England, the four-time champions, defeated hosts India in a heartbreaking finish in Indore on Sunday, completing a four-run win to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup.
England had posted a competitive 288-8 thanks to Heather Knight’s century and kept their nerve to defend it despite their bowling, usually their strong suit, being a little off.
India looked on their way to victory, needing just 62 runs from the last 10 overs with seven wickets in hand.
But Smriti Mandhana’s dismissal turned the tide as the scoreboard pressure crept in and the point balls piled up. Soon after, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma left in quick succession, leaving the tail high and dry.
Reckless batting cost India a lot of money. Mandhana’s demise opened the floodgates as she danced around the track off left-arm spinner Linsey Smith but failed to get away for long.
Then, after reaching her half-century, Deepti Sharma perished taking on Sophie Ecclestone, a slog sweep that found deep mid-wicket to perfection. From that moment on, the writing was on the wall.
“We probably needed 300 but we did well to pull things back and I’m really happy. I haven’t contributed much in the last few games so it felt good to get a hundred,” said Knight, whose classy 109 off 91 balls, peppered with 15 fours and a six, formed the backbone of England’s innings.
The English openers got them off to a smooth 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 Knight’s run-out attempt at a second run caused a delay as India tightened the screws, conceding just 74 runs in the last 10 overs. Deepti Sharma was the bowlers’ favorite and finished with four wickets.
It was India’s third consecutive defeat, making their next match against New Zealand a virtual knockout. With both teams on four points, it is a matter of do or die to stay in the hunt for the last spot in the semi-finals, with Australia, England and South Africa already safely through.
England, meanwhile, were clinical and reached the semi-finals with two games to go. They are second in the table with nine points, level with defending champions Australia, with just one difference in Net Run Rate.
“I’m not sure how we lost this match. We had it in the bag. We worked so hard and when the last five overs get away from you, it’s heartbreaking. This is the third match in a row that we have lost after coming so close,” lamented India captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
