AUSTRALIA ACE THE CHASE ; INDIA EXITS THE WC

ICC 10th WOMEN's WORLD CUP - Match 30 –  Australia v India at Lords on 28 June 2026

Result – Australia beat India by 6 wickets
Points – Australia 2(10), India 0(6)
Toss – India
Umpires – Jacqueline Williams, Nimali Perera, Sue Redfern (TV)
Player of the Match – Ellyse Perry
Match Centre Link - You can view the scorecard, watch highlights and engage more at Match Centre of ICC. The match can be accessed here. 

The league stage of the 10^th T20 World Cup for Women went to the wire. Two teams had a stake for a semi final spot. An Indian Win would ensure AUS & IND make it to the semis. An Australian Win would ensure AUS & SA make it to the semis. No realistic mathematical opportunities were available to ensure that IND & SA make it to the semis. My mind could not but compare the last two matches of Group B with Group A. Windies who looked certain to qualify before the penultimate match of Group B, was shocked by Ireland. New Zealand had a chance to beat ENG and enter the semis and they failed. In the penultimate match of Group A, BAN nearly shocked SA. Like NZ, IND had to work its own miracle. One part of my mind was working the results towards an IND win. BAN didn’t upset SA like IRE unsettled WI. Therefore IND unlike NZ will win the last match to make the cut. But another part of my mind said that AUS like ENG will finish the Group with no losses. I cursed the second part of my mind and like the whole of India, I was up with prayers as IND & AUS gathered at Lords for the final match of the league (pray not India). My mind came up with a simple phrase “IND has 3 knock out matches – this, the semis and finals” and I settled with it. IND brought Kranti in for Nandani and Phoebe returned for the Aussies as Alana made way.

INDIAN INNINGS

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SHAKY AND SOUND
IND won the toss and chose to bat. Smriti & Shafali padded up and Lucy was ready to give it a go. Lucy bowled well ensuring 3 singles and 3 dot balls. Kim came in from the other end and began with a dot ball as well. Smriti then clipped Kim to midwicket for boundaries in successive balls. Kim then delivered a hat trick of dot balls. Lucy bowled another four dots in the 3^rd over and Smriti’s pull over mid wicket ensured one more boundary for India. At half the power play, IND were 16/0 and needed to at least triple the score in the next half of power play. Ash Gardner was surprisingly brought first change. Shafali welcomed her and fourth over with a four due to a easy loft over cover. Shafali opened the sixer quota when she lofted Ash’s 5^th delivery bigger and better over cover. Ellyse was brought in for the 5^th over and despite a Smriti clip to midwicket for a boundary, only conceded 7 runs. Kim came to close the power play and she also conceded 7 runs which included a Shafali delicate cut for a boundary in the third woman area. IND finished powerplay at 43 without loss. While the without loss was welcome, we hoped to cross 50 in power play. It was somewhere between a shaky and sound start for IND. However they had to move up and fast from here.

AUSSIES AT IT
Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux have been the best bowlers for AUS this World Cup. Smriti greeted Georgia with a backfoot punch for a boundary in the 1^st ball of the 7^th over. Trust Georgia to give only 2 more of the next 5 balls. Annabel was brought in for the 8^th over and despite a shaky start with a wide conceded just 5 in the over. Ash bowled the 9^th & Shafali after 2 dot balls, whacked a six to long one and steered the next ball between point and cover for a four. Sophie finally brought herself in the 10^th over and had instant success. Shafali tried to go inside out in the first ball only to be outdone by the spin and find her stumps shattered. One ball later, Jemi played the shot to perfection to find a boundary. At half way mark, IND were 74/1 with the Wrong Sisters, Smriti & Jemi at the crease. My mind whispered that IND needed to hit the 183 mark at Lords again and bowl out the AUS for 140.

