Dubai: Charismatic top-order batter Smriti Mandhana has been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for October after her string of brilliant performances helped India to lift their maiden Women’s ODI World Cup Trophy.
The India vice-captain will be vying for the honour along with South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt and dynamic Australia batter Ashleigh Gardner.
Mandhana led the Indian charge at the top, and her partnerships with opening batter Pratika Rawal created quite a buzz in the showpiece event.
Mandhana, 29, had a relatively quiet start, but soon came into her own with a blistering 80 against seven-time champions Australia, and followed it up with a combative 88 against England.
Though India lost both matches, it was clear that India’s mainstay was in the zone. In the must-win encounter against New Zealand, Mandhana stood up to the challenge, smashing a brilliant 109, and stitching a match-winning partnership of 212 with Rawal.
In the final against South Africa, she gave a solid start by scoring 45 and shared a century partnership with Shafali Verma at the top.
South African skipper Wolvaardt guided her side from the humiliation of a 10-wicket loss to England in the World Cup opener to the title showdown with India in Navi Mumbai.
Wolvaardt played a defining role with her 70 against India in the league phase, before Nadine de Klerk’s crafty batting took the game away from the hosts. The South African stalwart then hit half-centuries against Sri Lanka and Pakistan as the Proteas made it to the knock-out round.
Against England in the semifinal, Wolvaardt came up with an all-time great Cricket World Cup knock by smashing 169 as South Africa’s 319 turned the tables on the four-time champions.
Wolvaardt went on to score 101 in the final, but on the day, India’s all-round effort put paid to South Africa’s hopes of a maiden World up title.’
Australia’s Gardner made handsome contributions in virtually every game, producing centuries en route to wins against New Zealand (115) and England (104 not out).
Her seven scalps in the month showed that she was a handy asset with the ball as well.
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