England go top of their group
They have three wins from three and a decent NRR to boot. Their progression isn’t sewn up comprehensively but they’ve made a huge step towards qualifying for the semi-finals with that win over a strong Indian side.
Here is your match report:
We’ll be back to OBO England’s next game which is against Pakistan at Cape Town on Tuesday at 13:00 GMT. That’s it from me for now, enjoy the rest of your Saturday. Goodbye!
Updated
Harmanpreet Kaur:
We started really well but in the middle overs we didn’t bowl according to our plan and lost the momentum… In the batting we were doing well but unfortunately weren’t able to get the run rate needed. Sometimes when you are behind, you have to take charge and that is when we lost key wickets”
Heather Knight speaks:
We talk about batting as per the conditions and Nat and I did that. Amy was fantastic and it’s good to see that our batting group showed character even after 29 for 3. Thakur at the front was outstanding, moving the ball both ways. You want the boundaries but you have to take ones and twos and that helped us manipulate the field.
We haven’t really played against a big team recently and to play like this against this Indian team was fantastic. Ecclestone and Glenn varied their pace brilliantly.
We need to take our catches and can’t drop players like Mandhana”
Nat Sciver-Brunt is Player of the Match for her calm and collected fifty. It’s a batters game eh? I’d have given it to Sophie Ecclestone for her 1-14 when the game was drifting India’s way. It was a good team performance from England, top skippering from Heather Knight. There were slight blips at the start of the batting and bowling innings but a win against India is not to be sniffed at and they march on in this T20 World Cup.
Sophie Ecclestone 🤝 Taking key wickets.#BBCCricket #T20WorldCup #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/MGTnN0YRks
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) February 18, 2023
Updated
England win by 11 runs!
Phew. I mean that last over game me palpitations, Katherine Sciver-Brunt spraying it about and NINETEEN runs (including a free-hit) coming off it. Nae bother – that’s a fine win for England – Heather Knight marshalled her bowlers expertly and they delivered, sucking the life out of India in the middle overs.
Updated
Two singles and a SIX! This is NOT, REPEAT NOT OVER…*
*Well it sort of is but it shouldn’t be this close! 14 needed off two… no more No-Balls needed that’s for sure.
Updated
Erm, Katherine Sciver-Brunt has been hit for a four and then a FIVE – free hit incoming…
19th over: India 121-5 (Ghosh 30, Vastrakar 0) England nearly home and hosed, they’ve been magnificent since the wayward first couple of overs. Ecclestone finishes with 1-14 from her four overs. India need 31 off the last over…
WICKET! Deepti Sharma is run out (N Sciver-Brunt/Jones) 7 (India 119-5)
Gone! Just short despite the dive, India falling away here.
Ecclestone to bowl her last and there’s a review for a run out…
18th over: India 118-4 (Ghosh 29, Sharma 6) Lauren Bell returns and out foxes Richa Ghosh with a slower ball. Ayeeeechi! Bell tries another slower ball and Ghosh simply waits for it and pings it for SIX over the leg side. How will Bell respond…? With two dot balls, that’s how. She finishes with 1-22 from her four overs and India need 34 off 12 balls.
17th over: India 109-4 (Ghosh 23, Sharma 3) Miserly over from Nat Sciver-Brunt and England begin to pull away. Just four runs off it, India need 43 off 18.
WICKET! Smriti Mandhana c N Sciver-Brunt b Glenn 52 (India 105-4)
Sarah Glenn to bowl her last, Ghosh just gets one over the fielder at point to pick up two. Another two and a single brings Mandhana on strike… she smashes a six down the ground to go to FIFTY but perishes next ball trying to launch another maximum. Huge wicket for England and Glenn finishes with 2-27 off her four overs.
16th over: India 105-4 (Ghosh 22, Sharma 0)
After that monster 3rd over England's attack has really put the squeeze on @Jimbo_Cricket. We'll need looking to hold back Sophie Ecclestone for as long as possible. Another wicket now we are going to feel right on top. But it's right in the balance. Cracking game of cricket!
