Veteran India pacer Jhulan Goswami created history on Saturday during her side’s game against West Indies in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2022. Goswami, with the wicket of West Indies batter Anisa Mohammed, became the leading wicket-taker in the history of the tournament.
Goswami had equalled former Australian bowler Lyn Fullston’s tally of 39 wickets in the last game against New Zealand and just needed one more to reach the top of the list. The 39-year old had to wait for the solitary wicket for a bit longer than she would have anticipated as she went wicketless in her first spell, but the moment eventually came in the 36th over of the Windies’ innings.
Goswami bowled a fuller delivery and the West Indies off-spinner tried to clip it on the on side but ended up hitting in the air and the substitute fielder Taniya Bhatia took a superb catch at short mid-wicket and the veteran pacer got the 40-wicket mark in the world Cup history.
While Goswami leads the pack with Fullston in second place, the England duo of Carole Hodges and Clare Taylor are in the third and the fourth spot with 37 and 36 wickets respectively.
After which, India’s star with the ball Sneh Rana finished off the Windies innings with a caught and bowled of Shamilia Connell and the Women in Blue had their second win in three games in the tournament, in her third of the evening.
Earlier, it was the duo of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur who laid the foundation of a big win for the Mithali Raj-led side. Mandhana brought up her 5th ODI ton, while Kaur notched up her 4th century in the 50-overs while this being her second ton in the World Cups.
Kaur-Mandhana’s 184-run stand for the fourth wicket was crucial to India posting a mammoth total of 317 runs, which eventually proved to be enough.
