World Cup final: Waiting for the Smriti, Laura stamp

Smriti Mandhana and Laura Wolvaardt, key players for India and South Africa, face off in the World Cup final, showcasing their remarkable batting skills.

New Delhi: For years, the careers of Smriti Mandhana and Laura Wolvaardt have mirrored each other’s as they have grown in stature. Elegant stroke-makers and openers who made sheer timing their forte, both carry the weight of their teams’ expectations.

Smriti Mandhana in action against Australia during the ICC Cricket Word Cup. (AFP)

On Sunday, as India and South Africa walk out for the World Cup final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, the symmetry will run deeper than ever. Both recently crossed 5,000 ODI runs, both have been the heartbeat of their side’s campaigns and both have risen from slow starts to peak at the right time.

So similar is their trajectory that they also find themselves part of the leadership group around the same time. Wolvaardt leads South Africa while Mandhana is India’s vice-captain.

More importantly, their success, even as echoes of the power game grow louder in the women’s game, is an example of what result-oriented batting still looks like in the modern era. Touch, temperament and amazing consistency still remain important amidst talk of aggressive intent.

When the World Cup began, neither was flying. Mandhana’s early knocks were patchy; Wolvaardt too appeared to be struggling. It was bothersome because of the excellent year the two had. Mandhana’s on a record-making spree having scored 1,317 runs at an average of 62.71, while Wolvaardt (812 runs, avg 51.12) is on way to bettering her 2022 tally of 882.

But class can’t be kept quiet for too long. As the stakes rose, so did the rhythm of the top two tournament run-getters. Wolvaardt has 470 runs at 67.1 (S/R 98) and Mandhana 389 at 55.6 (S/R 102).

Each hit a century at the perfect moment. Wolvaardt’s whirlwind 169 against England in the semis underlined her big-match temperament just as Mandhana’s 109 in the must-win game against New Zealand.

The most telling is their value to their sides, although both teams have produced some classics, winning games after some top-order failures. Yet, when they score their teams breathe easier. Wolvaardt has contributed 29% of SA’s total runs and Mandhana 18% of India’s in this World Cup, as per CricViz.

Mandhana’s game moves to a specific tempo. She glides through the Powerplay before unfurling a barrage of boundaries. Over the past year, she’s a strike rate of 108, among the best in the world, and hit 35 sixes, the most by a player in that period.

Wolvaardt, 26, usually builds her innings brick by brick, averaging 50.2 in ODIs with only 17 career sixes, relying more on precision. However, her explosive hits late against England showed the other aspect to her game. In 117 innings, she’s scored 5,121 runs (avg 50).

Mandhana, 29, has 5,277 runs in 116 innings (avg 48.4). Their competition has only spiced up the final.

They’ve faced off in 15 ODIs. Last year, Mandhana’s fluent 136 in Bengaluru answered Wolvaardt’s 135* in the match, showing how one’s brilliance often sparks the other’s best.

Both have delivered when it matters. In knockouts, Wolvaardt has a better record – 256 runs in 4 innings, averaging 64. Mandhana has 146 in four innings (avg 36.5), although she is yet to score a hundred in a knockout game. Their trajectories since that tournament have been remarkable.

Their numbers also reflect the rise of the opener in women’s cricket. Both have better records while chasing – Wolvaardt averages 54.5 and Mandhana 56.6.

Mandhana converts 29% of her 50-plus scores into hundreds, compared to Wolvaardt’s 21% -- another indicator of her ability to make it count once locked in. Wolvaardt’s consistency is in her half-centuries (38), the bedrock of South Africa’s ODI stability that allows some thrilling middle-order madness.

On Sunday, they may well decide the tone of a historic final and who becomes a first-time winner. Whichever way the final goes, the world will again watch two of the most complete batters of this era, adding another chapter to a rivalry that is graceful yet powerful.