England hold off India to book semi-final place
England dug in to close out a four-run win over hosts India and secure a place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Cricket World Cup after Heather Knight had marked her 300th international appearance with a fine century in Indore.
Knight’s superb 109 was the mainstay of England’s 288 for eight, with India fighting back to take a flurry of wickets. Set a highest ODI run chase, India looked well-placed after skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (70) and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (88) both made half-centuries.
England’s bowlers were able to exert some late pressure to dampen the partisan home crowd as hopes of victory faded away. The result means England join Australia and South Africa in the final four, while co-hosts India have it all to do. PA Media
Righto, Raf’s report will be along shortly but that’s me done for the day. Thanks for your company. England march into the semi-finals and can luxuriate in a match against Australia on Wednesday. Arf.
India have it all to do, they must beat New Zealand in their next match on Thursday to have any hope of avoiding an embarrassing early exit.
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is beaming:
So so happy. Everyone showed how calm they were and clear in what they need to do. We knew in the bowling innings we needed to stick in. A partnership happened and they looked like they were going to chase it easily but we knew that if we could take a wicket, we could put them under pressure.
It’s something we’ve spoken about before the game that we haven’t been tested towards the end of our innings with the ball. We wanted to be prepared with our skills and tactics. Everyone had brilliant plans and executed brilliantly.”
Harmanpreet Kaur isn’t mincing her words. The India captain says she is heartbroken by the loss:
Smriti’s wicket was a turning point for us. We had many batters who can bat, I don’t know how the game went the other way, but credit to England.
The last five or six overs didn’t go to according our plans. It’s very hard to take.”
We are playing good cricket and are not giving up, that last line we need to cross now, in the last three games we’ve played good cricket but not crossed that line. A lot of things went right, but the last five overs - as a group we need to sit and have a think.
It was a very important match for all of us. Unfortunately in the end we were not able to make it. The next game is very important.”
A lot of scrutiny and pressure will fall on her side now after a third defeat in a row in a home World Cup they everyone had them pegged as finalists for.
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Heather Knight is named Player of the Match for her 109 off 91 balls:
Really pleased! It was nice to get conditions conducive to batting, it felt like we needed 300 so I was frustrated with how I got out. 300 caps for me which is a big occasion. Pleased to put in a match-defining innings.
Being back in the ranks is different, having responsibility was good for me but it’s a slightly different role. Australia are a quality team, it’s a good chance to test ourselves against the best in the world now that we’ve qualified.”
Phew. How did India lose that match? They were cruising until the last five overs, credit to England for hanging in there when Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana were going strong. Linsey Smith was a revelation once more with 1-40 off her ten including two ice veined overs to close it out.
She spoke to Sky Sports a second or two ago:
The heart-rate’s recovered but the hamstring is in pieces! The fight we showed was amazing. I knew I had one over left, and I’d gone alright. My role is clear, a lot of PowerPlay, a lot of death (bowling). Trying not to overcomplicate things too much – bowl a tight line into their heels and block off the off-side.
I try to keep it simple and not rewrite the books. I back myself to do it out here. I was trying to take it all in, learn as much as I can and put the big performances in for the team.”
That’s huge win for us. Looking back twelve months, we could have thrown that game away and not taken it as deep as we could. The way everyone put their hands up. We’ve still not played our best game, I don’t think. Two big games coming up to try and learn as much as possible.”
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England win by 4 runs!
The heist is completed and Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side book their place in the World Cup semi-finals! Linsey Smith did the business in the final over and England’s players embrace on the dew soaked outfield. They showed real character there, they looked gone with ten overs to go but held their nerve much the better of the two sides.
India are not out of the tournament but they know have plenty to do to qualify. The crowd fall silent, there’s a real sense of shock at the Holkar Stadium.
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Linsey Smith is closing this out in style! Three singles and a dot… India need a boundary but cannot find one.
49th over: India 275-6 (A Kaur 11, Rana 8) Bell starts with a loose full toss and is swatted to the fence at cow corner. Immense pressure in Indore, it’s all about who holds their nerves and - dreadful phrase – ‘“executes their skills” best. Bell takes the pace off for a couple and then goes back of a length. India can’t find the boundary but manage to take nine runs off it.
It’s going down to a final over, as it has always felt like it might. India need 14 from six balls. Linsey Smith will bowl it. Here we go…
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48th over: India 266-6 (A Kaur 8, Rana 2) Lynsey Smith has two overs to bowl, she is at the stumps with her fast spin and doesn’t give the batters any room. Just four runs off her over as India start to wilt under the pressure and suddenly England are in the ascendancy and favourites to steal this game!
Who will bowl the penultimate over? Sciver-Brunt has gone to Lauren Bell! A big moment coming up. India need 23 runs from 12 balls.
47th over: India 262-6 (A Kaur 6, Rana 0) Sneh Rana the new batter, she blocks out the final ball of Ecclestone’s over. India are spluttering at the close. 27 runs needed from 18 balls.
Deepti Sharma had played so calmly but lost her head with the finish line in sight. It could be a rush of blood that costs India dear in this World Cup.
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WICKET! Deepti Sharma c Dunkley b Ecclestone 50 (India 262-6)
Ecclestone drops short and is punished! Amanjot cuts powerfully for four! But hang on a second…
Deepti Sharma goes goes for a big one and holes out! A huge wicket as Sharma departs and the pressure ramps up for India.
