Gqeberha, South Africa, Feb (18) England produced a superb bowling performance to successfully defend 151/7 and beat India by 11 runs in the 14th match of the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, at St George’s Park here on Saturday.
Smriti Mandhana scored a sublime half-century to put India in a decent position in their attempted chase of 152. But the rate of scoring slowed through the middle overs as England’s spinners took control of the game, with Sophie Ecclestone the stand-out bowler once again, picking up 1/14 from her four overs and strangling India’s batters at a crucial point of the match.
Mandhana’s 52 from 41 was the top score in the reply, with Richa Ghosh finishing unbeaten on 47* from 34.
But only one other Indian batter reached double figures as they fell 11 runs short of the target.
For India the situation is that they now will likely have to beat Ireland in their final match to progress.
A defeat for India against Ireland would leave them vulnerable given their relatively low net run rate.
Should India win and Pakistan manage to beat both West Indies and England then it would come down to net run rate to decide who qualifies for the semis.
Earlier, it was India who won the toss and opted to bowl first. Renuka Thakur took her career-best figures and the best by an Indian bowler at a Women’s T20 World Cup.
Thakur finished with sensational figures of 5/15 – the best by an Indian bowler at a Women’s T20 World Cup.
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