Annabel bowled the 11^th and gave a wide and boundary in her 8 run over. IND were 83/1 when Georgia Wareham’s 3^rd ball of the 12^th over spelled disaster for India. Jemi played a reverse sweep and even as Jemi was watching the ball, Smriti had run half the ground. Before Jemi could realize, Lucy threw the ball back to Georgia as Smriti was quite a distance away. Harman joined Jemi . Either one or both had to deliver a special innings which was long due. Harman found her first boundary in 13^th over bowled by Lucy. Harman found one more boundary in the 14^th over as she hammered her opposite skipper Sophie over covers. That boundary brought India’s 100 and India needed more than a boundary or two per over from here on. Harman & Jemi were running hard and Harman found a boundary each of Annabel & Georgia Wareham in the 15^th & 16^th over respectively. Jemi survived a LBW appeal from Georgia which was overturned by DRS as pitching outside after the umpire gave it out. As the umpire was making the decision, the cameras panned to the South African side following the match vividly, the New Zealand veterans engaged in a discussion, Virat, Shikar and Ravi Shastri among Indian legends in attendance. However IND were still at 118/2 after 16 overs. In the middle overs, India lost the openers and scored 75 runs. Whenever IND tried to break the shackles, the AUS were at it and ensured that IND didn’t break loose. They needed to score at least 15 per over to get past at least 175.

A HARMAN HAMMERING
Kim bowled the 17^th & kept it to singles. Harman found some luck when a thick outside edge beat Phoebe for a boundary. Sophie kept the 18^th over even tight as IND managed only 7 of it. There was no boundary as well. Harman found a boundary in the 2^nd ball of the penultimate over bowled by Annabel. In the fourth ball, Jemi was held to a dot. A frustrated Jemi pulled without power to deep mid wicket and Georgia Wareham spilled a seemingly easy catch over the boundary for a sixer. In the next ball, Jemi tried to clear long on but the ball fell just short of a diving Nicola Carey. I couldn’t understand how my terribly worried mind could come up with a phrase “Nic wasn’t in the nick of the time and therefore it didn’t carry to Carey”. But Jemi’s mind was even troubled and she retired out giving Richa at least one over. Sophie came in to close the innings and Richa could just find a single first ball. Harman then took over for the next three balls. She went to the off side and clobbered the 2^nd ball for a straight six over the bowler. Sophie changed the angle but Harman once again went straight in the 3^rd ball for another sixer. This sixer brought her a 25 ball 50. In the 4^th ball, she went over long off and Phoebe was waiting eagerly and much to her and everyone’s shock let the ball slip over for another sixer. Harman tried to make it four in a row but Sophie mixed up both spin and pace and a tired Harman could only find the mid off where her fellow 10 time World Cup player Ellyse pouched an easy catch. Deepti tried to heave the last ball over short fine leg and got a leading edge. Two fielders chased the ball and as they collided into each other while trying to pull the ball away and IND ended with a boundary. IND ended up at 170 with 23 coming from the last over. The finish with flair added with the failed fielding efforts of the Aussies gave a positive momentum for IND. AUS had to score a Harmanpreet 171. IND in a must win situation had a reasonable target to defend. At least three of our five bowlers had to be in their best.

AUSTRALIA INNINGS

ADVANTAGE AUSSIES
As Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney made their way to the crease, AUS had technically qualified for the semis. It was between the IND team playing the match and the SA team watching the match for the second qualification. I couldn’t even smile when the commentator said IND can top the group if they win by 90+ runs. I would settle for a win by 9 runs even. Any margin would do. Even if we do it in a Super Over, I was praying for a win. IND fielders showed a lot of positive intent as Renuka bowled the first ball. Georgia Voll just nonchalantly slapped the ball through covers for a boundary to dampen the hopes. However Renuka lit them brighter the next ball. Vollie missed her shot and got hit in the leg. All of IND were appealing but the umpire turned it down. IND reviewed and the DRS and the three reds ensured a blue wave. Phoebe walked in and Renuka after a couple of wides, singles and twos finished the 1^st over at 11/1. It was Nelson after first over and all stars seemed aligning towards India.  Kranti started well before Phoebe brought memories from the SA game as she nonchalantly hit Kranti for successive boundaries in the last 2 balls. AUS were 23 and soaring ahead. Renuka bowled a brilliant 3^rd over conceding just a single to Beth and holding Phoebe for four dot balls. Shafali was brought in as first change and she kept AUS at bay with another one run over. However Beth was back to her best in the 5^th over and heaved Renuka over mid wicket and  over fine leg for two boundaries., After conceding just 1 run in her previous over, Renuka went for a dozen in the next over. I hoped a similar fate wouldn’t befall Shafali as she bowled the 6^th over. But  I was right in the wrong direction. Phoebe welcomed Shafali with a six over long off that hit the boundary cushion to precision. Shafali ended up conceding a dozen as well. AUS were 49/1 after 6 overs. IND were 43/0 at this stage. IND needed a couple of wickets early in the middle overs to seize back the advantage from Aussies

