No.10 Harmanpreet Kaur 103* off 88 v South Africa, Bengaluru, June 19

It was not even the highest score of the innings. But if Smriti Mandhana’s 136 was all finesse, the Kaur onslaught was brute force. The three sixes – over deep mid-wicket, straight into the sight-screen, and a violent slog sweep – all indicated an encore of Derby 2017 had she not been forced to come off after 50 overs.

No.9 Annabel Sutherland 105* off 81 v New Zealand, Wellington, December 21

Perhaps to prove that the hundred from ten days ago (see No.7) was not a one-off, Sutherland was at it again, this time away from home. This time she came in at 107-3, which became 110-4. She scored at an even quicker rate, but this time there was no fifty, or even a score of 35, to back her. She still took Australia to 291-7 and, in the process, became the first No.5 to score consecutive hundreds in the format.

No.8 Smriti Mandhana 117 off 127 v South Africa, June 19

Mandhana has made more attractive hundreds in her career, but few to match the sheer quality of this one. None of the others in the top six reached 20 as India were left reeling at 99-5, but Mandhana resurrected the innings with deftly placed shots for short runs. She cramped up as she approached her hundred, which probably forced her to focus more on the boundaries. She did that as well.

No.7 Annabel Sutherland 110 off 95 v India, Perth, December 11

No Australian had scored a hundred in a format while batting at No.5 or lower before Sutherland, though part of that had to with the starts their top order consistently provided the team with. This time it was different, for she walked out at 72-3, which soon became 78-4. Unfazed, she simply took the Indian bowlers apart, bit by bit, to set a national first, as Ash Gardner and Tahlia McGrath also hit fifties. Australia’s 298-5 turned out to be too much for India.

No.6 Marizanne Kapp 114 off 94 v India, Bengaluru, June 19

South Africa were 67-3 in the 15th over after Mandhana and Kaur (see No.10) took India to 325-3. An Indian victory seemed inevitable, but now Kapp strode out to unleash an assortment of strokes that eclipsed even Kaur. As Laura Wolvaardt (135*) held one end up, Kapp overtook her by the 33rd over and continued with the onslaught. The Indians had no answer to her until she holed out in the deep. Once that happened, they regained control.

No.5 Orla Prendergast 122* off 107 v Sri Lanka, Belfast, August 16

Ireland had never scored even 250 in a chase. A target of 261 was always going to be a tall ask. Prendergast found an ally in Amy Hunter – they took the score to 116-3 – but Ireland kept losing wickets after that. After they slipped to 211-7, she took the game deep, taking it to 30 in three overs before hitting Kavisha Dilhari for two fours and a six. The match was done with four balls to spare.

No.4 Laura Wolvaardt 184* off 147 v Sri Lanka, Potchefstroom, April 17

On that day, Wolvaardt scored five times as many as any of her teammates, standing tall as wickets fell around her and finding (and at times clearing) the boundary at the same time – and all of it with the ridiculous ease that has been a characteristic of her batting over the years. Hers is still the highest score for South Africa and the highest against Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the highest in a defeat as well.

No.3 Gaby Lewis 72 off 56 v England, Belfast, September 11

With 155 to defend in 22 overs, England would have backed themselves to restrict Ireland. Lewis quickly put an end to these aspirations. She left her teammates to chase only 16 with 22 balls with seven wickets in hand. That Ireland won only off the last ball after losing three wickets in three balls emphasised the value of Lewis’s onslaught. It was their first win against England in 23 years.

No.2 Amy Jones 92* off 83 v New Zealand, Wellington, April 1

Teams seldom win from 79-6 when they are chasing 207, but England did not lose another wicket. As Charlie Dean dropped anchor, Jones played her shots, scoring comfortably quicker than a run a ball against Lea Tahuhu and the Kerr sisters, among others. The target that had seemed impossible at one point was achieved inside 42 overs as the pair put on the highest stand for the seventh wicket or lower. Only Shemaine Campbelle has scored more than Jones while batting at No.7 or below.

No.1 Chamari Athapaththu 195* off 139 v South Africa, Potchefstroom, April 17

An innings so astonishing that it could make you wonder whether it was a dream. For starters, Sri Lanka needed to chase a world record target after Wolvaardt made that 184 (see No.4). But this was Athapaththu’s day, and when that happens, she determines the outcome.

True, the four others in the top five made 33 between them. But by the time the fourth of them got out, Athapaththu had already blazed away to 85 off 64 balls. Some slow down after these collapses. Athapaththu chose to accelerate. Whatever she did on that day came off. All Nilakshika Silva needed was to not get out: she did exactly that, watching from the best possible seat as her captain played an all-time great knock steer her side home.

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