South Africa were inconsistent at the Women’s Cricket World Cup, but they did well to reach the final before losing to hosts India by 52 runs in Mumbai on Sunday.
Some players delivered in style, while others were so poor they might have thrown away their futures as international cricketers.
We rate the overall performances of the players in the Proteas squad at the global 50-over showpiece.

Laura Wolvaardt (9/10)
The skipper led from the front, topping the run-scoring charts at the tournament with 571 in nine games at the top of the order, at an average of 71.37.
She hit three half-centuries in the league stage, bashed a match-winning 169 in the semifinal against England and made 101 in the final against India.
The only reason she doesn’t get 10/10 is that her team didn’t win the final. That’s hardly her fault, but the captain must take some responsibility.

Tazmin Brits (6/10)
Wolvaardt’s opening partner showed her class when she hit 101 against New Zealand in the opening round, and she also made 55 not out against Sri Lanka.
In general, however, she did not display the incredible form she flaunted in the build-up to the tournament, falling for ducks in matches against India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
She made 45 in her team’s semifinal, which was useful, but when they needed her to step up in the final, she was dismissed for 23.

Anneke Bosch (2/10)
Multiple Proteas batters did not perform at the tournament, but Bosch was perhaps the poorest of them all, and her place in the national squad should now be questioned.
The top-order player turned out in six games, contributing just 35 runs in total, and her 28-run knock against Bangladesh was the only innings in which she reached double figures.
Most shocking of all was her effort in the playoffs, failing to get off the mark in both the semifinal and the final.

Suné Luus (5/10)
Though she was better than some of her Proteas teammates, Luus was just too inconsistent.
In the seven innings she played, the experienced top-order batter hit two half-centuries, but on four occasions she was unable to make more than six runs. She did not really stand up when it was required, and her contribution in the playoffs amounted to a total of 26 runs.
The part-time spinner took just one wicket and gave away 110 runs with the ball.

Marizanne Kapp (8/10)
The 35-year-old all-rounder stood out as one of the key players in the SA squad, performing well with bat and ball.
Playing all nine of the Proteas’ games, Kapp made two half-centuries and took 12 wickets.
Her most valuable effort came in the semifinals when she hit 42 runs and took career-best figures of 5/20, and though she did not go on to repeat that in the final, she did enough to get her team to the trophy contest.

Sinalo Jafta (4/10)
With the bat, Jafta did not come to the party. In the seven games she played, her biggest contribution was just 29 runs in a losing cause against Australia.
One of a few batters in the team who repeatedly failed to deliver, she must take some of the blame for not hitting her straps when she was needed.
Behind the stumps, her team might have been satisfied with the wicketkeeper’s overall performance, but she took only six catches in the tournament.

Annerie Dercksen (3/10)
Locked in a battle with Bosch for recognition as the team’s worst performer, middle-order batter Dercksen made only 20 runs in the first four innings she played.
She did eventually contribute to the final, hitting 35 in a fighting 61-run partnership with Wolvaardt for the sixth wicket, though it was not enough to carry the Proteas across the line.
The part-time seamer was given the ball just once, delivering five balls, so we can’t judge her bowling performance.

Chloe Tryon (6/10)
The all-rounder wasn’t terrible, nor was she great, but she would have hoped for a better World Cup.
In seven innings with the bat, Tryon made 176 runs at an average of 29.33, producing a top score of 62 against Bangladesh in the league stage of the tournament.
She was given the ball in eight of the nine games she played, taking a total of six wickets at an average of 37.16 and a decent economy rate of 4.95.

Nadine de Klerk (8/10)
Better known as a bowler, De Klerk’s campaign at the World Cup will be best remembered for her incredible efforts with the bat.
In seven innings, she made 208 runs down the order, and her big-hitting exploits were remarkable, most notably in an unbeaten 84-run knock off just 54 balls to help secure a hard-fought victory over India in the opening round.
She also delivered in her traditional role with the ball, taking nine wickets at an average of 26.11.

Masabata Klaas (4/10)
In the five matches she played, Klaas was unable to find her best form.
The 34-year-old seam bowler took only three wickets and gave away 108 runs, and while she did help keep the run rate down with an economy rate of 4.32, she would have hoped to make more of an impact with the opportunities she was given.
Unsurprisingly, she was not selected for the final team in either of the Proteas’ playoff games against England and India.

Nonkululeko Mlaba (7/10)
The 25-year-old slow bowler was the SA team’s leading wicket-taker, turning out in all nine games and grabbing 13 scalps at an average of 22.69 and an economy rate of 4.83.
Her best performances came in the league stage matches against New Zealand (4/40) and Sri Lanka (3/30), playing a key role in the Proteas’ victories in both those games.
She got among the wickets in six of the national team’s fixtures, taking advantage of the generally spin-friendly conditions.

Ayabonga Khaka (5/10)
The seamer was consistent, but not nearly as destructive as she would have liked, taking only six wickets in the seven games she played.
In three matches, she didn’t pick up a scalp, but she did do well in the final in an attempt to put up a fight against a powerful Indiana line-up.
She was a little too expensive in the trophy contest, but Khaka took 3/58 to spearhead the Proteas attack in the most important game of the tournament.

Other players
All-rounder Nondumiso Shangase, seam bowler Tumi Sekhukhune and 18-year-old wicketkeeper/batter Karabo Meso each played only two of the national team’s nine games at the ODI showpiece.
Shangase took two wickets, Sekhukhune grabbed one scalp and Meso secured four catches, while none of them scored any runs with the bat.
But they didn’t receive enough opportunities as back-up players in the 15-member Proteas squad, and we feel rating them would be a little unfair, so they get a free pass.