MANCHESTER, England (AP) – India simplified their Women’s Twenty20 World Cup ambitions on Thursday with a five-wicket lead over Bangladesh. They defeated the powerful Australia and advanced to the semi-finals.
India withstood a shaky defense and held Bangladesh to 136-8, but they trailed to 139-5 with 19 balls remaining at Old Trafford.
The decisive final group game against Australia will be played at a packed Lord’s on Sunday. The Australians are on track with four wins from four matches, including their win over South Africa, which beat India last Sunday.
“We are all set for Australia,” declared India captain Harmanpreet Kaur. “If we win this, it will give us a lot of confidence.”
South Africa posted 208-1 in Bristol, defeating winless Netherlands by 88 runs and keeping the pressure on India. Opener Tazmin Blitz hit his first T20 century.
Verma defeats Indian chase
In the end, Bangladesh’s biggest mistake was dropping Shafali Verma behind the stumps in the first over. Verma defeated the chasers 63-1 in the power play, reaching 50 off 29 balls for the second time in the tournament.
She stumbled for 53 points soon after, but India was able to cruise, with Jastika Bhatia adding 23 points and Jemima Rodriguez 26 points.
“I was disappointed to have to quit,” Verma said. “I might have been happier if I had gotten through.”
India were sloppy in the field, dropping four catches early on and mid-order pacer Nandani Sharma was booked twice for running too far down the pitch. However, Bangladesh lacked power hitters, which hurt their chances of making money.
Juairiya Ferdous was caught and bowled by Sharma for 33 in nine overs, and the only other major contributor was captain Nigar Sultana, who stumbled for 32 in the closing stages.
The British defeated the Dutch
The Englishman took his unbeaten record to 114 off 69 balls for his first 100 hits in 82 T20s since 2018.
She almost stumbled with 46 and 57, but otherwise failed to take advantage of an opening stand of captain Laura Wolvaardt (45) with 121 and Annelie Derksen (37) with 87.
The Brits stayed strong from the start, scoring 37 points on a 66-0 power play. She became the second South African woman to cross 2,000 runs in T20s, after her batting partner Wolvaardt.
She scored 100 in 18 overs in the first six innings, clearing long-on. She hit two more sixes and 15 boundaries.
The Dutch chase started brightly with a 50-0 power play and some eye-catching shots, but the run rate of the ball quickly fell well below what was required.
Phoebe Molkenboer, Sanya Khurana and Steer Kallis took Holland to 100-1 in 15 overs, but they lost seven wickets in the last 20 runs.
Ayabonga Kaka led South Africa with 3 wins and 19 losses, while Shabnim Ismail, who returned from retirement, took her 48th World Cup wicket, equaling Australia’s Megan Schutt’s all-time record.
Scotland face Sri Lanka on Friday.
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AP Cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
