Women’s T20 WC: Australia enter semis after beating India; Indian fate relies on Nz vs Pak match
Australia made it to the semi-final of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in impressive fashion. The defending champions defeated Harmanpreet Kaur‘s India by a nine-run margin at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday. India does not control their own fate now. The destiny of Harmanpreet’s women’s team relies on the outcome of the Pakistan vs New Zealand match on Monday.
Making it worse for India, their net run rate also fell to 0.322. Even without their captain Alyssa Healy due to a foot injury, the Australians continued their winning streak in the tournament, extending their winning run to15. In order for India to advance, Pakistan, with their captain Fatima Sana back in the lineup, must defeat the White Ferns.
Also read: Women’s T20 WC: New Zealand defeat Sri Lanka; stay in contention for Semis
Harris, Perry help Australia post 151/8 in 20 overs
Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham not scoring in double digits led to a tough start for Australia. India was given the advantage by Renuka Singh’s early wickets.
From thereon, Grace Harris, stepping in for the injured Alyssa Healy in the XI, and Tahlia McGrath, their temporary captain, stabilized the situation with a useful partnership of 62 runs for the second wicket.
Harris threw her bat around to score 40 off 41 with five fours, while McGrath made 32 off 26 balls. Ellyse Perry displayed intent, hitting 32 runs from 23 deliveries including two boundaries and a maximum. Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland made useful contributions to help Australia post a total of 151 for eight on the scoreboard.
Also read: Women’s T20 WC: India thrash Sri Lanka by big margin to stay in semis contention
India manage to score 142/9 in reply
India started their chase of a tricky target on a challenging pitch with a less than ideal beginning. Shafali Verma had a strong beginning, accumulating 20 runs from 13 deliveries before being dismissed by Ash Gardner.
Sophie Molineux dismissed Smriti Mandhana for six runs after she had regained her form with a half-century against Sri Lanka. Jemimah Rodrigues scored 16 runs from 12 balls before being dismissed by Megan Schutt, the leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20Is.
It was then up to Deepti and Harmanpreet Kaur to rescue India. There were only seven overs remaining when the necessary run-rate reached 10 for the first time.
Also read: Women’s T20 WC: Why India is hoping New Zealand defeats Australia today
Harmanpreet’s knock goes in vain
In the 17th over, Megan Schutt conceded just one run while India required 40 runs from the final three overs. Despite this, Harmanpreet managed to keep the team in the game by scoring a fifty in 44 balls, reducing the target to 15 runs in the final over. Australia had three choices available: Brown, Sutherland, and Wareham.
Australia opted for Sutherland and she did not disappoint her team. India succumbed to pressure by losing four wickets in the final over. Sutherland got rid of Pooja Vastrakar and Radha, while Shreyanka and Arundhati Reddy were run out. India concluded their batting at 142 with nine wickets down.
