- Heather Knight’s century anchors England’s innings.
- Smriti Mandhana’s wicket triggers Indian collapse.
- India to face New Zealand in virtual knockout.
Four-time champions England booked their ticket to the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup after pulling off a nail-biting four-run victory over hosts India in Indore on Sunday.
England had posted a competitive 288-8 thanks to Heather Knight’s century and held their nerve in the field to defend it, despite their bowling, usually their strong suit, being a touch off suit.
India looked to be cruising towards victory, needing just 62 runs off the last 10 overs with seven wickets in hand.
But the dismissal of Smriti Mandhana turned the tide as scoreboard pressure crept in and dot balls piled up. Soon after, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma departed in quick succession, leaving the tail high and dry.
Reckless batting cost India dearly. Mandhana’s fall opened the floodgates as she danced down the track to left-arm spinner Linsey Smith but failed to clear long-off.
Then, after reaching her half-century, Deepti Sharma perished trying to take on Sophie Ecclestone, a slog sweep that found deep mid-wicket to perfection. From there, the writing was on the wall.
“We probably needed 300 but we did well to pull things back and I’m very happy. Didn’t contribute much in the last few games so it felt good to get a match-winning hundred,” said Knight, whose classy 91-ball 109, laced with 15 fours and a six, was the backbone of England’s innings.
England’s opener got them off to a flying start with 73 runs for the first wicket before Knight joined captain Nat Sciver-Brunt in a 113-run stand that kept the scoreboard ticking.
At one point, England looked set to go past 300, but Knights run out for another run triggered a slowdown as India tightened the screws, conceding just 74 runs in the last 10 overs. Deepti Sharma was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with four wickets.
It was India’s third successive defeat, leaving their next clash against New Zealand a virtual knockout. With both teams locked on four points, it is a case of do or die to stay in the hunt for the final semi-final spot, with Australia, England and South Africa already safely through.
England, meanwhile, have been clinical leading up to the semi-finals with two games in hand. They are second in the table with nine points, level with defending champions Australia, separated by just a whisker in Net Run Rate.
“Not sure how we lost this game. We had it in the bag. We worked so hard and when the last five overs slip away from you, it’s heartbreaking. This is the third game in a row we’ve lost after coming so close,” lamented India captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