46th over: India 257-5 (Sharma 50, A Kaur 1) Amanjot Kaur is the new batter, England’s line up is short of Jemima Rodrigues, which could cost them if the wickets keep falling. Kaur gets off the mark off the last ball of the over and pinches strike from the well set Sharma. India need 32 from 24 balls.
WICKET! Richa Ghosh c Knight b Nat Sciver-Brunt 8 (India 256-5)
Sciver-Brunt sends down a series of cutters, Sharma sweeps for a single to bring up her fifty. England’s captain strikes with the very next ball though! Ghosh drives in the air and the catch is snaffled by Heather Knight in the ring at wide mid off. Now then!
45th over: India 253-4 (Sharma 48, Ghosh 7) Ecclestone is worked around with a minimum of risk. This has been a fine knock from Sharma, she’s taken the sting out of England’s attack and has thus far played with an ice cold clarity. 36 from 30 balls.
44th over: India 247-4 (Sharma 46, Ghosh 3) Nat Sciver-Brunt brings herself on. If you need a job doing… a couple of dot balls and the pressure builds but Deepti Sharma plays a sublime flick for four through the leg side, impeccable timing and splits the fielders perfectly. She enjoyed that one and so did the crowd. England did not. 42 needed from 36 balls.
43rd over: India 241-4 (Sharma 41, Ghosh 2) Deepti Sharma wins the first battle against Ecclestone, a well timed sweep crashes into the boundary hoardings. 48 needed from 42, where’s your money?
42nd over: India 235-4 (Sharma 36, Ghosh 1) Richa Ghosh is the new batter, England have the opportunity to put some pressure on the new batter. Just two runs and the wicket off Smith’s over. India need 54 from 48 and here comes Sophie Ecclestone for a bowl.
WICKET! Smriti Mandhana c Capsey b Smith 88 (India 234-4)
Linsey Smith gets the big one! Mandhana holes out to Capsey at long on and England have a sniff.
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41st over: India 233-3 (Mandhana 87, Sharma 35) Bell attempts a slower ball but it comes out as low full toss that Sharma swipes to the leg side fence.
40th over: India 227-3 (Mandhana 87, Sharma 30) Charlie Dean bowls a tidy over for the cost of just four runs. India need 62 from 60 balls. Can they pull this off without it going right down to the wire?
39th over: India 223-3 (Mandhana 85, Sharma 28) Lauren Bell comes back with four overs of currency. After consecutive dot balls Sharma pre-empts a pull and flat bats for four. Bell responds with a doozy that angles in and scuds away late. Sometimes this game just doesn’t go your way.
38th over: India 218-3 (Mandhana 85, Sharma 23) Nasser Hussain thinks England haven’t quite bowled a tight enough line, especially to Mandhana. Charlie Dean returns and immediately targets the stumps as if she’s got a direct line into the great man. Gah! That is no good though, five wides flung down the leg side releases the pressure after two dots. The run rate is less than a run a ball now. Mandhana cuts behind square for four more and in a flash India re-assert their dominance in this chase, the fifty partnership comes up too, snuffing out England’s hopes after the wicket of Kaur gave them hope.
37th over: India 206-3 (Mandhana 80, Sharma 21) Ecclestone can’t prise out either of the two left handed batters. Mandhana is struggling with cramp, hobbling between the wickets. The physio is summoned at the end of the over.
36th over: India 200-3 (Mandhana 76, Sharma 19) Capsey worked around for seven off her latest, India bring up the 200. Over to Ecclestone once more.
35th over: India 193-3 (Mandhana 73, Sharma 15) Ecclestone returns with five overs up her sleeve, England could really do with her winkling a couple out here. Sharma flat bats through long on for an improvised four. The crowd roar their appreciation. 96 needed from 90 balls, all India’s if they keep wickets in hand.
34th over: India 186-3 (Mandhana 72, Sharma 9) Capsey is worked for singles off each ball of her over. You sense this is the calm before the storm…
33rd over: India 180-3 (Mandhana 69, Sharma 6) The win predictor has both sides at 50 per cent likely. We head to the business end and after a quick drink it is Nat Sciver-Brunt with the ball for England. Three singles off the over, it very much feels like we are dancing into the fire towards the wire in this one.
Stop getting Bond wrong!
32nd over: India 177-3 (Mandhana 68, Sharma 4) The dew is glistening on the ground now, Alice Capsey is called up for a bowl. She offers up too much width and Mandhana cashes in. Capsey tightens up her line and manages to get out of the over for just two more singles.
31st over: India 170-3 (Mandhana 63, Sharma 2) Deepti Sharma arrives in the middle. If England can pick up Mandhana, BIG IF, then it is a real case of game on.
WICKET! Harmanpreet Kaur c Lamb b Nat Sciver-Brunt 70 (India 167-3)
Huge wicket! Harmanpreet is gone! Nat Sciver-Brunt gets her opposite number, A poke outside off is well caught by Emma Lamb at short third. The mammoth partnership is ended and England sense their moment.
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30th over: India 163-2 (Mandhana 62, Kaur 66) Dean worked around for five runs off her 8th over. England missing a partnership breaker today, someone like Lauren Filer could have done a job with her extra pace. India march on towards their target – 126 runs needed from 20 overs.
