5th ODI, Queenstown, February 24, 2022, 03:30 AM
New Zealand Women
251/9(50.0ov)
India Women
252/4(46.0ov)
India Women beat New Zealand Women by 6 wickets
That's all we have from this lopsided series where New Zealand Women stamped their authority but India Women showed in this match that they have a lot of fight to bring in the upcoming mega event. We are now fast approaching the ICC Women's World Cup 2022 but before that, all the teams will be involved in a few warm-up games from 27th February 2022. We look forward to your company for future matches. Until then, it's goodbye and cheers!
Sophie Devine, the captain of New Zealand Women, expresses her disappointment and says that they were 10-15 runs short and for the first time in the series, they didn't have enough wickets going into the death overs. Feels that they need to train more as it's more about focus and mindset and not about skills. Mentions that they are in a really good space before the World Cup and every player in the squad has stepped up. Admits that there is pressure playing at home but there are advantages as well. Praises Amelia Kerr for an outstanding series.
Mithali Raj, the captain of India Women, says that to have the whole strength and squad playing the last game helped and it's a good sign ahead of the World Cup. Tells that before the big event it's important to have the right preparation which they didn't get back home due to the rising Omicron cases. Shares that the wicket seemed batting-friendly but they bowled well. Mentions that they understood the importance of bowling well in the middle overs. States that they need to work more on the fielding department as the batting group has done well and the bowling group turned up well in this match. Adds that it's good to see some bright talent in the squad who will be the future stars of Indian cricket.
Amelia Kerr is the unanimous choice for the Player of the Series award! She scored 353 runs in the series at an average of 117.7, striking at 97.5. Amelia Kerr also picked up 7 wickets along with grabbing 9 catches. She comes up for a chat... says that she loved it here in Queenstown and everyone performed well. Tells that India are a quality side and it's about taking each game as it comes. Adds that they need to maintain the same process heading into the World Cup. Hopes to keep it going and stay competitive. Mentions that she enjoys her dual role and it's not a burden. Feels that they are heading in the right direction as a group but also admits that they need to do better as a fielding group.
Smriti Mandhana is chosen for the Player of the Match award! The Indian opener says that their bowlers did a fantastic job and the wicket was good to bat and all the batting unit contributed. Adds that she took some time to get in and is happy to find some rhythm before the World Cup. Feels that this series was a big advantage for the whole team. Tells that they had a few close games and all the girls are feeling confident. She wants to take the momentum of this last win into the World Cup.
Presentation time...
With the series already in the pocket, New Zealand Women perhaps took the foot off the pedal a little bit. Their batting didn't have the same kind of fire while with the ball, they were not consistent. The performance in the field was dismal too as they dropped plenty of catches. The hosts will take the series 4-1 but have a few loopholes to fix before the upcoming World Cup.
The bowling from India Women was neat, especially from their spin trio of Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana. They bowled with great accuracy, created good pressure and hunted down six wickets among themselves. New Zealand Women looked good at one stage to reach 300 but got restricted to only 251 and India Women overhauled the target with four overs to spare. Smriti Mandhana showed her class with the bat and stroked a fabulous fifty and she was joined by Harmanpreet Kaur and Mithali Raj who also played vital knocks. The three big names of India Women have struck form at the right time and they will be feeling very confident ahead of the mega event.
A comfortable win for India Women and they have successfully avoided the ignominy of a series whitewash. This was the kind of match that the touring team will feel satisfied with. They fielded their best XI, in the words of Mithali Raj, and ticked most of the necessary boxes that were bothering them in the last four games.
In over# 46
1
0
2
4
4
2
Frances Mackay 47/0(10)
45.6
1
Here it is... Too full in length, around off, Mithali Raj walks down the track and drills her drive through covers for the winning run. India Women win by 6 wickets!
45.5
.
A yorker around middle, Mithali digs it out to mid-wicket.
45.4
2
Fuller and around off, it's swept fine down the leg side for a brace. Scores are level!
45.3
4
FOUR! Fifty for Mithali Raj, she continues with her good form. Frances Mackay drops it short and on middle, Mithali Raj stands back inside the crease and pulls it to the deep square leg fence.
45.2
4
FOUR! Hammered down the ground! Flighted and full, landing around off, Mithali Raj wears her skates and smashes it past the bowler for a boundary. 7 needed more.
45.1
2
Loopy and full around middle, Mithali Raj top-edges her attempted sweep shot wide of short fine leg. They take two.
In over# 45
1
1wd
1
1
0
1
1
Hannah Rowe 41/1(9)
44.6
1
Width on offer outside off, Mithali Raj slaps it aerially through cover-point for a single. 13 needed more.
44.6
1wd
Wide! Angling down the leg side, on the shorter side, Mithali Raj swings her bat at it and misses.
44.5
1
Rowe goes short around off, Ghosh hooks it to deep square leg for a single.
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