1978 Women's Cricket World Cup: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox cricket tournament
{{Infobox cricket tournament
| name = 1978 Women's Cricket World Cup
| name = 1978 Women's Cricket World Cup
| image = 1978 Women's Cricket World Cup.png
| fromdate = 1
| fromdate = 1
| todate = 13 January 1978
| todate = 13 January 1978
| administrator = [[International Women's Cricket Council|IWCC]]
| administrator = [[International Women's Cricket Council]]
| cricket format = [[Women's One Day International|ODI]] ([[Limited-overs cricket|50-over]])
| cricket format = [[Women's One Day International]] ([[Limited-overs cricket|50-over]])
| tournament format = [[Round-robin tournament|Round-robin]]
| tournament format = [[Round-robin tournament|Round-robin]]
| host = {{flag|India}}
| host = India
| champions = {{cr|Australia}} (1st title)
| champions = {{crw|Australia}}
| count = 1
| runner up = {{crw|England}}
| runner up = {{crw|England}}
| participants = 4
| participants = 4
| matches = 6
| matches = 6
| player of the series =  
| player of the series =  
| most runs = {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Margaret Jennings (cricketer)|Margaret Jennings]] (127)
| most runs = {{criconw|AUS}} [[Margaret Jennings (cricketer)|Margaret Jennings]] (127)
| most wickets = {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Sharyn Hill]] (7)
| most wickets = {{criconw|AUS}} [[Sharyn Hill]] (7)
| website =  
| website =  
| previous_year = 1973
| previous_year = 1973
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The '''1978 Women's Cricket World Cup''' was an international [[cricket]] tournament played in India from 1 to 13 January 1978. Hosted by India for the first time, it was the second edition of the [[Women's Cricket World Cup]], after the inaugural [[1973 Women's Cricket World Cup|1973 World Cup]] in England.
The '''1978 Women's Cricket World Cup''' was an international [[cricket]] tournament played in India from 1 to 13 January 1978. Hosted by India for the first time, it was the second edition of the [[Women's Cricket World Cup]], after the inaugural [[1973 Women's Cricket World Cup|1973 World Cup]] in England.


It was originally proposed that South Africa host the World Cup, but this was abandoned to conform with the [[Sporting boycott of South Africa during the Apartheid era|sporting boycott of the country]]. The [[Board of Control for Cricket in India|Women's Cricket Association of India]] (WCAI) then made a successful bid, and served as the primary organiser, with the [[International Women's Cricket Council]] (IWCC) providing only limited oversight.<ref>{{cite book |last=Velija|first=Philippa|date=2015|title=Women's Cricket and Global Processes: The Emergence and Development of Women's Cricket as a Global Game|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJMMCgAAQBAJ|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|page=99|isbn=9781137323538}}</ref> Along with [[India women's national cricket team|India]], which was making its debut, five other teams were originally invited – [[Australia women's national cricket team|Australia]], [[England women's cricket team|England]], the [[Netherlands women's national cricket team|Netherlands]], [[New Zealand women's national cricket team|New Zealand]], and the [[West Indies women's national cricket team|West Indies]]. The Netherlands and the West Indies, which had both not previously participated, were forced to withdraw due to financial issues.<ref name="mukherjee">Abhishek Mukherjee (15 January 2014). [http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/australia-women-lift-1978-world-cup-the-tournament-which-was-almost-calld-off-85737 "Australia Women lift 1978 World Cup — the tournament which was almost called off"] – CricketCountry. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/149452.html |title=Quick, quick Snow |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=16 January 2019}}</ref> The four teams that did compete (the lowest number in the tournament's history) played a [[round-robin tournament]] of three matches each, with Australia going undefeated to claim its first title. Australia's captain, [[Margaret Jennings (cricketer)|Margaret Jennings]], led the tournament in runs, while her teammate, [[Sharyn Hill]], led the tournament in wickets.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78/Batting_by_Runs.html Women's World Cup 1977/78 (ordered by runs)] – CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref><ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78/Bowling_by_Wickets.html Women's World Cup 1977/78 (ordered by wickets)] – CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref>
The World Cup was the first international cricket tournament hosted by India.<ref name=fernando>{{cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/ideas/a-world-cup-lost-and-found-111641555305806.html|title=A World Cup lost and found|publisher=Mint|first=Benita|last=Fernando|date=22 June 2019|access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref> Only four teams participated, the lowest number in the tournament's history – [[Australia women's national cricket team|Australia]], [[England women's cricket team|England]], [[India women's national cricket team|India]] and [[New Zealand women's national cricket team|New Zealand]]. The teams played a [[round-robin tournament]] of three matches each, with Australia going undefeated to claim its first title. Australia's captain, [[Margaret Jennings (cricketer)|Margaret Jennings]], led the tournament in runs, while her teammate, [[Sharyn Hill]], led the tournament in wickets. Three of the five highest scorers as well as three of the five leading wicket-takers in the tournament were from Australia. [[Sharon Tredrea]] featured in both lists, being the second-highest wicket-taker and fourth-highest scorer of the tournament.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78/Batting_by_Runs.html Women's World Cup 1977/78 (ordered by runs)] – CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref><ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78/Bowling_by_Wickets.html Women's World Cup 1977/78 (ordered by wickets)] – CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref>


