England secured their place in the Women’s ODI World Cup semifinals with a hard-fought 4-run victory over India in a nail-biting clash yesterday.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, England posted 288 for 8, led by a magnificent century from captain Heather Knight, who struck 109 — her third career ODI hundred. Amy Jones provided strong support with a fluent 56.
For India, Deepti Sharma was the standout bowler, taking 4 wickets, marking her best-ever ODI figures.
Chasing 289 for victory, India were 42 for 2 when Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur steadied the innings with a superb 125-run partnership for the third wicket. Harmanpreet made 70, while Mandhana top-scored with 88, keeping India in the hunt.
However, once Mandhana was dismissed, India’s innings lost momentum. Despite having 57 runs needed off the final 57 balls with seven wickets in hand, England’s bowlers tightened the screws brilliantly, restricting India to 284 for 6.
With this victory, England advance to the semifinals, while India’s chances of qualification remain uncertain after suffering their third consecutive defeat. Their upcoming clash against New Zealand will now be a must-win decider for a place in the next round.
