Preview: The Indian women face a do-or-die situation to seal the last semi-final spot at the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup when they face a formidable New Zealand in their final group tie at The County Ground here on Saturday. England, Australia and South Africa have all booked a place in the last-four with victories on Wednesday, leaving a straight shootout between India and New Zealand for the fourth and final qualification spot. [caption id=“attachment_3816169” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
India’s Mithali Raj and New Zealand’s Suzie Bates. Agencies[/caption] The side to top the eight-team league will play the fourth-placed side in the first semi-final in Bristol on 18 July while the sides finishing second and third will feature in the second semi-final in Derby on 20 July. Victory for either team will see it through, while a tie or a washout would be enough for India, as they are currently one point better off, according to an International Cricket Council release. Yet both teams will need to bounce back from defeats in the penultimate round of pool matches, where New Zealand lost by 75 runs to England and India were beaten by eight wickets by Australia. India skipper Mithali Raj has demanded improvement from her troops and believes the ability to cope with the pressure of a must-win game will be the deciding factor. Mithali, who became the highest One-day Internationals (ODI) run-getter in women’s cricket during the match against the Southern Stars on Wednesday, failed to take her team home despite scoring a fighting 69. India will once again bank on their opener Punam Raut, who valiant 106 went in vain against the Aussies. For India to make an impact against the Kiwis, all eyes will also be on the middle order, which failed to rise up to the occasion on Wednesday. Mithali has demanded improvement from her troops and believes the ability to cope with the pressure of a must-win game will be the deciding factor. “The girls are so talented, but it’s just a matter of how well they pull themselves up after a defeat. That’s what makes world champions,” she said. India will also hope for a better show from their bowling unit led by the world’s highest ODI wicket-taker Jhulan Goswami and assisted by the spin trio of Ekta Bisht, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma. On the other hand, back from a 75-run thrashing by hosts England, New Zealand will be aiming to turn things around in the upcoming encounter. They also enjoy a whopping 9-1 head-to-head record against the Indians in World Cups. Apart from the loss against England, New Zealand only went down to Australia in the ongoing World Cup while their match against South Africa was washed out, and captain Suzie Bates sounded positive heading into the decider. “We’ve got what is basically a quarter-final against India and we know we can beat them. But we’ve got to play well because one of us is going home,” she said ahead of the crucial tie. While their batting will revolve around the likes of skipper Suzie, wicketkeeper-batswoman Rachel Priest, veterans Amy Satterthwaite and Katie Perkins, the 16-year-old leg-spinner Amelia Kerr could prove to be an unexpected surprise in the bowling department. Squads: India: Mithali Raj (c), Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Mansi Joshi, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smrti Mandhana, Mona Meshram, Shikha Pandey, Poonam, Nuzhat Parween, Punam Raut, Deepti Sharma, Sushma Verma (wk). New Zealand: Suzie Bates (c), Erin Bermingham, Sophie Devine, Maddie Green, Holly Huddleston, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Thamsyn Newton, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson, Rachel Priest (wk), Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu With inputs from IANS
ICC Women's World Cup 2017, India vs New Zealand, cricket highlights: Mithali and Co win by 186 runs
Catch the live scores and updates of ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 match between India and New Zealand to be played in Derby.
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That’s it from us in our coverage of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 clash between India and New Zealand in Derby. A big thank you to all those who joined in today. Do leave your feedback in the comments section below.
We’ll be back in our coverage of the semi-finals of the tournament — England facing South Africa on Tuesday, while India taking on Australia in the other clash. Do follow our coverage of the matches, in case you happen to miss out on the broadcast. Till then, good night!
Most Player of the Match awards in Women’s ODIs:
20 – Stafanie Taylor
19 – MITHALI RAJ*
17 – Charlotte Edwards
Mithali Raj (India skipper): For a couple of us, this is going to be the last world cup, so the aim was to get to the semis. I will always be happy to score runs for the country. There were two important partnerships — with Harmanpreet and Veda. The last 10 overs were very crucial. When you’re chasing 250, there’s always pressure.
Suzie Bates (NZ Skipper): India were outstanding, on the back of Mithali’s hundred. We really needed to play well as a team. Everyone’s going to be really disappointed. I wouldve liked to keep them under 250.