==Squads==
==Background==
It was originally proposed that South Africa host the World Cup, but this was abandoned to conform with the [[Sporting boycott of South Africa during the Apartheid era|Apartheid-era sporting boycott of the country]]. The [[Board of Control for Cricket in India|Women's Cricket Association of India]] (WCAI) then made a successful bid, and served as the primary organiser, with the [[International Women's Cricket Council]] (IWCC) providing only limited oversight.<ref>{{cite book |last=Velija|first=Philippa|date=2015|title=Women's Cricket and Global Processes: The Emergence and Development of Women's Cricket as a Global Game|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJMMCgAAQBAJ|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|page=99|isbn=9781137323538}}</ref>
 
==Participating teams==
Along with [[India women's national cricket team|India]], which was making its debut, five other teams were originally invited – [[Australia women's national cricket team|Australia]], [[England women's cricket team|England]], the [[Netherlands women's national cricket team|Netherlands]], [[New Zealand women's national cricket team|New Zealand]], and the [[West Indies women's national cricket team|West Indies]]. The Netherlands and the West Indies, which had both not previously participated, were forced to withdraw due to financial issues.<ref name="mukherjee">Abhishek Mukherjee (15 January 2014). [http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/australia-women-lift-1978-world-cup-the-tournament-which-was-almost-calld-off-85737 "Australia Women lift 1978 World Cup — the tournament which was almost called off"] – CricketCountry. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/149452.html |title=Quick, quick Snow |work=ESPNcricinfo |access-date=16 January 2019}}</ref>
 
===Squads===
Information is only available for players who played at least one match at the tournament.
Information is only available for players who played at least one match at the tournament.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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* [[Megan Lear]]
* [[Megan Lear]]
* [[Catherine Mowat]]
* [[Catherine Mowat]]
* [[Lynne Thomas]]
* [[Lynne Thomas (cricketer)|Lynne Thomas]]
* [[Chris Watmough]]
* [[Chris Watmough]]
* [[Margaret Wilks]]
* [[Margaret Wilks]]
Line 65: Line 73:
* [[Gargi Banerji]]
* [[Gargi Banerji]]
* [[Runa Basu]]
* [[Runa Basu]]
* [[Lopamudra Bhattacharj]]
* [[Lopamudra Bhattacharji]]
* [[Sharmila Chakraborty]]
* [[Sharmila Chakraborty]]
* [[Rajeshwari Dholakia]]
* [[Rajeshwari Dholakia]]
Line 77: Line 85:
* [[Kalpan Paropkari]]
* [[Kalpan Paropkari]]
* [[Sudha Shah]]
* [[Sudha Shah]]
* [[Anjali Sharma]]
* [[Anjali Sharma (cricketer)|Anjali Sharma]]
|valign=top|
|valign=top|
* [[Trish McKelvey]] ([[Captain (cricket)|c]])
* [[Trish McKelvey]] ([[Captain (cricket)|c]])
Line 100: Line 108:
* [[Eden Gardens]], [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] – one match
* [[Eden Gardens]], [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] – one match
* [[Keenan Stadium]], [[Jamshedpur]] – one match
* [[Keenan Stadium]], [[Jamshedpur]] – one match
* [[Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium]], [[Hyderabad]] – two matches
* [[Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad|Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium]], [[Hyderabad]] – two matches
* [[Moin-ul-Haq Stadium]], [[Patna]] – two matches
* [[Moin-ul-Haq Stadium]], [[Patna]] – two matches
|places=
|places=
Line 106: Line 114:
   {{Location map~|India|lat_deg=22|lat_min=34|lon_deg=88|lon_min=20|position=right|background=|label=[[Eden Gardens|Calcutta]]|label_size=80}}
   {{Location map~|India|lat_deg=22|lat_min=34|lon_deg=88|lon_min=20|position=right|background=|label=[[Eden Gardens|Calcutta]]|label_size=80}}
   {{Location map~|India|lat_deg=25|lat_min=36|lon_deg=85|lon_min=10|position=right|background=|label=[[Moin-ul-Haq Stadium|Patna]]|label_size=80}}
   {{Location map~|India|lat_deg=25|lat_min=36|lon_deg=85|lon_min=10|position=right|background=|label=[[Moin-ul-Haq Stadium|Patna]]|label_size=80}}
   {{Location map~|India|lat_deg=17|lat_min=24|lon_deg=78|lon_min=28|position=right|background=|label=[[Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium|Hyderabad]]|label_size=80}}
   {{Location map~|India|lat_deg=17|lat_min=24|lon_deg=78|lon_min=28|position=right|background=|label=[[Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad|Hyderabad]]|label_size=80}}
}}
}}


