1997 Women’s Cricket World Cup – A Summary
The 1997 Women’s Cricket World Cup. The Hero Honda Women’s Cricket World Cup. Call it whatever you want but for me, it’s Belinda Clark’s World Cup. I’ll let you know why in a bit but first, let’s have a look at this edition of the world cup which was the 6th one of its kind with Australia winning its 4th… They don’t get tired of winning, do they?
Situated in India for the 2nd time, this time a record 11 teams – Australia, England, South Africa, Ireland, Denmark, Pakistan, New Zealand, India, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and West Indies participated with an impressive 33 matches between them. The teams were divided into 2 groups of 5 each of which the top 2 of each group competed in semi-finals.
The semis were played on either side of Christmas day with Australia and India locking horns on the 24th in Delhi while New Zealand and England competed on the 26th at Chepauk. Australia and New Zealand both secured their matches with similar wins, by 19 and 20 runs respectively, and were set to battle for the ultimate title on the 29th in Calcutta and the legendary Eden Gardens.
The final toss was in New Zealand’s favor who elected to bat first but posted a rather cheap 164, collapsing in just 49.3 overs. Debbie Hockley was the star scoring 79 (121) and was proclaimed player of the match but unfortunately, her efforts were in vain as the Aussies were determined to make this one go their way.
Australia’s skipper, Belinda Clark proved her worth yet again with 52 (81), chasing down the target in just 47.4 overs. But hold on. This isn’t the only reason I called it her world cup. It was during this edition of the competition that she decided that the impossible is possible if you believe it is.
“I didn’t set out to score a big score but just to make sure I was concentrating well and hitting the ball nicely.”, she said to cricketcountry.com. This is was a rather funny statement if you ask me considering her heroics in match 18 of the tournament.
On December 16th, she made history by toppling over Denmark’s bowlers to record the first-ever double century ever scored, contrary to the popular belief that it was Sachin Tendulkar who achieved this feat 13 years after Belinda. Despite cramped repute, Belinda began a legacy and set the bar unbelievably high for the rest of us. Her contributions to cricket and women’s cricket especially are of great value and importance, not just owing to her 229*, but her constant grit and determination on and off the field.
Student, Athlete, and Cricket Enthusiast.