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) February 18, 2023
15th over: India 93-3 (Mandhana 45, Ghosh 17) Sophie Ecclestone back for her third over as a bit of mizzle begins to fall. Six runs from the over as the run-rate starts to creep up. England are ahead on the old Duckworth-Lewis-Stern by the way.
14th over: India 87-3 (Mandhana 43, Ghosh 13) Fantastic over from Sarah Glenn as the pendulum swings one way then the other, just three singles off it. Both teams in the hunt. 65 needed off 36 balls.
13th over: India 84-3 (Mandhana 42, Ghosh 11) Charlie Dean into her third over. Two dots to begin with. Ghosh finds a single to long-on. Mandhana threads the gap at mid-wicket to pick up four and then clatters the final ball of the over through extra-cover for four more. India need 68 off 42 balls.
12th over: India 75-3 (Mandhana 34, Ghosh 10) Nat Sciver-Brunt into the attack. Heather Knight is rotating her bowlers well and the runs are drying up for India, I make it 44 balls since the last boundary… spoke too soon – Ghosh shows her class with a wristy flick for four and next ball a pull is mis-fielded on the rope by Capsey. India happier with that one, 11 runs off it.
Updated
11th over: India 64-3 (Mandhana 33, Ghosh 1) Another good over for England, the wicket of Kaur and just two runs off it. That’s the Ecclestone way.
WICKET! Kaur c Capsey b Ecclestone 4 (India 62-3)
Ecclestone strikes! A skier from Kaur is juggled by Alice Capsey but she clings on, just. England all smiles and high fives – they are right in this match.
Updated
10th over: India 62-2 (Mandhana 31, Kaur 4) Harmanpreet Kaur arrives at the crease with the game in the balance. Glenn whips her arm over and the ball comes out at pace. Five runs and the wicket from it, Sophie Ecclestone is coming back on for her second over. Ten overs to go – India need 90 from 58 balls.
WICKET! Rodrigues c K Sciver-Brunt b Glenn (India 57-2)
Sarah Glenn gets the breakthrough, Rodrigues doesn’t get enough on a lofted drive and is caught on the boundary.
9th over: India 57-1 (Mandhana 31, Rodrigues 13) Charlie Dean replaces Ecclestone who just had the one over. Dean sends down some flat spinners sans flight. India are happy to pick off the singles and rotate strike. Seven runs off the over.
8th over: India 50-1 (Mandhana 30, Rodrigues 7) Sarah Glenn replaces Charlie Dean with her fizzing leg spin… DROP! Sophia Dunkley never looked certain under a skier from Smriti Mandhana and the ball hits the turf! Big miss that for England, the key wicket of Mandhana goes begging. Seven off a tidy over from Glenn, she’s unlucky not to have a big one in the wicket column too. Fifty up for India, the game on the bubblin’ boil.
7th over: India 43-1 (Mandhana 26, Rodrigues 4) Ecclestone twirls in, arms whirring and plaited ponytail swishing. She’s so good. Giving the batters nothing to get hold of, three singles off the over and England just start to squeeze.
6th over: India 40-1 (Mandhana 25, Rodrigues 2) Bell to bowl the last over of the PowerPlay and it is a good one. The seamer mixes it up and keeps it tight, just four runs added. Finely balanced game so far and here comes the peerless Sophie Ecclestone. This is match right here I reckon…
5th over: India 36-1 (Mandhana 23, Rodrigues 1) Worrying signs for England as Mandhana looks in blistering touch, she trots down and dinks Charlie Dean back over her head for four. Rodrigues is into her work, seven off the over.
WICKET! Verma c K Sciver-Brunt b Bell 8 (India 29-1)
Lauren Bell gets the breakthrough! Shafali Verma plays a bit of a hack at a back of a length delivery and Katherine Sciver-Brunt takes the catch. England needed that. We’re going to have some spin, Charlie Dean is coming on to bowl. Jemimah Rodrigues is the new batter.