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| score1 =  
| score1 =  
| score2 =  
| score2 =  
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} East Zone
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} [[East Zone cricket team|East Zone]]
| result = Result unknown
| result = Result unknown
| report =  
| report =  
Line 134: Line 142:
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|NZL}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|NZL}}
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} West Bengal WCA President's XI
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} [[Cricket Association of Bengal|West Bengal WCA President's XI]]
| score1 =  
| score1 =  
| score2 =  
| score2 =  
Line 149: Line 157:
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|AUS}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|AUS}}
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} Indian Universities
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} [[Indian Universities cricket team|Indian Universities Women's Team]]
| score1 =  
| score1 =  
| score2 =  
| score2 =  
Line 164: Line 172:
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|ENG}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|ENG}}
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} West Bengal WCA President's XI
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} [[Cricket Association of Bengal|West Bengal WCA President's XI]]
| score1 =  
| score1 =  
| score2 =  
| score2 =  
Line 179: Line 187:
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|ENG}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|ENG}}
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} East Zone
| team2 = {{flagicon|IND}} [[East Zone cricket team|East Zone]]
| score1 =  
| score1 =  
| score2 =  
| score2 =  
Line 195: Line 203:
{{#invoke:Sports table|main|style=CricketRR
{{#invoke:Sports table|main|style=CricketRR
|update=complete
|update=complete
|source=[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/1/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78.html CricketArchive]
|source=[https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/women-s-world-cup-1977-78-61181/points-table-standings ESPNcricinfo][https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/1/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78.html CricketArchive]
|nrr_header=<abbr title="Run rate">[[Run rate|RR]]</abbr>
|nrr_header=<abbr title="Run rate">[[Run rate|RR]]</abbr>
|team_order=AUS, ENG, NZL, IND
|team_order=AUS, ENG, NZL, IND
|result1=Q |result2=Q |col_Q=#cfc
|result1=Q |col_Q=#cfc
|name_AUS={{crw|AUS}} |win_AUS=3 |loss_AUS=0 |rs_AUS=427 |or_AUS=130.5 |ob_AUS=1
|name_AUS={{crw|AUS}} |win_AUS=3 |loss_AUS=0 |rs_AUS=427 |or_AUS=130.5 |ob_AUS=1
|name_ENG={{crw|ENG}} |win_ENG=2 |loss_ENG=1 |rs_ENG=321 |or_ENG=120.5 |ob_ENG=1
|name_ENG={{crw|ENG}} |win_ENG=2 |loss_ENG=1 |rs_ENG=321 |or_ENG=120.5 |ob_ENG=1
Line 207: Line 215:
* Note: [[run rate]] was to be used as a tiebreaker in the case of teams finishing on an equal number of points, rather than [[net run rate]] (as is now common).<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/0/Shell_Bicentennial_Womens_World_Cup_1988-89.html Shell Bicentennial Women's World Cup 1988/89 table] – CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2015.</ref>
* Note: [[run rate]] was to be used as a tiebreaker in the case of teams finishing on an equal number of points, rather than [[net run rate]] (as is now common).<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/0/Shell_Bicentennial_Womens_World_Cup_1988-89.html Shell Bicentennial Women's World Cup 1988/89 table] – CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2015.</ref>


