England drubbed India in the match of the heavyweights by 11 runs in Match 14 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at St George’s Oval in South Africa. India won the toss and decided to bowl first.
Batting first, England had the worst possible start losing Danni Wyatt for a golden ball duck as Renuka Singh Thakur in the very first over. She delivered yet again to get rid of the dangerous Alice Capsey for 3. And in her spell yet again, in the fourth over, she dismissed Sophia Dunkley leaving England reeling at 29/3 in 4.4 overs. The duo of Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt then sailed the team across as they batted with a lot of freedom and poise, keeping the scoreboard ticking. It was only in the 10th over that Heather Knight was dismissed for 28 as Shikha Pandey struck, giving India a much-needed breakthrough.
Smriti Mandhana anchored 🇮🇳India’s run chase by scoring a well composed half-century. 👏
Her knock ended with Nat Sciver-Brunt’s catch off Sarah Glenn#CricketTwitter #T20WorldCup #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/RdrJRDgkMs
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) February 18, 2023
Nat Sciver-Brunt was then joined by Amy Jones, who unleashed her attacking game as she pummeled the Indian bowling. Even though Nat Sciver-Brunt was dismissed for 50, Jones’ brilliant 40 off 27, coupled with Sophie Ecclestone’s 11 off 8, helped England post 151/7 in their 20 overs quota. Renuka Singh Thakur was a cut above the rest, scalping five wickets, and Shikha Pandey and Deepti Sharma also chipped in with a wicket helping India restrict them to a chasable total.
Richa Ghosh disheartened for not taking India to the finish line 🥺
📸 Disney+Hotstar #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/KAfKW6g2uw
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) February 18, 2023
India was off to the run chase on an interesting note, with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma attacking from the get-go. However, before Shafali Verma could settle in, Lauren Bell dismissed her for 8. India had a decent powerplay, and with Jemimah Rodrigues playing second fiddle, India seemed on track. But Sarah Glenn outfoxed Rodrigues, and with Sophie Ecclestone dismissing the skipper of Team India, Harmanpreet Kaur for 6, the recovery for Team India got difficult. Although Richa Ghosh’s 47 was brilliant to watch, she was running out of partners and with the net run rate increasing, the total was only getting harder to chase down. India then fell agonizingly short of the total by 11 runs, and England won the match on the back of a disciplined bowling effort.
🏴 England won by 11 runs
🏴 England 151-7 (20)
Amy Jones: 40 (27)
Nat Sciver-Brunt: 50 (42)
Renuka Thakur: 5-15🇮🇳India: 140-5 (20)
Smriti Mandhana: 52 (41)
Richa Ghosh: 47* (34)
Sarah Glenn: 2-27#CricketTwitter #T20WorldCup #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/wyQOkR4MzU— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) February 18, 2023
Brief Scores: ENG- 151/7 in 20 overs (N Sciver-Brunt 50, A Jones 40; R Singh 5/15, S Pandey 1/20) defeated IND- 140/5 in 20 overs (S Mandhana 52, R Ghosh 47*; S Glenn 2/27, S Ecclestone 1/14) by 11 runs
I am a first year postgraduate student pursuing a MA in Media and Communication Studies at Christ University, Bengaluru. I am a podcaster, blogger and an avid cricket fan. When not glued to cricket matches, you can find me submerged in books and thinking about cricket all the time.