29th over: India 158-2 (Mandhana 60, Kaur 63) Sciver-Brunt returns to the fold and is treated with disdain by Harmanpreet, lapped over the keeper for four and then pulled away powerfully for consecutive boundaries.
28th over: India 149-2 (Mandhana 60, Kaur 54) Shot! Mandhana opens the face and guides Dean through third for four. England seem to have no answer to the poise and class of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur. This would be India’s highest ever chase in ODIs, at the moment they are cruising it.
27th over: India 140-2 (Mandhana 55, Kaur 50) Lauren Bell slips a couple down the leg side, suggestion that the ball is a bit more damp as the dew gets heavier at the Holkar Stadium. Bell tries a slower ball, risky with the aforementioned, and is duly driven through cover for four by Harmanpreet. A quick single into the off side sees Harmanpreet bring up a well made fifty, these two batters look well and truly in the zone.
26th over: India 131-2 (Mandhana 54, Kaur 44) Smriti Mandhana brings up her fifty with a single to the boudary rider at cover. She barely even acknowledges it, which seems particularly foreboding for England. Two balls later she rocks back and slaps Dean through backward point for four.
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25th over: India 125-2 (Mandhana 49, Kaur 43) Lauren Bell returns as England hunt for a wicket to get themselves into the game. Just two singles off the over. At the halfway stage India need a further 164 runs from 25 overs. This game is bubbling up.
24th over: India 123-2 (Mandhana 48, Kaur 42) A huge moment as Harmanpreet Kaur is given out lbw to Charlie Dean but she reviews straight away… was it going over? NOT OUT – there was the thinnest of inside edges! Even Harmanpreet looks surprised but she survives. England can’t believe it, they thought they had the crucial breakthrough.
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23rd over: India 120-2 (Mandhana 48, Kaur 39) Six off the over as Mandhana and Kaur pick the gaps. England need a wicket pronto.
22nd over: India 114-2 (Mandhana 44, Kaur 37) Steady accumulation from the batting pair. Linsey Smith has 0-25 off seven overs. She’d dearly love to get one or two in the wickets column.
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21st over: India 109-2 (Mandhana 41, Kaur 35) A smidge of width from Ecclestone and Mandhana rocks back and punches in front of point for four. Pure class from the batter. Ecclestone does well to get out of the over for the cost of just one more run.
20th over: India 104-2 (Mandhana 36, Kaur 35) Five singles off Smith as India tick along, England searching for a wicket to break this partnership.
19th over: India 99-2 (Mandhana 33, Kaur 33) Ecclestone drops short and is carved away by Mandhana, she was onto that in a flash.
18th over: India 93-2 (Mandhana 28, Kaur 32) Linsey Smith returns and is immediately pinged through extra cover by Kaur. India’s captain looks in regal touch and the partnership with Mandhana goes past fifty with very little alarm. Ominous signs for England.
17th over: India 86-2 (Mandhana 27, Kaur 26) Ecclestone saunters in with braided ponytail swinging to and fro like the pendulum on a grandfather clock. Kaur lofts over cover for four and then nearly chops on next ball. The match on a knife edge.
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16th over: India 80-2 (Mandhana 26, Kaur 21) Dean is this close to pinning Kaur lbw but a leading edge comes to the Indian captain’s rescue. Time for a drink with things tightly poised. Yeh go on, milk no sugar.
15th over: India 75-2 (Mandhana 22, Kaur 20) Here comes Sophie Ecclestone, a key passage of play coming right up. The tension ramps up as the masterful Ecclestone lands it on a postage stamp just outside off stump. One ball to come in the over… Harmanpreet pounces on a fuller ball and scythes away through the covers for four. Honours even after Ecclestone’s first over.
14th over: India 70-2 (Mandhana 21, Kaur 16) Mandhana edges Dean through the vacant slip for four! Mandhana than opens the face to glide in a similar area for four more but completely intended this time. Soft hands and wonderful timing. This pair looking dangerous now, finding the boundaries more regularly. England were 66-0 at the same stage.
13th over: India 59-2 (Mandhana 11, Kaur 15) Seven off Sciver-Brunt’s over, the crowd voice their pleasure as Kaur picks the gap behind square to get another boundary.
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12th over: India 52-2 (Mandhana 10, Kaur 9) Dean finds the outside edge of Kaur’s blade and it races away for four in the vacant point region. That’s India’s fifty up. Dean whirls away and stitches together five dots to end a good over.
11th over: India 48-2 (Mandhana 10, Kaur 5) Kaur gets off the mark with a clip off the pads that trickles into the boundary rope at deep midwicket. Just as well as the India skipper wasn’t exactly sprinting the runs.
10th over: India 42-2 (Mandhana 9, Kaur 0) Harmanpreet Kaur joins Smriti Mandhana in the middle. This is the key partnership, as if you didn’t know.
WICKET! Harleen Deol lbw b Dean 24 (India 42-2)
Charlie Dean into the attack and she gets rid of Deol! After two fours earlier in the over Dean strikes with one that just straightened and hit Deol bang in front. Deol starts walking off but then Mandhana signals for a review… the umpires have a brief chat and confirm that the request was too late and Deol has to depart. The review would have been burnt, it was smashing into middle and off stump. Big strike for Dean and England.