===Matches===
==Matches==
{{Limited Overs Matches
===New Zealand vs Australia===
{{Single-innings cricket match
| date = 1 January
| date = 1 January
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|AUS}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|AUS}}
| score1 = 177 (49.2 overs)
| score1 = 177 (49.2 overs)
| runs1 = [[Wendy Hills]] 64
| wickets1 = [[Barb Bevege]] 3/17 (9.2 overs)
| team2 = {{crw|NZL}}
| team2 = {{crw|NZL}}
| score2 = 111/8 (50 overs)
| score2 = 111/8 (50 overs)
| runs2 = [[Trish McKelvey]] 37
| wickets2 = [[Sharyn Hill]] 3/16 (10 overs)
| result = Australia won by 66 runs
| result = Australia won by 66 runs
| report = [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/37/37736.html Scorecard]
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66901.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Keenan Stadium]], [[Jamshedpur]], [[Bihar]] (now [[Jharkhand]])
| venue = [[Keenan Stadium]], [[Jamshedpur]], [[Bihar]] (now [[Jharkhand]])
| motm =
| umpires = KVK Rao (IND) and [[Sukha Bose]] (IND)
| toss = Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
| toss = Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
| notes = [[Peta Verco]], [[Sharyn Hill]] (Aus), [[Cheryl Henshilwood]], [[Edna Ryan (cricketer)|Edna Ryan]], [[Pat Carrick]], [[Sheree Harris]], [[Vicki Burtt]] and [[Viv Sexton]] (NZ) all made their WODI debuts.
}}
}}
----
 
{{Limited Overs Matches
===India vs England===
{{Single-innings cricket match
| date = 1 January
| date = 1 January
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|IND}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|IND}}
| score1 = 63 (39.3 overs)
| score1 = 63 (39.3 overs)
| runs1 = [[Diana Edulji]] 18
| wickets1 = [[Margaret Wilks]] 2/6 (6 overs)
| team2 = {{crw|ENG}}
| team2 = {{crw|ENG}}
| score2 = 65/1 (30.2 overs)
| score2 = 65/1 (30.2 overs)
| runs2 = [[Lynne Thomas (cricketer)|Lynne Thomas]] 43[[Not out|*]]
| wickets2 = [[Diana Edulji]] 1/18 (10 overs)
| result = England won by 9 wickets
| result = England won by 9 wickets
| report = [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/37/37737.html Scorecard]
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66904.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Eden Gardens]], [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[West Bengal]]
| venue = [[Eden Gardens]], [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[West Bengal]]
| motm =
| umpires = Bhairab Ganguly (IND) and [[Sunit Ghosh]] (IND)
| toss = England won the toss and elected to bowl.
| toss = England won the toss and elected to bowl.
| notes = [[Anjali Sharma (cricketer)|Anjali Sharma]], [[Diana Edulji]], [[Fowzieh Khalili]], [[Gargi Banerjee]], [[Kalpan Paropkari]], [[Lopamudra Bhattacharji]], [[Nilima Jogalekar]], [[Runa Basu]], [[Sandhya Mazumdar]], [[Sharmila Chakraborty]], [[Shobha Pandit]] (Ind) and [[Catherine Mowat]] (Eng) all made their WODI debuts.
}}
}}
----
 
{{Limited Overs Matches
===New Zealand vs India===
{{Single-innings cricket match
| date = 5 January
| date = 5 January
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|IND}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|IND}}
| score1 = 130/9 (50 overs)
| score1 = 130/9 (50 overs)
| runs1 = [[Ujwala Nikam]] 31[[Not out|*]]
| wickets1 = [[Linda Lindsay]] 2/26 (10 overs) <br> [[Pat Carrick]] 2/26 (9 overs)
| team2 = {{crw|NZL}}
| team2 = {{crw|NZL}}
| score2 = 131/1 (44 overs)
| score2 = 131/1 (44 overs)
| runs2 = [[Barb Bevege]] 67[[Not out|*]]
| wickets2 = [[Anjali Sharma (cricketer)|Anjali Sharma]] 1/32 (10 overs)
| result = New Zealand won by 9 wickets
| result = New Zealand won by 9 wickets
| report = [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/37/37743.html Scorecard]
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66907.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Moin-ul-Haq Stadium]], [[Patna]], [[Bihar]]
| venue = [[Moin-ul-Haq Stadium]], [[Patna]], [[Bihar]]
| motm =
| motm =
| toss = India won the toss and elected to bat.
| toss = India won the toss and elected to bat.
| notes = [[Shubhangi Kulkarni]], [[Sudha Shah]], [[Susan Itticheria]], [[Ujwala Nikam]] (Ind) and [[Linda Lindsay]] (NZ) all made their WODI debuts.
}}
}}
----
 