4th over: India 29-1 (Mandhana 18, Rodrigues)
3rd over: India 27-0 (Mandhana 18 Verma 6) Mandhana breaks the shackles with a back foot punch for four. KSB then over-compensates and is driven straight back down the ground for four more, Sophie Ecclestone guilty of diving over the ball at mid-on. Three fours in a row for Mandhana and India – a drag down from Sciver-Brunt is pulled away comprehensively, poor bowling from the experienced KSB, I don’t think she’s bowled a single ball in the spot that Thakur did – aimed at the top of off stump. Gah! Another half-tracker gift is sent to the boundary by Mandhana. A bit of a shocker that one, four boundaries off it.
2nd over: India 11-0 (Mandhana 2 Verma 6) Lauren Bell steams in, all lissom limbs and intent. She bowls a beauty second ball but is then guided away for four by Verma, classy shot. A slower ball bouncer surprises everyone, including Bell herself, I think that came out all wrong but a dot is a dot! Mandhana is frustrated, she keeps timing sweetly but straight to the fielders.
1st over: India 4-0 (Mandhana 1 Verma 1) Nasser Hussain gives Katherine Sciver-Brunt v Shafali Verma the big build up… and the first ball is a damp squib down the leg side for a wide. KSB is a bit off it here, another leg side wide and she gets away with a couple that are spanked straight to the fielders. Nevertheless a decent enough start for England, just four runs from it in the end.
Here come India! Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma stride out, Katherine Sciver-Brunt has the white ball in hand. This’ll be good. PLAY!
An outstanding spell of bowling from Renuka Singh 🔥
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 18, 2023
She's just recorded the second-best figures by an Indian woman in T20Is, and the fourth-best figures in a Women's T20 World Cup match! 👏#ENGvIND #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/pfROizX7U1
Updated
England finish on 151-7
No hat-trick for Thakur, the final ball off the innings defeats everyone and runs away for four byes. What a performance though, she finishes with 5-15 off her four overs. England will be happy to have set a competitive total after being reduced to 29-3 in the opening overs. India’s chase will be underway shortly, there’s just enough time to stick the kettle on.
We finish our innings on 151/7.@natsciver top scoring with a crucial 50 👏
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 18, 2023
Scorecard: https://t.co/LiwmXIjvDS
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/2wY3k56LXw
Updated
WICKET! Katherine Sciver-Brunt c Yadav b Thakur 0 (England 147-7)
Thakur has five wickets and is on a hat-trick!
Amy Jones c Ghosh b Thakur 40 (England 147-6)
Thakur gets her fourth! Enterprising knock from Amy Jones, she departs after a feint glove is caught behind.
Updated
19th over: England 144-5 (Jones 39, Ecclestone 9) Here we go! Ecclestone slams a maximum over deep square-leg and Amy Jones looks to match her off the final ball, stepping to leg and fizzing a flat six just over the head of the boundary rider at square leg. 17 runs smeared off the over as England finish strong, there’s one over to go and Thakur will bowl it with three wickets already bulging in her pockets.
18th over: England 127-5 (Jones 31, Ecclestone 1) England look to maximise the last few overs, scampering every run and finding the gaps when they can’t find the boundary. Seven runs are taken off Yadav, two overs to go and more runs needed.
WICKET! Nat Sciver-Brunt c Mandhana b Sharma 50 (England 120-5)
Sciver-Brunt goes to FIFTY but is out soon after, a reverse hit is miscued and goes straight to Mandhana on the ‘45. Partnership broken, Sophie Ecclestone strides out with the long-handle.
17th over: England 120-5 (Jones 29, Ecclestone)
16th over: England 117-4 (N Sciver-Brunt 49, Jones 25) Amy Jones paddles for four more and then plays the shot of the innings so far, an in-to-out lofted drive to dream about. 11 off the over.
15th over: England 106-4 (N Sciver-Brunt 47, Jones 16) Better intent from England. Amy Jones ramps Vastrakar fine for four. Both batters move around their crease to try and disrupt the bowler, good cat and mouse stuff. SIX! That’ll help things along! Vastrakar goes wide of off-stump and Jones shuffles over and pounds it away for a maximum over mid-wicket. Fantastic shot, skill and power combined - the ball crashes into a temporary stand behind the boundary.