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9th over: India 34-1 (Mandhana 9, Deol 16) Nat Sciver-Brunt brings herself on to replace Lauren Bell. Amy Jones is up to the stumps and enacts a razor sharp take off the first ball that Deol has a waft at. NSB drifts onto the pads and is clipped away uppishly by Deol and the ball beats the converging fielders to the boundary sponge at midwicket. Only a single off the rest of the over though, England managing to keep India tied down on what looks like a belter of a surface.
8th over: India 29-1 (Mandhana 9, Deol 11) Linsey Smith rattles through another frugal over, just two singles to long on off it. Her economy is the best of any bowler in the tournament, no one has been to hit her around the park.. yet.
7th over: India 27-1 (Mandhana 8, Deol 10) Bell squares Deol up with a jaffa that nips away late but follows up with a loose ball on the hip that is paddled away for four. Shot! Deol then plays a cracker of a cover drive to get four more. Up there for shot of the day, hold the pose! The crowd enjoyed that one, India break the shackles.
6th over: India 18-1 (Mandhana 7, Deol 2) Linsey Smith nearly snares her first and it’s the biog Kahuna Mandhana who flicks in the air to Tammy Beaumont at square leg. The ball died on Beaumont before she could get her fingers underneath it, very close though and Beaumont looks disappointed she didn’t make a better attempt. Goes down as a half chance I reckon. Smith has started miserly, just six runs off her first three overs and could have picked up a couple of wickets with some more dynamic fielding.
5th over: India 17-1 (Mandhana 6, Deol 2)Mandhana plays a picture perfect drive but England have a cover sweeper in position. The crowd purr in appreciation of the shot. Bell stays full and gets one to jag back to Deol that narrowly avoids the bails. Lovely ball. An outswinger then beats Deol’s swish outside off stump. Top over from Lauren Bell.
4th over: India 16-1 (Mandhana 5, Deol 2) Harleen Deol is the new batter. Smith scuds one onto her front pad bang in front but the new batter is saved by a tickle off the inside edge. It was clonking into middle stump. Deol gets off the mark with a tickle fine. England are on the prowl.
WICKET! Pratika Rawal c †Jones b Bell 6 (India 13-1)
Bell gifts a couple of leg side wides and is bowling full to find some swing. Rawal punches her for four but then nicks off next ball! A nothing shot to a cross seam ball outside off stump, Amy Jones takes the catch.
England have their first and Charlie Dean breathes the deepest sigh of relief.
3rd over: India 13-1 (Mandhana 4)
2nd over: India 6-0 (Mandhana 3, Rawal 2) DROP! Charlie Dean spills a diving chance off Smith’s first ball! Gah. That was very catchable diving away to her left, Rawal just plinked it in the air to short cover. Both batters collect a single as Smith is on the button from the get go. Just two off the over and should’ve been a wicket. It’s not going to be on of those fielding performances from England is it?
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1st over: India 4-0 (Mandhana 2, Rawal 1) Bell is full and getting some early swing. Pratika Rawal gets off the mark with a punch past point and the dangerous Smriti Mandhana comes on strike. Bell nearly cleans her up first ball! An inside edge skates past the stumps and they collect a couple. A wide down the leg side from Bell and a dot ball finish the first over. Linsey Smith is going to share the new ball with her left arm darts.
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Here come the India openers, the lights are on and the dew has come down. Lauren Bell will start with the ball for England. Let’s play!
Thanks Daniel and hello all. I just had a Two Ronnies worthy conversation with my wife and sister-in-law about making myself scarce after Sunday lunch to cover the cricket.
“Where is it?”
“Indore”
Cue two minutes of confusion about whether the game was being played under a roof or even in the western suburbs of Sheffield (in Dore…)
“But it is chucking it down with rain…”
Anyway everyone is older and not a great deal wiser and we have an interesting match on our hands. Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt were once again a class apart from the rest of their teammates who fell in a bit of a heap towards the end of the innings.
Heather Knight spoke to the TV cameras after her century:
“I am really pleased to contribute. I have been fairly quiet the last few games but it was nice to play on that wicket. We are just above par but we will have to bowl well.”
“I took time to get in. It was tacky at first but I put my foot down. Nat [Sciver-Brunt] and I got things moving and my sweeps seemed effective today.
“It is a super fast outfield here so it can be easy to score quickly. If the seamers play well and keep their lines, that will be important. We need to take early breakthroughs and they will probably get a partnership that we will try to break.”
An England win will see them qualify for the semis. India’s chase will be underway very shortly.
England post 288-8
Tell you what, that might do it for England. So hard to say. One handy stand at the top of the innings, and one worth a 113 between Sciver-Brunt and the centurion Knight, were the standouts. But wickets fell in clumps.
I honestly don’t know what to make of it.
Dean ends not-out on 19 having clubbed the second last ball of the innings for four wide of long-on. Maybe that’ll be the difference? Or maybe they have more than enough? Or maybe they’re 20-odd short.
Steering you through the next innings witll be the wonderful James Wallace.
Over to you Jimbo!
WICKET! Ecclestone run-out (Mandhana) 3 (England 280-8)
Sophie’s gone! Dean’s reverse sweep off Charani found open space but there was never a run there. Eccelstone did well to make ground but she was always going to be short if the pick and throw was clean.
