@Jennifer1984 Said 
England have reached the final of the Women's World Cup after a 2 wicket win over South Africa on Tuesday. They will face either India or Australia.
England required a boundary from Anya Shrubsole with only two balls left to win in a close, tense finish..
Sarah Taylor scored a typically classy half-century in a stand of 78 with captain Knight (30) to take them to within 80 runs of victory. However, both fell in quick succession and a near-collapse followed.
Natalie Sciver (3) was bowled round her legs and Katherine Brunt (12) was stumped charging the seamer, but Fran Wilson (30) and the experienced Sally Gunn, with a run-a-ball 27, held their nerve.
There was a brief alarm when both Wilson and Laura Marsh fell in quick succession, but Shrubsole drove her first ball for four to spark wild celebrations in the England camp and reduce South African players to tears.
Wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor was named player of the match following an outstanding all-round display. She executed a brilliant leg-side stumping to remove Trisha Chetty in a near-flawless display with the gloves.
To underline her importance in a low-scoring contest, Chetty - Taylor's opposite number - spilled two catches and was largely responsible for her side conceding 25 extras.
For South Africa, opener Wolvaardt hit her fourth half-century of the competition and Du Preez impressed with some silky off side play and fine placement on the leg side.
However, once again, England's bowlers were miserly - Brunt and Laura Marsh conceding just 22 runs in the power play.
Since losing their opening match of the competition against India, England have won every game - topping the group table on their way to the final four. They have the tournament's leading run-scorer - Tammy Beaumont - and in Sciver an explosive all-rounder who has hit two centuries in the competition.
Taylor and Knight lead a formidable middle order while, in the field, Brunt has bowled more dot balls than anyone else in the competition.
Australia are the defending champions, but England won it in 2009 and also on the other two occasions they were hosts - in 1973 and 1993.
The Lord's final is a 26,500 sellout and the International Cricket Council released a statement today declaring that 50% of ticket buyers were female and 31% were under the age of 16 - suggesting the tournament is bringing women and new fans to the game.
It's good to watch women's cricket, especially to see "correct" batting rather than the "slog-it-out-of-the-ground" mentality that has become the norm in the men's game.
Watching the recent test matches between England and South Africa men, it seems the qualities of application, patience and ability to build an innings are being overtaken by a T20 mentality.
Women don't walk out to the middle carrying a railway sleeper and with no other thought in mind other than to try to belt the ball into the next parish.
Women don't have that kind of physical power and play a game built on correct defence, sensible shot selection, well executed strokes and clever placement.
This world cup final will be entertaining and might just remind some people of how cricket used to be played when it wasn't all about slogging, reverse sweeps and the pick-and-shovel hoik over the wicket keeper's head.
In a very untypical thing in Australian free too air TV the Aus Vs Ind semi final actually being shown live....most of the time TV prefers to give us more shows of people buying old s*** or someone getting tattoos or repeats of the Big Bang Theory. But tonight we actually get some live sport....
Jun 07, 2017 @ 10:38:10