14th over: England 92-4 (N Sciver-Brunt 44, Jones 5) Radha Yadav into the attack. England notch the ones and two but noting to hurt India who will be very happy with the way this is going. There’s an appeal for a stumping but Amy Jones didn’t go walkabout so it remains not out.
13th over: England 86-4 (N Sciver-Brunt 40, Jones 3) England are stuttering here, unsure whether to stick or twist. Pandey manages to get in and out of her over with only two runs conceded. Ominous looking clouds build up around the back of the stadium as ominous looking dot balls stack up for England.
12th over: England 84-4 (N Sciver-Brunt 39, Jones 2) Amy Jones replaces her skipper in the middle. Four singles from the over, the wicket slowing England’s progress to a splutter.
Heather Knight c Shafali Verma b Pandey 28 (England 80-4)
Pandey starts up after drinks. Sciver-Brunt knocks a single before Knight plays a powerful sweep behind square to get four more. Oh no! That’s out – Knight cloths a full toss tamely to the only fielder in the ring on the off-side. England’s captain trudges off in disbelief.
11th over: England 80-4 (N Sciver-Brunt 37, Jones)
10th over: England 72-3 (N Sciver-Brunt 35, Knight 23) Shafali Verma is picked off for consecutive boundaries by Nat Sciver-Brunt! A reverse-sweep is followed by a full toss from Verma that NSB bunts through mid-wicket and past the sprawling fielder. Another good over for England, 11 off it and they’ve scored 43 off the last five. That’s ten overs done and time for a quick drink.
Loving this game so far. Renuka Singh Thakur - what a revelation over the last 12 months. Now the 2 experienced heads taking it on @Heatherknight55 @natsciver #ENGvIND #T20WomensWorldCup
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) February 18, 2023
Updated
9th over: England 61-3 (N Sciver-Brunt 25, Knight 23) Left arm spin from Gayakwad. Heather Knight looks in good touch, she slams a short ball through point for four and then pounces on a drag-down to pick up another. Three more runs are pilfered into the gap at cover and a single to finish. England’s best over of the game so far – 12 runs from it.
8th over: England 49-3 (N Sciver-Brunt 24, Knight 11) Deepti Sharma once more, Knight and NSB run well between the wickets, boundaries hard to come by at the moment for England… but then just like that Sciver-Brunt saunters down and threads a length ball through a packed leg-side field to pick up a very welcome four. Nine off the over, England re-building after being Thakur’d at the start of the innings.
7th over: England 40-3 (N Sciver-Brunt 19, Knight 7) Pandey replaces Thakur who saves an over for later. She reels off four dot balls to Knight who manages to get off strike with a languid cover drive. Sciver-Brunt scoops to add two more to the total. Three off the over.
6th over: England 37-3 (N Sciver-Brunt 17, Knight 6) Sharma pins Knight on the sweep, India think they could have the England skipper here. Upstairs we go… NOT OUT – the ball tickled Knights glove on the way to hitting pad. Good decision from the on-field umpire. Knight gets off the mark with a clipped four through mid-wicket and England rotate to collect three more singles.
Updated
5th over: England 29-3 (N Sciver-Brunt 15, Knight 0) “A masterclass of swing” says Nasser Hussain about Thakur on the TV commentary. He’s not wrong but Dunkley and Capsey were both playing hugely expansive drives. Time for some spin – Deepti Sharma is tossed the ball from her captain and told to have a twirl.
WICKET! Sophia Dunkley b Thakur 10 (England 29-3)
Thakur has three! Dunkley goes for the big yahoo down the ground and only gets fresh air, the ball scudding in and knocking out leg stump. Heather Knight arrives with her team in strife.
4th over: England 24-2 (Dunkley 10, N Sciver-Brunt 10) Pooja Vastrakar replaces Pandey. Dunkley gets a flying edge to bring her a single and NSB onto strike. SHOT! Sciver-Brunt plays a delightfully deft ramp over the keeper for four. Four more! Streakier this time, another thick edge races away to the boundary behind the slips. England will take ‘em.