WICKET! Lamb c Manhana b Sharma 11 (England 276-7)
Lamb sacrifices herself for the cause! What choice did she have? She had to try and belt a six. Sharma had a little biut extra on it and the ball skies towards the fielder at long-on who takes a regulation catch. Sharma closes out with 4-51 from her 10.
49th over: England 277-7 (Dean 12, Ecclestone 1)
48th over: England 269-6 (Lamb 11, Dean 5) Poor fielding in the deep hands England their first boundary in four overs. Lamb’s pull off Rana wasn;t exactly belted, but the diving fielder couldn’t haul it in. Five singles before then means it’s a decent haul for an England team that needed a lift after being kept in a cage.
47th over: England 260-6 (Lamb 5, Dean 2) The last three overs have bagged three English wickets for just 14 runs. India have done brilliantly to claw their way back into this.
WICKET! Capsey c Deol b Sharma 2 (England 257-6)
They’re falling like flies now! Fair play to Capsey, she tried to make something out of nothing. But Sharma is too slick for her as she noticed the batter move early into position to reverse scoop. Sharma pushed her line towards leg stump but Capsey was already committed. The reverse pull was messy and the catch taken at cover was a simple one for Deol.
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46th over: England 255-5 (Lamb 3, Capsey 1) Two wickets in two overs have put the skids on this innings. But no time for thought. England need to squeeze as much as they can from the remaining overs. Every ball must go.
WICKET! Dunkley c Sharma b Shree Charani 15 (England 254-5)
And another! India are pulling this back. Dunkley skips down the track and tries to loft a drive down the ground for six. It looked good, but she didn’t have enough on it and picked out Sharma at long-off who pouched it as she tumbled backwards.
45th over: England 252-4 (Dunkley 15, Lamb 2) I asked if that run-out was the game because I feel that might be the difference between an insurmountable target and something India could haul in. Six runs off that over plus the crucial wicket of Knight.
WICKET! Knight run-out (AB Kaur/Ghosh) 109 (England 249-4)
Is that the game? Knight drags a pull shot into the deep and sets off. She turns to come back for a second but the throw from Kaur is perfect. She’s nowhere near safety and Knight has to go. What a disappointing end. There really was no need to take on the arm just yet. England must now navigate these final overs without their set batter.
44th over: England 246-3 (Knight 107, Dunkley 13) Knight reached her century with a bit of luck, getting turned inside out and edging past the keeper. But her next stroke was imperious, nailing Charani through point. What’s a good score from here? 280? 300? All rests on Knight sticking around I reckon.
Hundred up for Knight!
What an innings! She’s been brilliant throughout. A bit of luck to get there, as she was beaten in the air by Charani and caught a thick edge that skipped fine for four, but she’s barely put a foot wrong. 101 off 86 balls with 14 fours and one six. Outstanding.
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43rd over: England 234-3 (Knight 97, Dunkley 11) Knight goes within one hit of a deserving ton as she stands tall, waits for the ball to come to her, and belts it in front of square for four. That was a fantastic cricket shot from a woman in peak form. Four singles before that off Renuka Singh adds up to eight. It’s a decent haul but England will want more. First, Knight needs a hundred.
42nd over: England 226-3 (Knight 91, Dunkley 9) Knight moves into the 90s while Dunkley picks up a boundary with a chop through deep point. She didn’t quite get all of it, but she got enough of it. Eight off that over from Sharma. England needed something as things were stalling. 16 runs off the last three overs.
41st over: England 219-3 (Knight 89, Dunkley 4) is Tidy from Charani. She’s really turned things around after a ropey start. Four singles off this one. Darters at the stumps need to be respected and the England batters have little choice but to milk ones.
40th over: England 214-3 (Knight 87, Dunkley 1) Three singles off this Sharma over. She’s got three overs left so England can’t sit on her for too long. This feels like the deep breath before the plunge. A couple of quick wickets would have India in control. If Knight can explode from here it’ll be England sitting pretty. 10 mighty overs coming up.
39th over: England 212-3 (Knight 85, Dunkley 1) The end of a 113-run partnership has given India a lift, but Knight is still there targeting a ton. She’ll need help from the rest of the side, starting with Dunkley who could do with a score of her own. Charani has rectified her figures with that wicket in an over worth just three runs.
WICKET! Sciver-Brunt c Kaur b Shree Charani 38 (England 211-3)
Against the run of play! England’s skipper tries to beat the infield with a lofted cover drive but it’s slightly too full and she can’t quite get the elevation needed. Her opposite number times her jump to perfection and holds on to a sharp catch above her head. That’s a big scalp for the home team.
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38th over: England 208-2 (Knight 88, Sciver-Brunt 37) Sensational batting. Sciver-Brunt bags a couple and then mows a pull off Kranti for four. She hands the strike over to Knight and lifts a flick in front of square that carries the distance and goes for the first six of the match. So so good. 14 off that over and England are now looking at something hefty.
37th over: England 194-2 (Knight 76, Sciver-Brunt 30) Knight is playing a blinder. She’s hitting a boundary every over. This one is a stiff sweep off the returning Sharma that flies through backward square. There’s a review for lbw but it’s missing by some distance. India have burned another one. That’s eight unsuccessful reviews this World Cup.
36th over: England 187-2 (Knight 71, Sciver-Brunt 28) Knight closes this over with another boundary, top edging a sweep. She’s living dangerously. Charani is annoyed. She was squaky clean til then. The first ball of the over was a beauty, on a tricky length and seemed to have bowled Knight. But the bails were removed by Ghosh from behind so no dice for the Indians who are looking a little desperate now. Momentum is firmly with the batting side.
