Indian women cricket team led by Mithali Raj will take on hosts England on 23rd July at the iconic Lords. Mithali Raj-led team India played out of their skins to defeat the defending champions Australia, in the process book a finale berth for themselves. This is the first time since 2005 that team India have made it to the all-important finals. This will also be the last world cup for Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami and they would dearly want to leave on a high.
“England would have wanted to play India rather than Australia and with a full house at Lord’s and the home support it will receive, it should push it over the line towards that trophy,” Edwards wrote in her column for ICC. “For England, everything seems to be falling into place to win this World Cup. Lord’s is known worldwide as the Home of Cricket and that sometimes bites England on the rear because other sides raise their game when they play there. England’s record at Lord’s isn’t great, apart in World Cup finals!”
“I think England will win the final, but I’ve been wrong to write off India before in this competition. I hope it’s an exciting game that’s fitting of a Lord’s final and the amazing tournament we’ve witnessed so far,” she stated.
“The first match of the tournament saw India upset the host nation and this is England’s opportunity to avenge that defeat. But I think England has too much depth, as they’ve shown, whereas India who have relied heavily on their top order with Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur the key to their batting success. We’ve not seen a rearguard action from the India lower order,” Edwards wrote.
“But it’s not just about England,” Edwards wrote.
“This is the biggest game for women’s cricket ever with a huge global audience and a full house at the most iconic cricket ground in the world. It makes for a very special day. For a lot of past players like myself it will be a day we look back at fondly as we realise how far the game has progressed in such a short space of time. This entire tournament has certainly lived up to it’s billing as the biggest and best World Cup we’ve ever seen,” she concluded.
