No.10 Sarah Glenn 4-0-20-4 v South Africa, Benoni, November 27

Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Nat Sciver-Brunt had made it evident earlier that evening that the pitch had no demons. To defend 205, thus, England needed one of their stars to stand up. That came from Glenn, who clean bowled No.3 to No.6. Three of her wickets came with well tossed-up balls, while the slider undid Nondumiso Shangase.

No.9 Lea Tahuhu 4-0-15-3 v India, Dubai, October 4

The night Tahuhu shattered Indian dreams. A target of 161 was always going to be steep on that difficult surface, but India batted deep, and still had some hopes at 55-3. Unfortunately, the experienced Tahuhu denied them the hitting length, sometimes varying her line, sometimes her pace. Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma all mistimed their shots and perished in the deep. India folded for 102 and were, as a result, knocked out at the league stage.

No.8 Megan Schutt 3.2-1-3-3 v New Zealand, Sharjah, October 8

One of those “just Megan Schutt things” spells where no one could score off her at all. New Zealand reached 54-1 after Schutt curled one in to bowl Georgia Plimmer, so the onus fell on her again. As the asking rate mounted, Amelia Kerr tried to clear long on but could not clear the ground, for Schutt had taken the pace off the ball. The game as good as sealed, she returned to finish it off.

No.7 Deandra Dottin 4-0-22-4 v New Zealand, Sharjah, October 18

It is not exactly clear how Dottin manages to pull off something special every time. Here in the semi-final, she got Kerr when New Zealand were 65-1. They recovered to 96-3 in the 15th over, preparing for the final onslaught, when Dottin struck thrice in seven balls to end such ambitions. Dottin also hit three of the four sixes in the match, while her 33 was the joint-highest score. Unfortunately, this is not an individual sport...

No.6 Eden Carson 4-0-29-3 v West Indies, Sharjah, October 18

... and New Zealand defended 129, with Carson leading the way. Just as Qiana Joseph seemed set to end the match in a hurry, she deceived her in the air and bowled her. Shemaine Campbelle failed to clear the off-side ring, while Stafanie Taylor went for an almighty slog and was beaten in flight. The Dottin blitz was not enough to save the West Indies.

No.5 Rosemary Mair 4-0-25-3 v South Africa, Dubai, October 20

Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp were gone, but teams have chased down 82 in 48 balls before. But just as South Africa took that final plunge in quest for the elusive World Cup, Mair had Nadine de Klerk mistime a shot and had her caught at backward point. The choke was on, and Chloe Tryon, the only batter who could have hit South Africa out of trouble, hit Mair straight to long-on. Mair signed off with another wicket in that over.

No.4 Fariha Trisna 4-1-19-4 v Australia, Mirpur, April 2

While not Trisna’s first international hat-trick, it was the more high-profile one of the two, though Ellyse Perry, Sophie Molineux, and Beth Mooney were all going for big shots at the death. Tisna also had Phoebe Litchfield in the first spell – all this, on either side of a nine-over stand of 91 between Grace Harris and Georgia Wareham. A spectacular day’s work when her teammates had 4-142 in 16 overs.

No.3 Ayabonga Khaka 4-0-24-2 v Australia, Dubai, October 17

Denying Australia a T20 World Cup final berth needed a miracle. Leading that miracle in the semi-final was Khaka, a night that she began by getting Harris with her first ball and giving away just eight in her two powerplay overs. As Australia adopted a curiously cautious approach until late into their innings, she slipped in a third over for only six runs. She did not concede a boundary until her last over, the 20th for her team; she signed off with Perry’s wicket with her last ball.

No.2 Titas Sadhu 4-0-17-4 v Australia, Navi Mumbai, January 5

Indian fans probably had a feeling of deja vu when Australia blazed away to 26-0 after three overs. Enter Sadhu, in the year after starring in two major tournament finals. She had Mooney caught in the deep. In her next over, she denied Tahlia McGrath any run, forcing her to attempt a desperate slog and edge. On the other ide of a wide ball, Sadhu caught Ash Gardner off her own bowling, and the match changed its course. She returned at the death take to take out Annabel Sutherland – another mistimed shot – and would have got a fifth wicket too, had DRS not rescued Wareham.

No.1 Amelia Kerr 4-0-25-3 v South Africa, Dubai, October 20

Kerr’s 43 had been the highest score in the New Zealand innings, but role job in the World Cup final was far from over, especially after South Africa had amassed 47-0 by the powerplay in pursuit of 159. Kerr began with a tidy over. With the first ball of her second, she probably took a risk by giving the ball air against Wolvaardt: the shot found the fielder at cover. Anneke Bosch, star of the semi-final, swept Kerr for four. Kerr responded next ball, having Bosch caught-behind via DRS.

The asking rate mounted, but Kerr ensured that no runs came off her end. In her final over, she tossed up the ball again, and had a desperate Annerie Dercksen caught at extra-cover. Player of the Match in the final, Player of the Tournament, a World Cup trophy... is that not what cricketers dream of?

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