35th over: England 180-2 (Knight 66, Sciver-Brunt 26) Two sweeps, two fours for Knight. The first is a top-edged conventional sweep that was streaky, but was fine and high enough to get to the rope. The second was a fine reverse sweep that trickled away and beat the chasing fielder. Two singles between those two strikes means it’s another double digit over for England.
34th over: England 170-2 (Knight 57, Sciver-Brunt 25) They’re picking up a boundary an over now. Amonjot delivers som dross down the leg side and Knight just helps it on its way for four down to fine leg. The rest of the set is pretty tidy. Just one single off Knight’s pads. But things are starting to get ominous for the Indians. They’ll want a wicket sharpish. If these two are still batting by the 40th over they’ll go ballistic.
33rd over: England 165-2 (Knight 52, Sciver-Brunt 25) Knight brings up her fifty with a reverse pick up through deep third for four. Brilliant batting from the veteran. She’s looked in great touch since he took guard. That’s another productive over as five singles, plus the four, adds up to nine. The current rate has jumped up to five an over.
32nd over: England 156-2 (Knight 45, Sciver-Brunt 23) Brilliant from Knight. First she drives a couple wide of long-off. Then she gets low to crunch a slog sweep for four. Charani adjusts her length, dragging it shorter. Knight rocks back to steer a delicious late cut for four. She’ll keep the strike with a single to long-off. 11 runs off that over. They’re climbing through the gears now.
31st over: England 145-2 (Knight 34, Sciver-Brunt 23) Better from England. A generous full toss from Amanjot is biffed wide of long on by Sciver-Brunt who is too good to miss out on that. The England skipper then clips a couple behind square and collects a single past point. Knight will keep the strike with a late cut worth one. Eight runs off that one. England need more of the same.
30th over: England 137-2 (Knight 33, Sciver-Brunt 16) Excellent from Shree Charani. Just one run off that over. England’s innings has hit a wall. The last five overs have seen just 17 runs scored. They don;’t want to let this solid platform count for nothing.
29th over: England 136-2 (Knight 33, Sciver-Brunt 15) Tidy again from Kranti who has bowled much better than her figures of 0-32 from seven overs suggests. One wide down the leg, as well as two singles, adds up to just three runs off that probing set. She’s not hooping it like she was earlier in the piece, but she’s targeting the stumps and still searching for wickets.
28th over: England 133-2 (Knight 32, Sciver-Brunt 14) Knight nails a slog sweep. More of that please. This screams off her bat and is hitting the fence with one bounce at serious velocity. But Rana then darts in her spinners, one clocks in at 87.8 km/h. She’s pinning the batters back and keeping them to just one single across the rest of the over. Good mini battles out there.
27th over: England 128-2 (Knight 27, Sciver-Brunt 14) Kranti returns and sends down a tidy set worth just two singles. England are going at 4.74. The last five overs have gone at 4.8. You get the sense that one of these two will need to press the accelerator.
26th over: 126-2 (Knight 26, Sciver-Brunt 13) Rana replaces Sharma. She starts with two dots before Knight heaves a sweep through square leg for four. She wasn’t quite at the pitch of it but got enough wood on it. A tapped single brings Sciver-Brunt on strike and England’s skipper will keep it as she drags a single to deep midwicket.
25th over: England 120-2 (Knight 21, Sciver-Brunt 12) Another deft touch from Knight brings her four more down to deep third, beating the fielder to the boundary. Three singles elsewhere from this Amonjot over. England rebuilding well.
24th over: England 113-2 (Knight 15, Sciver-Brunt 11) Good again from Sharma. She’s 2-20 from five. Three singles here. The England batters know that they need to be watchful against India’s ace spinner.
23rd over: England 110-2 (Knight 13, Sciver-Brunt 10) NSB drills a full toss from Amnjot for four, smearing it wide of mid-on. She got all of that. Amanjot rectifies and finds her radar, keeping things tight and giving away only two singles from the rest of her over.
22nd over: England England 104-2 (Knight 12, Sciver-Brunt 5) The England skipper walks to the crease and hits her third ball for four with a mighty sweep past fine leg. She’s there as Jones gave her wicket away but the foundation has been set. What can England’s two premier batters do from here?
WICKET! Jones c Mandhana b Sharma 56 (England 98-2)
Oh Amy, what have you done?! That is so soft from a batter who looked so set. A little skip and a flick to Sharma is nudged to a diving Mandhana at a wide mid-on. Sure, it was a sharp take, as she moved quickly to her right, but that was such a soft way to go after playing so beautifully. Sharma deserved credit fir giving the ball some air, but Jones will be sick with herself.
21st over: England 98-1 (Jones 56, Knight 12) Knight kicks off this over with a delicate steer that races along the ground and reaches the boundary down at deep third. She played that so late, almost out of the keeper’s gloves. England’s batters trade singles before Renuka tightens up and closes with three dot balls.
20th over: England 92-1 (Jones 55, Knight 7) Just two singles off that Sharma over.
19th over: England 90-1 (Jones 54, Knight 6) Jones reaches her half century with an excellent pick up, thwacking Renuka Singh’s over-pitched delivery for four towards cow corner. That’s her first World Cup fifty but the job’s not done. She’s well set and will want to double up at least.