{{Limited Overs Matches
===India vs Australia===
{{Single-innings cricket match
| date = 8 January
| time =
| team1 = {{crw-rt|AUS}}
| score1 = 150/8 (50 overs)
| runs1 = [[Sharon Tredrea]] 56
| wickets1 = [[Lopamudra Bhattacharji]] 2/23 (10 overs)
| team2 = {{crw|IND}}
| score2 = 79 (47.2 overs)
| runs2 = [[Shobha Pandit]] 17
| wickets2 = [[Peta Verco]] 3/9 (9 overs)
| result = Australia won by 71 runs
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66908.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Moin-ul-Haq Stadium]], [[Patna]], [[Bihar]]
| umpires = KVK Rao (IND) and [[Sukha Bose]] (IND)
| toss = India won the toss and elected to bowl.
| notes = [[Rajeshwari Dholakia]] (Ind) made her WODI debut.
}}
 
===New Zealand vs England===
{{Single-innings cricket match
| date = 8 January
| date = 8 January
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|NZL}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|NZL}}
| score1 = 157 (49.4 overs)
| score1 = 157 (49.4 overs)
| runs1 = [[Barb Bevege]] 57
| wickets1 = [[Jacqueline Court]] 4/29 (10 overs)
| team2 = {{crw|ENG}}
| team2 = {{crw|ENG}}
| score2 = 160/3 (40.3 overs)
| score2 = 160/3 (40.3 overs)
| runs2 = [[Lynne Thomas (cricketer)|Lynne Thomas]] 47
| wickets2 = [[Sue Rattray]] 2/33 (6 overs)
| result = England won by 7 wickets
| result = England won by 7 wickets
| report = [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/37/37756.html Scorecard]
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66912.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] (now [[Telangana]])
| venue = [[Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad|Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] (now [[Telangana]])
| motm =
| motm =
| toss = England won the toss and elected to bowl.
| toss = England won the toss and elected to bowl.
| notes = [[Karen Marsh|Karen Hadlee]] (NZ) made her WODI debut.
}}
}}
----
{{Limited Overs Matches
| date = 8 January
| time =
| team1 = {{crw-rt|AUS}}
| score1 = 150/8 (50 overs)
| team2 = {{crw|IND}}
| score2 = 79 (47.2 overs)
| result = Australia won by 71 runs
| report = [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/37/37757.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Moin-ul-Haq Stadium]], [[Patna]], [[Bihar]]
| motm =
| toss = India won the toss and elected to bowl.
}}
----
Both Australia and England went into the last match of the tournament undefeated, which meant it functioned as a ''de facto'' final, akin to the [[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|Uruguay v Brazil]] match at the [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950 Football World Cup]].<ref name="mukherjee"/> England's [[Megan Lear]] later recounted that the "most memorable part of [the] tournament was playing in front of crowds of 40,000 plus".<ref>(5 March 2009). [http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/393264.html "'Our laundry laid out to dry on the rocks'"] – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref>


{{Limited Overs Matches
===England vs Australia===
Both Australia and England went into the last match of the tournament undefeated, which meant it functioned as a ''de facto'' final, akin to the [[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|Uruguay v Brazil]] match at the [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950 Football World Cup]].<ref name="mukherjee"/>
 