PACING THE CHASE
India brought their best bowler of the tournament Sreecharani and she responded well, by conceding just 5 runs in the over and topping it with the wicket of the dangerous Phoebe in the last ball. Phoebe tried to clear long off but it wasn’t hit in the middle. The ball went straight to Smriti who gladly accepted the offering. Ellyse joined the crease and was off the mark with a boundary in the next over bowled by Deepti. Ellyse got another boundary in the next over bowled by Sreecharani. Deepti stuck in the first ball of 10^th over as she induced a miscued slog sweep from Beth. The ball went to Radha and she let out an elated shout as she (finally) caught the ball. At the half way mark, AUS were 72/3. When juxtaposed with IND score of 74/1 and that the spinners were doing well, IND were at advantage. But they needed to take wickets at regular intervals. Radha Yadav was the 6^th Indian bowler as she bowled the 11^th over. She started the over like a binary number with 1010 before Ellyse pierced the gap between cover & mid off with great ease. Shafali Varma confined Ash & Ellyse to just 6 in the next over. Like Laura in SA, Ash had been having a poor WC by her great standards. She decided to set the record straight in the 13^th over as she went inside out in the first ball for a four and tonked the next over deep square leg for a sixer. Ellyse cut Radha for a boundary in the 5^th ball to bring the 100 for AUS. Ash & Ellyse were good enough on their own to turn a match on its head. IND needed a wicket quick. But neither Deepti who bowled the 14^th nor Sreecharani who bowled the 15^th could provide a breakthrough. To make things worse, Sreecharani’s 15^th over had a huge sixer by Ash and a no ball that went for a boundary. Shafali, India’s last hope was brought in for the 16^th and she also ended up conceding a boundary each to AUS batters and 12 runs to the AUS total. At the end of 16 overs, AUS were better placed at 137/3 requiring a very gettable 34 runs from 24 balls. IND were 118/2 and only a Harman hammering saved us. I was praying that any of the three spinners do something special. But Ellyse and Ash were so special that they made this chase simple by pacing it to perfection

NIFTY FIFTY EACH
Renuka was brought in for the 17^th over. Ash hammered her third ball over long off for a six and Dane smiled on screen. Ellyse flicked her 5^th ball in the gap between deep square leg and deep midwicket for a boundary and an Aussie fan smiled on camera. Ellyse smashed her last ball over long off to bring a boundary and her fifty. Now the camera panned to Indian fans. The 17 run 17^th over removed all remaining smiles from Indian cricketers and fans. When Deepti came to bowl the 18th, it was less than a run a ball. The third ball bowled by Deepti was swatted past short fine leg by Ash and despite Yastika saving it with her life, the duo ran four runs. Ash brought a proper boundary by smashing the last delivery over long off to bring her 50. AUS just needed 5 from the last 2 overs. I already started to move to 2028. Sreecharani bowled the 19^th over and was late by six overs when she made Ellyse sky her 4^th ball to mid off.  Shafali completed the least joyful catch of her life. Georgia Wareham walked in and a dot ball later hammered the last ball over Sreecharani.

AUS won with 6 wickets and 6 balls to spare. Spare a thought for the Indian cricket team which fought well but was done in by the combined brilliance of Ellyse and Ash. AUS and ENG were two dominant side and go without a loss to the semis. IND were let down more by the bowlers. Shreyanka’s injury proved to be a huge blow. IND fielding needs to be overhauled to perform better against top sides. I am not sure when, how and what my mind comes up with, to come with terms to this loss. But IND missing the semi finals of the past two T20 World Cups is criminal. Someone must read the signs and ensure that we do the needful for the 2028 double.

(Images Courtesy - ICC/Cricinfo)