18th over: England 84-1 (Jones 49, Knight 5) A jaffa bamboozles Knight and draws a thick edge worth two. That one didn’t turn from Sharma. No slip in place and she must wonder why not. Tidy elsewhere, three singles from the over but it’s lovely bowling from Deepti Sharma, who now has 150 ODI wickets to her name.
17th over: England 79-1 (Jones 48, Knight 1) Jones rocks back and nails a pull shot off a lifter from Kranti in front of square for four. That was a cracking shot. Knight gets off the mark with a little dab into the covers for one.
WICKET! Beaumont b Deepti 22 (England 73-1)
Finally India have the breakthrough! After a drinks break it’s Deepti Sharma who has it, full and straight at the leg stump. Beaumont tried to sweep it but it was too full to do so and her leg peg is knocked back.
She was looking so comfortable, having taken two singles off the over before then. Jones had two singles of her own and it was shaping up to be another secure set for England but it ends with India’s fans chanting in the stands.
16th over: England 73-1 (Jones 43, Knight 0)
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15th over: England 69-0 (Beaumont 20, Jones 41) Kranti is back in the attack and should have a wicket! Her first ball hits Beaumont on the pad as she shuffled across her stumps. The bowler appeals but no on joins her. They don’t review but if they did they’d have the breakthrough as three reds would have overturned the not-out decision. How costly will that be? It’s a tidy set from from the returning seamer. Just three runs – two of them leg-byes – from it.
14th over: England 66-0 (Beaumont 19, Jones 41) Beaumont thought het firm sweep would find the rope but excellent recovering fielding by Renuka kept her to one. Three more singles in the over has the scoreboard ticking along. India need to make a play. It’s all a little tame out there.
13th over: England 62-0 (Beaumont 17, Jones 39) The spinners had not conceded a boundary before Jones opened the face on a very full ball from Shree Charani and found the fence at deep third. The bowler then over compensates and drags down a touch and Jones climbs into a stiff bunt through the covers for another four. Jones then milks a single to long-on.
12th over: England 52-0 (Beaumont 16, Jones 30) The overs are coming thick and fast now. Rana continues, giving it a little air. Beaumont gets low and sweeps well but finds the fielder at fine leg. Jones is looking to be more upright as she muscles a single to midwicket. Just two runs off that over. Rana doesn’t look particularly threatening but she’s coughed up a miserly seven runs from her three overs. Is it time for one batter to hit the launch button? Maybe not just yet.
11th over: England 50-0 (Beumont 15, Jones 29) Shree Charani into the attack. Her slow left armers are a little darty and targeting the sticks. Six balls, six singles. The England batters are in the groove now. One punch back from Jones is almost hit straight to the bowler, but she had enough oomph on it to see it breeze down to long-on. A half century stand underlines this good start.
10th over: England 44-0 (Beaumont 12, Jones 26) That’s the end of the powerplay and you have to say it’s England who win it on points. They’ve not scampered away but they’ve crucially kept the wickets column unchanged. Rana’s flighty off breaks are worked for three singles by the batters. Expect a whole lotta spin from here.
9th over: England 41-0 (Beaumont 10, Jones 25) It’s all going England’s way. India burn a review after Thakur’s in-swinger moved too much and would have missed Jones’ leg stump and trickled away for two leg-byes. The next ball is squirted away for two more runs off a drive into the covers.
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Missing the wickets! Great decision by the umpire. That swung a long way and was comfortably missing leg stump. Thought that would have been much tighter. Jones survives.
This time India review. Full and swinging in from Thakur. Could be umpire’s call as it beats Jones’ flick through midwicket and hits her front pad. We can see both off and middle stump so it’ll be tight…
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8th over: England 37-0 (Beaumont 10, Jones 23) Spin early doors as Rana gets going. Good move I think. Her second ball is a gem and takes the edge of Beaumont’s prod but there’s no second slip in place. Two singles across the over.
To be fair to Kevin Wilson he sent this in at the start of the innings:
“I can see why Charlotte wouldn’t want to rip a side up just before a world cup but there are a few batters here who aren’t, or never have, really justified their selections. The men’s side allowed their squad to stay settled, then failed to integrate new players in, and they got humiliated in the last world cup. Problem is, besides Davina Perrin, who is going to come in. Batting is a serious issue with this side. If Knight and Nat fail, nobody else will step up.”
Early days still, but this is a great start from the English openers.
7th over: England 35-0 (Beaumont 9, Jones 22) Jones bags another boundary through the off-side. She’s played that shot so well today, flashing at width away from her body. Great hands. Thakur has bowled well but the lack of penetration will be frustrating.
Guy Hornsby, another friend of the OBO, is enjoying what he’s seeing:
“Morning Daniel, morning everyone. It’s a cracking atmosphere today in Indore, and no sign of rain, thank god. Indeed a fascinating battle between Tammy Beaumont and Renuka. The off stump guard seems to be helping with alignment but the danger is shell chew up balls and put pressure on her partner, with Jones looking more fluent. And as I type that, she’s threaded one past wide mid on. What the hell do I know! I’m surprised England batted first with the dew, a lot will come down to how Nat Sciver-Brunt rotates the attack, including herself. Game on!”
