No.10 Gaby Lewis 119(75) v Sri Lanka, Dublin August 13

Having batted through the Ireland innings, Lewis was run out off the last ball, but not before breaking her own record to amass the national record in the format. While hitting 17 fours and two sixes, she also managed to retain strike: the 75 balls she faced was the second-most in matches between Full Members.

No.9 Chamari Athapaththu 61(43) v India, Dambulla, July 28

To no one’s surprise, Athapaththu played a significant role Sri Lanka Women’s first major title. Chasing 166 against perennial champions, the hosts slipped to 7-1, but Athapaththu was determined to not concede any ground. She picked out Tanuja Kanwar, smashing two sixes and a four in the sixth over, and continued until she left a platform solid enough.

No.8 Orla Prendergast 80(51) v England, Dublin, September 15

In a near-encore of the Athapaththu chase, Ireland were 2-1 while chasing 170. Having warmed up suitably with 2-31, Prendergast initially assumed a support act to Lewis but switched gears thereafter. With 42 to get in four overs, she hit four consecutive boundaries across two overs, and hit two more in the 19th to leave Ireland on the brink: they pulled off a famous triumph.

No.7 Fatima Sana 36(20) v Sri Lanka, October 3, Sharjah, October 3

Sana’s blitz did not come out of the blue after her three cameos against South Africa the month before, but this hit different. In a World Cup match, she emerged at 72-5 and saw her side slip to 84-8. Most teams lose from there, but the Pakistan captain turned things around. Having already hit a four – a rarity – she swung over mid-off for two more, and cleared long-on to finish on a 20-ball 30. On a pitch where everyone else struggled. Pakistan had only 117 to defend, but Sana (2-16) played a part again to help restrict Sri Lanka to 85-9.

No.6 Hayley Matthews 50(38) v England, Dubai, October 15
No.5 Qiana Joseph 52(38) v England, Dubai, October 15

Despite having won everything until this point, a lone defeat would have been enough to knock England out. When Matthews hit a six and two fours in the first over, it was probably on expected lines. When Joseph responded with two at the other end and hit a six in the third over, England looked truly shell-shocked. Left without an answer against this double-barrelled charge, England couldn't get their lengths right, bowling a mix of deliveries that were too full or too short, and were below their best on the field. By the powerplay, the West Indies had raced to 67-0. By the time the pair fell within a six-ball span, they had virtually batted England out of the World Cup. The West Indies ended up topping the group to storm into the semi-finals.

No.4 Sophie Devine 57*(36) v India, Dubai, October 4

At 99-3 in the 15th over, India would have hoped for a reasonable target on a pitch that did not seem easy to bat on. Devine put an end to these hopes. When Renuka Singh Thakur tried to take the pace off, she used brute force to pick up consecutive boundaries. When they pitched short, she pulled. When they pitched up, she smote them across the line. When they tried to cramp her, she made room and cleared the in-field. The value of her fifty became evident when India folded for 102 – a result that eventually cost them a semi-final berth.

No.3 Brooke Halliday 38(28) v South Africa, Dubai, October 20

Happy to nudge the ball around and pick up singles, Halliday had made only 13 from her first 12 balls in the World Cup final before she decided to open up. All of a sudden the boundaries came, starting with a whack through mid-wicket and a powerful on-drive off consecutive balls from Sune Luus. As Amelia Kerr returned the strike, Halliday steered Nadine de Klerk to the deep-third fence. While not a big innings, it was the fastest of the four thirty-plus scores in the final by a considerable margin. Perhaps it also turned out to be decisive.

No.2 Harshitha Samarawickrama 69*(51) v India, Dambulla, July 28

Sri Lanka had eight wickets in hand when Athapaththu fell (see No.9), but they needed 72 in 48 – and were without their icon, their legend. Someone had to step up for them that night, and Samarawickrama came to the party. While Athapaththu was around, Samarawickrama was content to rotate the strike, and had made only 29 off 27 balls until that point. She now took control, hitting four and six off consecutive balls, first off Pooja Vastrakar, then off Radha Yadav. Sri Lanka created history – but perhaps more significantly – they did it even after Athapaththu fell.

No.1 Anneke Bosch 74*(48) v Australia, Dubai, October 17

T20 World Cup finals are always played between Australia and another team. That was the norm. The last final without Australia had been so long ago that most fans had to look up. Even after Australia made 134-5 (a product of excellent bowling and questionable delay of the final onslaught) here in the semi-final, South Africa were not quite overwhelming favourites. This was Australia, after all, in a World Cup.

South Africa needed 110 in 95 balls when Bosch joined Laura Wolvaardt and simply took the game away. She hit three early boundaries, but delivered her first major blow in the 12th over, hitting Georgia Wareham for six and four to bring the asking rate below six. Not content, she dispatched Ash Gardner for two fours in the next over. The fate of the match was sealed. Fittingly, Bosch hit the winning stroke as well.

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