Marizanne Kapp
75 vs Australia
second ODI, North Sydney
In a rain-affected game, South Africa’s premier allrounder starred with bat and ball to deliver their first win against Australia in an ODI by 84 runs. After losing the first match of the series by eight wickets, with 31 overs remaining, South Africa were in a spot of bother in the second when Kapp walked in with the score on 71 for 3 in the 16th over. She faced seven dot balls before showing her intent with a loft over long-off for four. That was the first of 12 boundaries in an innings dominated by aggressive strokeplay. She was dropped on 37 and 45 and interrupted by rain twice. Kapp’s fifty came off 61 balls and she finished with a strike rate of 86.2 to take South Africa to a match-winning total.
Laura Wolvaardt
184 not out vs Sri Lanka
third ODI, Potchefstroom
Wolvaardt’s hundred – her fastest – came at a run a ball and there was no slowing down from there as the next 84 runs took another 47 deliveries. She paced her innings beautifully, as the anchor in a 116-run opening stand with Lara Goodall, and the aggressor in a 92-run partnership with the No. 6, Nadine de Klerk. South Africa scored at a rate of 7.6 in the last 15 overs to finish with their fifth-highest ODI score and Wolvaardt with her career-best.
Chamari Athapaththu
195 not out vs South Africa
third ODI, Potchefstroom
History was made when Athapaththu’s career-best knock took Sri Lanka to the highest successful chase in women’s ODIs (and the only one over 300). That she scored 195 off 139 balls at a strike rate of 140 – the third-highest individual score in the format – is jaw-dropping enough, but even more is that she did it in a chase, rescuing Sri Lanka after they slipped to 126 for 4 in the 21st over. Athapaththu and Nilakshika Silva put on 179, the second-highest stand for the fifth-wicket or lower in women’s ODIs, and Athapaththu took the game home in the 45th over as Sri Lanka made a mockery of the 302-run target. Her knock helped Sri Lanka draw the series 1-1.
Harmanpreet Kaur
103 not out vs South Africa
second ODI, Bengaluru
India were steady but sluggish on 100 for 2 in 23rd over when Harmanpreet walked in with a mission. She faced 17 balls before her first boundary, a powerful pull, which was a showcase of her leg-side dominant play in the rest of the innings. Her fifty came off 58 balls but she sped up spectacularly after that and scored her next fifty off 29, which included five fours and three sixes. In the final over she took 15 runs off four balls from Nonkululeko Mlaba to reach her sixth ODI hundred and give India just enough. They defended 325 and won the match off the last ball. That victory also gave India the series 3-0.
Orla Prendergast
122 not out vs Sri Lanka
first ODI, Belfast
Prendergast had never scored more than 71 in an ODI before this match but had plenty of time and opportunity with Ireland on 69 for 2 in chase of 261. She had a set Amy Hunter to partner first up but after Hunter’s dismissal in the 26th over, Prendergast got little support from the lower order and had to almost singlehandedly bat Ireland to a fine win. They needed 30 off the last three overs and Prendergast scored 16 runs off Kavisha Dilhari’s 48th, also bringing up her century, to put Ireland within touching distance of the target. Her innings gave Ireland their first victory against Sri Lanka in five attempts. It was also the second highest while batting at four or lower in a women’s ODI chase and it gave Ireland their highest successful chase in the format. They went on to win the series 2-1.