After West Indies beat Australia in a low-scoring game earlier in the day, they sealed themselves a spot in the finals of the 2013 ICC Women’s World Cup – where they are slated to meet the women from Down Under yet again. As a result, the outcome of the match between England and New Zealand was not going to have any bearing on the tournament.
It was during the course of the first innings of this game, that England and New Zealand found out that they would playing against each other again for the third place playoffs at the same venue on February 17. England captain Charlotte Edwards was at the crease when this piece of news came in. Both the skippers were disappointed that their chances of making it to the finals had been wiped out. But both appreciated their teams pulling together and playing a good game of cricket.
Looking back on the moment when she found out WI had won, Edwards said, “I looked to the big screen to see the result, [but] I didn’t actually take in what the information was telling me. So I assumed that it was Australia who had won because when we went in to bat they were doing well. And one of the NZ players quickly told me that the West Indies had won and I told her I didn’t believe her and then Sarah [Taylor] came up to me and told me they [Australia] had lost. I was very heartbroken and for three overs I didn’t really know what I was doing to be honest. It was disappointing for both teams.”
NZ skipper Suzie Bates too shared her feelings and said, “It was disappointing. Both the teams were going in today’s match with a chance for a place in the final and it would have been easier not to have known that result [of the Australia-West Indies game] because it is hard to put off your mind when you realise that you have to be playing each other again. It does make it difficult.”
“I hadn’t actually looked at the scorecard, but I found out after the first drinks break that West Indies had won. We had followed it in the morning and they had put up a low total and we backed Australia to get to it. They [WI] have played some really good cricket and they are one of those teams who on their day you don’t know what you are going to get. So it will be a really good final,” Bates added.
Talking about her team’s performance, the England skipper said, “We have come here to win this tournament and we aren’t even going to the final, so that’s disappointing for us as group. [...] We were inconsistent in the first phase of the tournament and are probably now playing our best cricket, which is too late.”
“After the third place playoff, we will go home and reflect on that, this tournament and the last 18 months.”
Talking about the competition in the World Cup, Edwards added, “The great thing for me now is although it is disappointing for England for women’s cricket, this is exciting. The teams are coming closer together. Teams are beating teams that you would have never expected. So, globally we have got to be proud of what this tournament has done for women’s cricket. It’s been a great advertisement for women’s cricket.”