6th over: England 31-0 (Beaumont 9, Jones 18) Beaumont cashes in with a lovely whip through midwicket to cap of another productive over for England. Jones added three runs, first with a little flick worth two and then with a single off a crunched pull shot to the sweeper. England’s openers look in good nick. We were promised runs on this deck and we’re getting em.
5th over: England 24-0 (Beamont 5, Jones 15) This is a lovely little battle developing between Beaumont and Thakur. With Ghosh up the stumps Beaumont can’t get on top of the in-swing, which means she has to play late and be watchful. Thakur, pitching it full, is targeting the stumps. Beaumont does get one away to mid-off where she scampers a single. Jones tickles a single of her own down to fine leg.
4th over: England 21-0 (Beaumont 4, Jones 14) Jones looks in good touch. She starts this over with a wristy flick through a gap at square leg for four. Then, after digging out a yorker, she flays at some width and picks up a boundary in front of the covering fielder at deep third. Kranti is struggling to find a consistent line and length.
3rd over: England 13-0 (Beaumont 4, Jones 6) Thakur continues with Ghosh up to the stumps. They want the England batters staying in their crease so Thakur can pitch the ball up and allow it to swing. One splays down leg for a wide but another thwacks Beaumont’s front pad. There’s an appeal for lbw but they resists the temptation for a review. Just one Jones single off the bat to go with the wide means it’s a tidy set from the Indian opener.
2nd over: England 11-0 (Beaumont 4, Jones 5) Jones is rolling with a scythe through point as Kranti offers too much width outside the off stump. A single off an outside edge down to deep third keeps England’s keeper on strike for the next over.
1st over: England 6-0 (Beaumont 4, Jones 0) They consider a review after Thakur cuts Beaumont in half with a nip-backer with the first ball of the game! Did she nick it? No, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway as it was a no-ball. Beaumont then heaves the second (officially the first) ball over midwicket for four. Beaumont is looking to smother the swing by standing well out of her crease. It’s hooping. One sprays down. the leg side for a wide but otherwise Thakur is on the money, targeting the off stump. For the last ball Ghosh stands up the stumps, forcing Beaumont to stay in her crease, which she does as she presses forward to block.
Phew, what an eventful first over.
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Righto, here we go.
Thakur has the ball in hand and will look to swing back into the right-handed Beaumont.
The pitch looks delicious, plenty of runs on offer. England will want to post something north of 270 I reckon.
One slip and a ring field.
I wasn’t planning on taking a dive into mythology this morning, but our OBO regular John Starbuck has compelled me:
“Not that I want to jinx the current match, but here’s a suggestion. Given that both England teams have lately been rescued by rain, maybe they should adopt some official rain gods, just in case? The women’s team could go for Chacmool, while the men’s might opt for Tlaloc. They seem to have been very successful in their day (in what we now call Latin America) and maybe all they need is official belief to operate again.”
Two spots have yet to be filled for the final four.
Australia have secured their passage, as have South Africa (who were trounced by England).
An expected sell-out crowd is expected today. Not quite full yet but there’s a proper vibe brewing as the players walk out of the tunnel and get ready for the anthems.
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A reminder that an England win would see them progress to the semi-finals.
India need two wins from their three remaining matches.
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Team news
Two changes for England and one for India.
Nat Sciver-Brunt welcomes back the returning Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell who have recovered from a brief illness.
India have included Renaka Singh Thakur who poses a challenge with her in-swingers.
England: Beaumont, Jones (wk), Knight, Sciver-Brunt (c), Dunkley, Lamb, Capsey, Dean, Ecclestone, Smith, Bell.
India: Mandhana, Rawal, Deol, H Kaur (c), Sharma, Ghosh (wk), A Kaur, Rana, Gaud, Charahi, Thakur.
England win toss, bat first
Nat Sciver-Brunt immediately asks to set a target. Looks a good deck, she’s confident about that call. “Clear and focused,” is the message from the skipper. No worries for India as Hamanpreet Kaur says she would have bowled first anyway.
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Not long to go. Indore looks a picture with gorgeous blue skies.
There’s other cricket on the go if you fancy.
England’s spinners might be doing the business, but their batters. have failed to show up as a unit.
As Raf Nicholson points out, they may be unbeaten (as they’ve not yet played Australia) but it’s not been a perfect show in India.
Preamble
Good morning everyone and welcome to this World Cup match with plenty on the line.
After a rained-off game against Pakistan spared the blushes of England but they’re still sitting pretty in third on the table and should already have enough in the bank to qualify for the next round.
It’s hosts India, though, who really need this win. Another defeat would be their third from five matches and would turn their remaining fixtures against New Zealand and Bangladesh into knockout games. They can’t afford a slip here.
India have the edge over England lately and have won five of the six ODIs the sides have played against each other since the 2022 World Cup.
This will be a battle of the spinners and England’s slow turners have been in good touch, picking up 24 of the 30 wickets the side has taken across the tournament. India’s batters have struggled in particular against left-arm spin which means Sophie Eccelstone and Linsey Smith will have a big part to play.
The game will be played on a red-soil pitch (news to me too) which tends to provide bounce and carry. It’s also a fresh deck as the last time any cricket was seen here was 13 days ago.
We’ve got the conditions. We’ve got some jeopardy. We’ve got two ace outfits. Let’s hope all the ingredients come together and deliver a cracking contest.
