Australia edge past India in semi-final thriller

Defending champions Australia reached their seventh consecutive Women’s T20 World Cup final with a tense five-run win over India.

Meg Lanning’s side looked rattled before Harmanpreet was run out in the 15th over to change the course of the game as India fell short on 167-8.

India will rue a poor fielding performance in the Australian innings.

Beth Mooney was dropped on 32 before going on to make 54, while Lanning was dropped on one before smashing two sixes in the last over to finish 49 not out.

Rodrigues and Harmanpreet added 69 for the fourth wicket, rallying India to 93-3 from 10 overs, as the holders were under real pressure for the first time in the competition.

But 19-year-old Darcie Brown crucially removed Rodrigues for 43 in the 11th over in a brilliant spell of 2-18 from her four overs.

Australia then proved their class to hold their nerve with Ash Gardner defending 16 from the last over to close out a thrilling victory.

They remain unbeaten in their quest for a third consecutive world T20 victory, to go with their 50-over title and Commonwealth Games triumph.

India, who lost to Australia in the previous final in 2020 and the Commonwealth Games final, once again stumbled in a close encounter against their world-class opponents.

Despite India’s sloppy start, it did not feel like Australia were capitalising, scoring at around seven runs an over until Gardner’s quickfire 31 from 18 balls and Lanning’s late acceleration, including a last-ball six, took them beyond 170.

Harmanpreet’s team then lost their top three batters – all for single-figure scores – with the game looking to follow the predictable trend of a comfortable Australia victory.

But Rodrigues and Harmanpreet accelerated brilliantly and looked set to inspire an upset.

But a steady flurry of wickets towards the end of the innings, triggered by Harmanpreet’s unlucky run out – with her bat getting caught in the ground – cost India and they still wait for a global title.

Another missed opportunity for gutsy India

After a group stage that resulted in mostly predictable results, these two rivals provided the enthralling encounter the tournament wanted.

But for India, the overwhelming sense is of agonising disappointment, another golden opportunity having slipped through their fingers.

In 2017 against England in the 50-over World Cup final, they squandered a winning position and the same could be said of their nine-run Commonwealth Games defeat in 2022.

Their bravery to take on Australia at Newlands was to be admired, with the tenacious Harmanpreet and Rodrigues taking on a world-class bowling attack with skill and power, piercing the gaps and scoring all around the ground.

Had they taken their chances in the field, and Renuka Thakur’s last over not cost 18 runs, it would have been a comfortable run chase.

It was another case of a well-drilled, formidable Australian unit edging the key moments, taking catches at the death. Ellyse Perry led the way, with phenomenal diving saves on the boundary right until the last over.

It is rare to see this great Australia side under such pressure, but in the immediate aftermath, that will be of little comfort to a devastated India.

Sunday’s Newlands showpiece now awaits for Lanning’s side, who showed signs of frustration and vulnerability, but will be hoping their nerves are behind them as they eye yet another prize.

‘We couldn’t have been unluckier’ – what they said

Australia captain Meg Lanning: “It was one of the best wins I’ve been involved in – to fight back from the position we were in. We didn’t play our best cricket but I was so proud of the girls.

“India were coming hard at us so we knew it was going to be hard to defend and it came down to the wire.

“We got a little bit of luck with the Kaur wicket but we just had to hang in there and we got over the line.”

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur: “We couldn’t have been unluckier than that – this is not what we were expecting.

“The way I got run out, you can’t be unluckier. I am happy we took this to the last ball. We discussed we wanted to fight and the result wasn’t in our favour.

“We fought in this tournament and played really good cricket and still got to the semi-finals.”