{{Single-innings cricket match
| date = 13 January
| date = 13 January
| time =  
| time =  
| team1 = {{crw-rt|ENG}}
| team1 = {{crw-rt|ENG}}
| score1 = 96/8 (50 overs)
| score1 = 96/8 (50 overs)
| runs1 = [[Shirley Hodges]] 26
| wickets1 = [[Sharon Tredrea]] 4/25 (10 overs)
| team2 = {{crw|AUS}}
| team2 = {{crw|AUS}}
| score2 = 100/2 (31.3 overs)
| score2 = 100/2 (31.3 overs)
| runs2 = [[Margaret Jennings (cricketer)|Margaret Jennings]] 57[[Not out|*]]
| wickets2 = [[Glynis Hullah]] 2/9 (6 overs)
| result = Australia won by 8 wickets
| result = Australia won by 8 wickets
| report = [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/37/37774.html Scorecard]
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66913.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] (now [[Telangana]])
| venue = [[Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad|Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] (now [[Telangana]])
| motm =
| umpires = SA Swaminathan (IND) and V. K. Ramaswamy (IND)
| toss = Australia won the toss and elected to bowl.
| toss = Australia won the toss and elected to bowl.
}}
}}
==Notable aspects==
The World Cup was reportedly poorly organised, with the conflicts between the WCAI, Indian state governments and the national governments. The visiting international teams were advised that the tournament would be held from 29 December 1977 to 23 January 1978 and were requested to arrive in mid-December for warm-up matches. They arrived to find that no matches had been organised; the WCAI issued an itinerary after the first match, but only around half of the anticipated matches were completed.<ref>{{cite news|title=World Cup a Shamble|first=Pauline|last=Bunce|newspaper=Sportsweek|year=1978}}</ref>
The tournament nonetheless attracted large crowds.<ref name=fernando/> England's [[Megan Lear]] later recounted that the "most memorable part of [the] tournament was playing in front of crowds of 40,000 plus".<ref>(5 March 2009). [http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/393264.html "'Our laundry laid out to dry on the rocks'"] – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref>
The Indians were the first women's team to play in trousers; at the previous World Cup all teams had played in skirts.<ref name=fernando/>


==Statistics==
==Statistics==
Line 307: Line 357:
| [[Barbara Bevege]] || {{crw|NZ}} || '''126''' || 3 || 63.00 || 67* || 0 || 2
| [[Barbara Bevege]] || {{crw|NZ}} || '''126''' || 3 || 63.00 || 67* || 0 || 2
|-
|-
| [[Lynne Thomas]] || {{crw|ENG}} || '''109''' || 3 || 54.50 || 47 || 0 || 0
| [[Lynne Thomas (cricketer)|Lynne Thomas]] || {{crw|ENG}} || '''109''' || 3 || 54.50 || 47 || 0 || 0
|-
|-
| [[Sharon Tredrea]] || {{crw|AUS}} || '''87''' || 2 || 43.50 || 56 || 0 || 1
| [[Sharon Tredrea]] || {{crw|AUS}} || '''87''' || 2 || 43.50 || 56 || 0 || 1
Line 314: Line 364:
|-
|-
|}
|}
Source: [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78/Batting_by_Runs.html CricketArchive]
Source: [https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?id=922;type=tournament ESPNcricinfo] [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78/Batting_by_Runs.html CricketArchive]


===Most wickets===
===Most wickets===
Line 335: Line 385:
|}
|}


Source: [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/0/Womens_World_Cup_1977-78/Bowling_by_Wickets.html CricketArchive]{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Source: [https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?id=922;type=tournament ESPNcricinfo]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Women's international cricket tours of India}}
 
{{Women's Cricket World Cup}}
{{Women's Cricket World Cup}}
{{International women's cricket tours of India}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Women's Cricket World Cup, 1978}}
 
{{#seo:
|keywords=1978 in women's cricket, 1978 in Indian cricket, January 1978 sports events in Asia
|description=
}}
 
[[Category:1978 Women's Cricket World Cup| ]]
[[Category:1978 Women's Cricket World Cup| ]]
[[Category:1978 in women's cricket]]
[[Category:1978 in women's cricket]]
[[Category:Women's Cricket World Cup tournaments|1978]]
[[Category:Women's Cricket World Cup tournaments|1978]]
[[Category:1978 in Indian cricket]]
[[Category:1978 in Indian cricket]]
[[Category:International women's cricket competitions in India|World Cup 1978]]
[[Category:Women's international cricket competitions in India|World Cup 1978]]
[[Category:January 1978 sports events in Asia]]
[[Category:January 1978 sports events in Asia]]

