The 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup, also known as the Hero Honda Women's World Cup, was the sixth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, held in India. With 32 matches between a record 11 teams across 25 cricket grounds, England, Australia, New Zealand and India reached the semi-finals, with Australia and New Zealand progressing to the final match, which was played on 29 December 1997. Australia defeated New Zealand by five wickets to win their fourth championship title.
The 1997 World Cup also set a number of records for the tournament. In their match against Denmark, Australia scored the highest team score in a World Cup, 412/3, and achieved the largest winning margin in a World Cup, 363 runs. In the same match, Australia's Belinda Clark scored 229*, the highest individual score in a World Cup. Australia also bowled out Pakistan for 27 in 82 balls, the shortest completed innings in a Women's One Day International.
Venues
Group stage
The competition began with twenty-five matches between 11 teams, the highest participation of any Women's Cricket World Cup to date. After these matches, Australia, England, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand reached the quarter finals stage, while Denmark, Pakistan and the West Indies were eliminated. The first three matches of this stage were rained off without a ball being bowled, due to torrential storms on 9 and 10 December.
Group A
Table
Fixtures
Group B
Table
Fixtures
Knockout stage
9th-place play-off
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
India and Australia both qualified for the semi-finals, and faced each other on Christmas Eve at Delhi. The start of the match was delayed for two hours and 15 minutes for bad light, and as a result each side was given 32 overs to bat. India won the toss, and captain Pramila Bhatt chose to field first. Australia, put into bat, began well with an opening partnership of 66 between captain Belinda Clark (31) and Joanne Broadbent (33). Bhatt herself broke the partnership, reducing Australia from 66/0 to 83/3 with the wickets of Bhatt, Mel Jones (5) and Michelle Goszko (0), ending with figures of 3/25. A knock of 23 from Karen Rolton and support from Bronwyn Calver (11) saw Australia past 100, however both Olivia Magno and Charmaine Mason were stumped by Anju Jain off the bowling of Neetu David for ducks, and Australia managed 123 from their 32 overs. For slow bowling, two overs were deducted from India's batting innings.
India's reply did not begin as successfully, falling to 24/2 with both Jain and Anjum Chopra out cheaply for 18 and two respectively. Chanderkanta Kaul scored 48, however only two other players reached double figures, and together with Smitha Harikrishna and Renu Margrate (both scoring one) they were all run out. Bhatt hit six runs herself before she was bowled by Cathryn Fitzpatrick, who took 3/18. India's last three players all failed to score, and she fell 19 runs short by the end of her 30 overs on 104/9.
On Boxing Day, England and New Zealand faced each other in the second semi final at Chepauk, in Chennai. New Zealand won the toss, and captain Maia Lewis chose to bat first. New Zealand lost the early wicket of Emily Drumm for four, however they went on to a score of 93 before another wicker fell. Debbie Hockley top scored with 43, and Shelley Fruin (29), Katrina Keenan (35) and 28 extras took New Zealand to 175/6 from their 50 overs. England's bowlers bowled economically, with three going at economy rates of under 2.90, and medium-pacer Karen Smithies took 3/40.
England, set 176 runs from 49 overs, having been fined one over for their own slow over rate, reached 100 for the loss of four wickets, with Charlotte Edwards scoring 25, Jan Brittin 32 and Barbara Daniels 30. Only two other players reached double figures, however, as England slumped from 100/4 to 155 all out from 47.5 overs. Clare Nicholson took 2/29 for New Zealand, with Katrina Keenan, Hockley, Catherine Campbell and Sarah McLauchlan taking one wicked each, and the remaining four England players being run out. This gave New Zealand a 20 run victory, and they progressed to the finals.