The former English skipper Rachael Heyhoe Flint deserves all the credit for the upliftment of Women’s cricket in England. It was under Rachel’s leadership that the English nation secured a victory in the inaugural edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup.
July 28, 1973, was the day when the first final of the Women’s World Cup was played at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. Australia Women locked horns with England Women in the final. The momentous match started with home skipper Rachael winning the toss and inviting the opposition to the field.
Batting first, England produced a brilliant effort with the willow. The top-order including the likes of Enid Bakewell, Lynne Thomas, and Rachael were at their fluent best as they England a dream start. Enid was the woman of the hour for the hosts as he played a terrific knock of 118 runs. The opening batter found a suitable ally in her skipper as Rachael added a crucial 64 runs to the scoreboard.
The end of the 60 overs saw England racking up a score of 279 while losing three wickets. For Australia, Miriam Knee led the attack. The seamer returned with two wickets at an economy rate of 4.81. Apart from Miriam, Raelee Thompson was the only Australian to gain some success as she picked the wicket of the opposition skipper.
Following the score of 280, Australia found themselves in the dominating position. The opening pair of Bev Wilson and Jackie Potter stitched a 62-run partnership. However, June Stephenson gave the first breakthrough to England by picking the scalp of Potter. After that, there was no looking back for the England team as the bowling unit bowled commendable spells to keep an upper hand in the game.
Despite losing timely wickets, Australia managed to play the whole 60 overs. However, the visitors ended up with just 187 runs on the scoreboard. The English pacers including the likes of Enid, Sue Hilliam, and Mary Pilling picked two wickets each. Thus, the comprehensive efforts by both the bowling and batting units steered England to a victory by 92 runs in the 1973 Women’s World Cup Final.
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