Australia 151 for 8 (Harris 40, McGrath 32, Perry 32, Renuka 2-24, Deepti 2-28) beat India 142 for 9 (Harmanpreet 54*, Deepti 29, Sutherland 2-22, Molineux 2-32) by 9 runs
India’s T20 World Cup semi-final hopes have been taken out of their arms after a nine-run defeat to Australia of their remaining group-stage match. India have misplaced two of their 4 matches and should wait on the results of New Zealand vs Pakistan tomorrow to seek out out if they are going to advance to the knockouts. Any margin of victory for New Zealand will get rid of India however a Pakistan victory will resolve the semi-finalists on web run charge.
Cautious Wareham does not evaluate
Australia had been off to a slowish begin with 17 runs from their first 16 balls when Renuka struck with a supply that angled away from Beth Mooney. Australia’s senior opener reached for it and hit a low likelihood to Radha at backward level, the place she dived ahead to take a very good catch. Georgia Wareham was pushed as much as No. 3, the place she has sometimes been used as a pinch hitter, and the primary ball she confronted thudded into the entrance pad as she missed her flick.
Renuka was joined by each single one in every of her team-mates in interesting and umpire Sue Redfern finally raised her finger as Wareham started strolling off. Harris requested Wareham if she wished to evaluate however she determined towards it, solely to return to the dressing room and discover out that ball monitoring confirmed that the ball would go on to overlook leg stump by far. Australia held Perry again and stand-in captain McGrath was in at No. 4, the place she needed to rebuild.
Center-overs acceleration from McGrath and Harris
Harris and McGrath took Australia to 37 for two within the powerplay and launched into assault mode from the eighth over, once they each took on Pooja Vastrakar. McGrath hit her by way of cowl for 4 after which Harris scooped her over wonderful leg in an over that price ten runs and took Australia previous fifty. Australia had been 65 for two on the midway stage of their innings and the Harris-McGrath stand grew to 62 off 54 balls and India had been determined to separate them.
They reviewed an lbw enchantment towards McGrath off a Renuka full toss which was lacking leg. McGrath was then dropped on 31 by Harmanpreet off Radha at cowl. The India captain bought each arms on the ball but it surely burst by way of. Harris hit the subsequent ball within the air and Harmanpreet ran again to attempt to take an overhead catch however missed. It was third time fortunate for India when McGrath charged Radha, missed and Richa Ghosh stumped her.
After which drama
Harris went 9 balls later when she pulled her WPL team-mate Deepti to Smriti Mandhana at brief mid-on and India had their foot on the Australian center order’s throat when Ashleigh Gardner’s vanguard discovered Radha at cowl. After 15 overs, Australia had been 101 for five. Perry confirmed intent when she took 13 runs off Shreyanka Patil’s third over.
India thought they’d one other necessary breakthrough when Deepti appealed for lbw after Phoebe Litchfield missed an tried reverse sweep. Redfern gave it out on discipline and Litchfield was strolling however Perry satisfied her to evaluate. The ball was pitching outdoors leg stump and although Litchfield modified her stance, the third umpire Jacqueline Williams deemed that Litchfield did that solely after the ball was delivered and requested Redfern to alter her resolution to not out. India initially protested the choice however quickly calmed down. Litchfield was on 5 on the time, completed the innings unbeaten on 15, and hit a six off the final ball.
Shafali smashes it upfront however India lose two within the powerplay
India’s intent was evident off the bat of Shafali Verma, who needed to wait till solely the sixth ball she confronted when she discovered the boundary with nice power. She slogged Gardner over sq. leg for India’s first 4, then despatched Megan Schutt over her head for 4 extra and at last went all the way in which, slamming Schutt over long-off. Shafali had quickly raced to twenty off 12 balls however fell to Gardner for the fifth time in T20Is, attempting to clear Annabel Sutherland at long-on.
Australia put the brakes on
Australia bought even additional forward when Rodrigues pulled Schutt straight to Gardner at deep midwicket within the seventh over. It allowed them to use the squeeze. Deepti gloved a sweep for 4 within the eighth over however then there have been no boundaries for 3 overs, on the finish of which Australia had confirmed their semi-final spot.
Harmanpreet pulled Darcie Brown by way of deep sq. leg within the eleventh over, which was her first boundary and off the fifteenth ball she confronted. One other 20 balls glided by earlier than India discovered the boundary once more, within the 14th over by which level the required run charge was above ten an over. India wanted 62 runs off the final six overs.
One other half-century for Harmanpreet but it surely’s not sufficient
The India captain nearly single-handedly saved her facet within the hunt, particularly when the boundaries dried up. On the finish of the 14th over, she hit the 4 that reignited the chase and she or he went on to seek out gaps within the discipline that saved India in it. After Deepti despatched Wareham over brief wonderful for 4, Harmanpreet bisected the hole between further cowl and mid-off.
Deepti and Ghosh had been dismissed within the house of three balls and Harmanpreet struck successive fours off Gardner to ensure India stayed within the contest. She introduced up fifty off 44 balls however was on the non-striker’s finish for many of the remaining over, from the place watched 4 wickets fall and India’s possibilities fade away.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and ladies’s cricket