3rd over: England 14-2 (Dunkley 9, N Sciver-Brunt 1 ) Nat Sciver-Brunt comes to the crease, she’s struck on the pad first ball but it looks to me that it was skating past the timbers. India call for a spurious review – NOT OUT. India lose a review and on we go. NSB gets off the mark with a clip to leg, England need all her skills and experience to get them out of this hole. Dunkley goes in-to-out and ploops the ball over the infield to collect a couple. She winds up a booming drive off the final delivery but doesn’t time it. England looking to hit their way out of this spot of bother.
Updated
WICKET! Alice Capsey b Thakur 3 (England 10-2)
Bowled her! Capsey plays down the wrong line and is castled. India are cockerhoop!
2nd over: England 10-1 (Dunkley 6, Capsey 3) Dunkley advances and smears Shikha Pandey down the ground for four. That’s one way to deal with the moving ball. Both batters looking to use their feet so keeper Ghosh comes up to the stumps. Seven runs in total off the over, both sides exchanging early blows.
Updated
1st over: England 3-1 (Dunkley 1, Capsey 1) Flibbertyjibberty! Capsey is nearly cleaned up second ball! I’m not sure how that missed actually, Thakur is getting some late movement and England are teetering. Capsey advances to get off the mark with a single. Eventful first over!
WICKET! Danni Wyatt c Ghosh b Thakur (England 2-1)
WHAT. A. CATCH. Danni Wyatt goes for a golden duck, she fences at a length ball and the ball flies into the webbing of Ghosh’s glove!
Sophie Dunkley and Danni Wyatt take guard, Renuka Singh Thakur will start India off, watch out for that in-swinger…PLAY!
The teams head out for the anthems, the weather looks greyer than a plate of tripe - fingers crossed we get through unscathed by the wet stuff.
As ever do get in touch if you are tuning in, T20s are always a bit frenetic to OBO but I’ll have time to post the most entertaining n’ erudite emails.
You can get me on Email or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket
England and India, two teams with a heated recent history, meet in a crucial Women’s T20 World Cup group game. Join @Jimbo_Cricket https://t.co/XBoaQFO2wY
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) February 18, 2023
Updated
Remember this?
The last time England faced India.. 👀#BBCCricket #T20WorldCup #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/gYUnw6I6rC
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) February 18, 2023
Nowt makes my eyelids droop like a non-striker run out debate so I’m not quite sure why I’ve posted that? Especially after being kept up half the night by a two year old who wants to “party daddy” at 3am. Forget I did, yes? You ain’t seen naffink.
It looks a bit gloomy in Gqeberha…
Here we go! 🤩
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 18, 2023
We name an unchanged XI. India win the toss and elect to bowl.
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 | #T20WorldCup
The TV has cutaway to a montage of Alice Capsey batting set to classical music. Capsey is only 18 years old but exudes confidence and with good reason – she’s got a strike rate of over 218 so far in the tournament.
Updated
TEAMS:
England: Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell
India: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh
England are unchanged from their win over Ireland. India bring in Shikha Pandey for Devika Vaidya.
Harmanpreet Kaur calls the coin toss correctly and India will BOWL first
Teams incoming…
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the OBO of this T20 Women’s World Cup showdown between India and England from Gqeberha.
These two sides have (recent) history. India dumped England out of their home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer and the T20 series that followed was tightly contested and just went England’s way thanks to a swashbuckling Alice Capsey. When it comes to the last time they *should* have met in a T20 World Cup… well it’s best not to mention it – grim weather and poor ICC tournament planning put paid to England’s hopes in Sydney way back in March 2020.
Both sides will be looking to raise their games against each other today after two relatively straightforward wins each so far in the tournament. Whoever prospers in today’s match all but guarantees themselves a place in the semi-final and a potential avoidance of the Australian juggernaut.
Jim here with the call - play is due to begin in *Copy+Paste* Gqeberha (try saying it never mind typing it) at 1pm GMT, 3pm local time.
I’ll be back with news of the teams and the toss pronto!