Latest revision as of 04:50, 5 February 2026

1978 Women's Cricket World Cup
Dates1 – 13 January 1978
Administrator(s)International Women's Cricket Council
Cricket formatWomen's One Day International (50-over)
Tournament format(s)Round-robin
Host(s)India
Champions Australia (1st title)
Runners-up England
Participants4
Matches played6
Most runsTemplate:Criconw Margaret Jennings (127)
Most wicketsTemplate:Criconw Sharyn Hill (7)
← 1973
1982 →

The 1978 Women's Cricket World Cup was an international cricket tournament played in India from 1 to 13 January 1978. Hosted by India for the first time, it was the second edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, after the inaugural 1973 World Cup in England.

The World Cup was the first international cricket tournament hosted by India.[1] Only four teams participated, the lowest number in the tournament's history – Australia, England, India and New Zealand. The teams played a round-robin tournament of three matches each, with Australia going undefeated to claim its first title. Australia's captain, Margaret Jennings, led the tournament in runs, while her teammate, Sharyn Hill, led the tournament in wickets. Three of the five highest scorers as well as three of the five leading wicket-takers in the tournament were from Australia. Sharon Tredrea featured in both lists, being the second-highest wicket-taker and fourth-highest scorer of the tournament.[2][3]

Background[edit | edit source]

It was originally proposed that South Africa host the World Cup, but this was abandoned to conform with the Apartheid-era sporting boycott of the country. The Women's Cricket Association of India (WCAI) then made a successful bid, and served as the primary organiser, with the International Women's Cricket Council (IWCC) providing only limited oversight.[4]

Participating teams[edit | edit source]

Along with India, which was making its debut, five other teams were originally invited – Australia, England, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the West Indies. The Netherlands and the West Indies, which had both not previously participated, were forced to withdraw due to financial issues.[5][6]

Squads[edit | edit source]

Information is only available for players who played at least one match at the tournament.

 Australia[7]  England[8]  India[9]  New Zealand[10]

Venues[edit | edit source]

Four venues hosted matches at the 1978 Women's World Cup:

Warm-up matches[edit | edit source]

At least five warm-up matches were played against various local Indian teams, all but one of which came before the tournament.[11]

Warm-up matches
28 December 1977
v
28 December 1977
v
Result unknown
Pune, Maharashtra (exact venue unknown)
2 January 1978
v

Group stage[edit | edit source]

Points table[edit | edit source]

Pos Team Pld W L T NR Pts RR
1  Australia 3 3 0 0 0 6 3.264
2  England 3 2 1 0 0 4 2.657
3  New Zealand 3 1 2 0 0 2 2.777
4  India 3 0 3 0 0 0 1.988
Source: ESPNcricinfoCricketArchive
  • Note: run rate was to be used as a tiebreaker in the case of teams finishing on an equal number of points, rather than net run rate (as is now common).[12]

Matches[edit | edit source]

New Zealand vs Australia[edit | edit source]

1 January
Scorecard
Australia 
177 (49.2 overs)
v
 New Zealand
111/8 (50 overs)
Wendy Hills 64
Barb Bevege 3/17 (9.2 overs)
Trish McKelvey 37
Sharyn Hill 3/16 (10 overs)
Australia won by 66 runs
Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur, Bihar (now Jharkhand)
Umpires: KVK Rao (IND) and Sukha Bose (IND)

India vs England[edit | edit source]

1 January
Scorecard
India 
63 (39.3 overs)
v
 England
65/1 (30.2 overs)
Diana Edulji 18
Margaret Wilks 2/6 (6 overs)
Lynne Thomas 43*
Diana Edulji 1/18 (10 overs)
England won by 9 wickets
Eden Gardens, Calcutta, West Bengal
Umpires: Bhairab Ganguly (IND) and Sunit Ghosh (IND)

New Zealand vs India[edit | edit source]

5 January
Scorecard
India 
130/9 (50 overs)
v
 New Zealand
131/1 (44 overs)
Ujwala Nikam 31*
Linda Lindsay 2/26 (10 overs)
Pat Carrick 2/26 (9 overs)
Barb Bevege 67*
Anjali Sharma 1/32 (10 overs)
New Zealand won by 9 wickets
Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, Patna, Bihar

India vs Australia[edit | edit source]

8 January
Scorecard
Australia 
150/8 (50 overs)
v
 India
79 (47.2 overs)
Shobha Pandit 17
Peta Verco 3/9 (9 overs)
Australia won by 71 runs
Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, Patna, Bihar
Umpires: KVK Rao (IND) and Sukha Bose (IND)

New Zealand vs England[edit | edit source]

8 January
Scorecard
New Zealand 
157 (49.4 overs)
v
 England
160/3 (40.3 overs)
Barb Bevege 57
Jacqueline Court 4/29 (10 overs)
Lynne Thomas 47
Sue Rattray 2/33 (6 overs)
  • England won the toss and elected to bowl.
  • Karen Hadlee (NZ) made her WODI debut.

