) and 88 with Sneh Rana (33 off 24) — to push the total to 251 before being bowled out in the final over.
Brief scores:
India 251 all out in 49.5 overs (Richa Ghosh 94, Pratika Rawal 37, Sneh Rana 33; Chloe Tryon 3/32, Marizanne Kapp 2/45, Nadine de Klerk 2/52)
South Africa 252/7 in 48.5 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 70, Chloe Tryon 49, Nadine de Klerk 84*; Kranti Gaud 2/59, Sneh Rana 2/47)
Result: South Africa won by three wickets.
