Woo!
What a great match. Really thought England had lost that one, but, dare I say it, India choked with the goal in sight, and England held their nerve just a bit better. Shrubsole
Well done for calling it bhaves - 228 was just about par.
Been impressed how much of a team performance this has been from England - no one individual standout but important contributions from just about everybody at different stages of the tournament.
It's been a great tournament, and the vibe seems to be that this could be a real watershed moment for women's cricket. It's profile is on the rise in England, Australia (where the women's Big Bash is televised on free-to-air, although the men still get the primetime slots) and now with this run to the final, India too. And if women's cricket becomes popular in the world's biggest cricket market, the sky's the limit. I guess the next few months will tell us whether it's just the atmosphere of a good tournament, or if this really is women's cricket's time. I hope so.
One marker will be whether the England team gets recognised in Sports Personality of the Year. For all its faults, it is a fair gauge of the nation's feeling towards sports and achievements therein. A a team bringing home a World Cup in a major sport ought to be at least shortlisted for team of the year, and probably should win it. Especially since there isn't much obvious competition: in a year where there are no major tournaments in any of the men's sports, no Ashes (ok, at the end of the year, but they'll be ongoing when SPOTY airs) and no Olympics, who else is there? The English and Irish Lions, maybe (although they didn't win), and perhaps Chelsea? Bleh. I'll be voting for the cricketers!