England vs Australia[edit | edit source]

Both Australia and England went into the last match of the tournament undefeated, which meant it functioned as a de facto final, akin to the Uruguay v Brazil match at the 1950 Football World Cup.[5]

13 January
Scorecard
England 
96/8 (50 overs)
v
 Australia
100/2 (31.3 overs)
Shirley Hodges 26
Sharon Tredrea 4/25 (10 overs)
Australia won by 8 wickets
Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana)
Umpires: SA Swaminathan (IND) and V. K. Ramaswamy (IND)
  • Australia won the toss and elected to bowl.

Notable aspects[edit | edit source]

The World Cup was reportedly poorly organised, with the conflicts between the WCAI, Indian state governments and the national governments. The visiting international teams were advised that the tournament would be held from 29 December 1977 to 23 January 1978 and were requested to arrive in mid-December for warm-up matches. They arrived to find that no matches had been organised; the WCAI issued an itinerary after the first match, but only around half of the anticipated matches were completed.[13]

The tournament nonetheless attracted large crowds.[1] England's Megan Lear later recounted that the "most memorable part of [the] tournament was playing in front of crowds of 40,000 plus".[14]

The Indians were the first women's team to play in trousers; at the previous World Cup all teams had played in skirts.[1]

Statistics[edit | edit source]

Most runs[edit | edit source]

The top five runscorers are included in this table, ranked by runs scored and then by batting average.

Player Team Runs Inns Avg Highest 100s 50s
Margaret Jennings  Australia 127 3 63.50 57* 0 1
Barbara Bevege  New Zealand 126 3 63.00 67* 0 2
Lynne Thomas  England 109 3 54.50 47 0 0
Sharon Tredrea  Australia 87 2 43.50 56 0 1
Wendy Hills  Australia 66 3 22.00 64 0 1

Source: ESPNcricinfo CricketArchive

Most wickets[edit | edit source]

The top five wicket takers are listed in this table, ranked by wickets taken and then by bowling average.

Player Team Overs Wkts Ave SR Econ BBI
Sharyn Hill  Australia 30.0 7 7.57 25.71 1.76 3/16
Sharon Tredrea  Australia 25.0 6 7.00 25.00 1.68 4/25
Pat Carrick  New Zealand 29.0 6 17.66 29.00 3.65 3/43
Glynis Hullah  England 21.1 5 6.80 25.40 1.60 2/2
Peta Verco  Australia 23.0 5 7.40 27.60 1.60 3/9

Source: ESPNcricinfo

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fernando, Benita (22 June 2019). "A World Cup lost and found". Mint. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  2. ↑ Women's World Cup 1977/78 (ordered by runs) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Women's World Cup 1977/78 (ordered by wickets) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  4. ↑ Velija, Philippa (2015). Women's Cricket and Global Processes: The Emergence and Development of Women's Cricket as a Global Game. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 99. ISBN 9781137323538.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Abhishek Mukherjee (15 January 2014). "Australia Women lift 1978 World Cup — the tournament which was almost called off" – CricketCountry. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Quick, quick Snow". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  7. ↑ Batting and fielding for Australia women, Women's World Cup 1977/78 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  8. ↑ Batting and fielding for England women, Women's World Cup 1977/78 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  9. ↑ Batting and fielding for India women, Women's World Cup 1977/78 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Batting and fielding for New Zealand women, Women's World Cup 1977/78 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Women's World Cup 1977/78 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Shell Bicentennial Women's World Cup 1988/89 table – CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  13. ↑ Bunce, Pauline (1978). "World Cup a Shamble". Sportsweek.
  14. ↑ (5 March 2009). "'Our laundry laid out to dry on the rocks'" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 August 2015.

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