CRICKET/Women's World Cup: A gulf was exposed between Ireland and the top sides in the Women's Cricket World Cup at the Technikon Cricket Club, Pretoria yesterday as the Irish crashed to a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of a thoroughly impressive Indian team.
The majority of these Indians work for state-owned enterprises such as the national railways or Air India and are, for all intents and purposes, professional cricketers, given good jobs on the premise that they spend a large amount of their time practising and playing for the firms' well-sponsored and well-facilitated teams - all on company time of course.
Any chance Sports Minister John O'Donoghue could set up a similar arrangement with CIÉ or Aer Lingus? In any event, this professionalism certainly shows. In the 43.1 overs it took them to dismiss Ireland, they conceded just three extras, dropped no catches, fielded and returned almost without error and never took the foot off the gas.
Batting-wise, they were always in control. Heather Whelan got Ireland's only wicket of the day but Mithali Raj (21 not out) and, in particular, Anju Jain (32 not out), dominated the bowling and passed Ireland's meagre total of 65 all out, with nine wickets and 32.4 overs to spare. A comprehensive defeat.
From the very start, the body language of the Irish was poor. Despite winning the toss and batting first, they looked like they would rather have been at the dentist than facing India's nippy opening attack. And it was reflected in the scorecard. They were four down with just nine runs on the board before any of them even looked like hanging around.
Anne Linehan was the victim of a good catch at second slip off the bowling of the rangy Jhulan Goswami with the score on just one (a wide). Goswami then removed Clare Shillington, leg before wicket, off the very next ball. The misery continued for Ireland when Catriona Beggs was also adjudged lbw, and when Nicki Coffey went by the same route a couple of overs later, the writing was already on the wall for Ireland.
Of the top four batters, only one got off the mark and in total by the end of the innings, there were seven ducks on the card.
Una Budd and Miriam Grealey threatened to make a game of it, putting on 38 for the fifth wicket. But when Budd was clean bowled by Nooshin Al-Khadeer for 11, the Indians sensed a demolition.
Jillian Smythe, who was winning her first cap, looked comfortable during her brief time at the crease. But she was a victim of a poor call from Grealey and was run out without scoring.
Emma Beamish was another of Ireland's five lbw victims, again departing without troubling the scorers. Only Grealey offered real resistance. While others around her were getting out playing across the line, the 39-year-old played with a straight bat and gave her team-mates a lesson in how to survive what was a formidable Indian attack.
She eventually fell for 38, lbw to Amita Sharma, who was India's most successful bowler ending up with figures of 3 for 12 off eight overs.
Barbara McDonald compiled a watchful 13 at the tail of the innings but by that stage, the damage was done and Ireland struggled to 65 all out with nearly seven overs left unused.
After today's rest day, Ireland will take on one of the pre-tournament favourites, England in Eersterust Cricket Club.
After this discouraging day, the hardest thing for the Irish side may be recovering from the bashing their confidence has just taken.
At Technikon
IRELAND
A Linehan c Dhar b Goswami 0
C Beggs lbw Sharma 0
C Shillington lbw Goswami 0
M Grealey lbw Sharma 38
N Coffey lbw Sharma 0
U Budd b Al-Khadeer 11
J Smythe run out 0
E Beamish lbw Marathe 0
B McDonald c Dhar b David 13
H Whelan c Jain b Al-Khadeer 0
J Whelan not out 0
Extras (3w) 3
Total (all out, 43.1 overs) 65
Fall: 1, 1, 5, 9, 47, 49, 52, 52, 56. Bowling: Goswami 7-2-15-2; Sharma 8-4-12-3; R Dhar 4-0-7-0; N Al-Khadeer 10-4-19-2; N David 8.1-3-9-1, D Marathe 5-3-3-1.
INDIA
A Jain not out 32
J Sharma lbw H Whelan 8
M Raj not out 21
Extras 7
Total (for 1, 17.2 overs) 68
Fall: 22. DNB: H Kala, A Chopra, N David, D Marathe, J Goswami, N Al-Khadeer, A Sharma, R Dhar .
Bowling: H Whelan 6-1-17-1; McDonald 5-0-23-0; Grealey 5-0-19-0; J Whelan 1.2-0-9-0.
India won by nine wickets.
Player of the match: Amita Sharma.