Lowest totals for New Zealand in Women’s World Cup:
79 v India, Derby, 2017
80 v India, Auckland, 1982
101 v Australia, Wellington, 1982
Biggest wins for India in Women’s World Cup: (By runs)
186 v New Zealand, Derby,2017*
154 v Netherlands, Lincoln, 2000
141 v Sri Lanka, Lincoln, 2000
Best bowling figures for India in Women’s World Cup:
5/15 – Rajeshwari Gayakwad v New Zealand, Derby, 2017
5/18 – Ekta Bisht v Pakistan, Derby, 2017
New Zealand 79 in 25.3 overs (Kerr 12)
INDIA STORM INTO THE SEMIS OF THE 2017 ICC WOMEN’S WORLD T20! What an emphatic victory for the Indians in a must-win game, and in the end, they were thoroughly clinical in every department!
OUT! That’s it! Gayakwad finishes with figures of 5/15 from 7.3 overs, with Kasperek the last Kiwi batswoman to fall, as India complete a massive 186-run win! New Zealand 79 all out!
Kasperek b Gayakwad 0(2)
New Zealand 78/9 in 25 overs (Kerr 11, Kasperek 0)
Kerr keeps the fight going, whacking back-to-back boundaries off Yadav in the 25th over, and collecting a triple in the penultimate delivery. She isn’t ready to give up yet, and won’t bow out without a fight.
New Zealand 67/9 in 24 overs (Kerr 0, Kasperek 0)
Gayakwad collects the fourth wicket of her innings — in what has been a fantastic display so far, as she gets rid of Tahuhu to move India an inch closer to the semis berth.
OUT! India just one wicket away from entering the semi-finals now! Tahuhu departs after scoring just 5, getting an edge to the slips, where Goswami takes her second catch of the innings. New Zealand 67/9
Tahuhu c Goswami b Gayakwad 5(7)
New Zealand 63/8 in 23 overs (Kerr 0, Tahuhu 1)
Green lobs a full-toss from Yadav straight to mid-on to depart for 5, and the New Zealanders face the danger of a 200-run loss at the moment! Even getting to 100 seems like mission impossible for the White Ferns at the moment!
OUT! Now Green trudges back to the pavilion, getting caught by Goswami at mid-on off a full-toss to depart for 5. New Zealand 62/8
Green c Goswami b Yadav 5(13)
New Zealand 62/7 in 22 overs (Green 5, Kerr 0)
Gayakwad is on a roll at the moment, giving away just one run while collecting her third wicket, having given away just 10 runs so far! While a defeat is understandable, the White Ferns barely are putting up a fight at the moment.
OUT! Another Kiwi bites the dust! Rowe was playing the tossed up full delivery from Gayakwad towards the leg side, but was late in her execution, getting her stumps rattled in the process! New Zealand 62/7
Rowe b Gayakwad 4(8)
New Zealand 61/6 in 21 overs (Green 4, Rowe 4)
Rowe gets off the mark in style, punching the fifth delivery of Sharma’s sixth over, sending it towards the extra-cover boundary!
New Zealand 57/6 in 20 overs (Green 4, Rowe 0)
Gayakwad collects a wicket-maiden in the 20th over of the New Zealand innings. And the curtains seem to be drawing in on Suzie Bates’ women, who are six down with over 200 runs left to chase.
OUT! After a stunning delivery, Deepti now takes a stunner of a catch at cover to dismiss Devine, who got a leading edge while looking for a pull. The game is as good as over for the White Ferns now! New Zealand 57/6
Devine c Deepti b Gayakwad 7(24)
New Zealand 57/5 in 19 overs (Devine 7, Green 4)
Terrific delivery by Deepti in the second delivery of the over, with the ball turning nearly 45 degrees while beating Perkins’ defence completely, and clipping the top of her stumps. Deepti though, messes up towards the end of the over, with a no-ball and a boundary in the free-hit!
OUT! That has to be the delivery of the match! Pitched well outside off, the ball spins sharply into the batswoman, clipping the top of her stumps in the process! That was as exquisite a delivery as it gets! New Zealand 52/5
Perkins b Sharma 1(7)
New Zealand 52/4 in 18 overs (Devine 7, Perkins 1)
Satterthwaite departs in the first delivery of the over, and the Indians are in firm control of the proceedings at the moment! Just 1 run scored in the over, which gets new batswoman Katie Perkins off the mark. Excellent work by the Indians so far! One more wicket, and they may very well wrap this up soon.
OUT! Satterthwaite came down the track, but was looking to defend in the last minute, only to miss the line of the delivery and get stumped in the process. It is the pressure created so far which is starting to pay dividends for the Indians. The umpire calls for drinks after this dismissal. New Zealand 51/4
Satterthwaite st Verma b Gayakwad 26(47)
New Zealand 51/3 in 17 overs (Satterthwaite 26, Devine 7)
Devine collects a single at the start of the 17th over, which brings up the team 50. Two runs off the over.
New Zealand 49/3 in 16 overs (Satterthwaite 25, Devine 6)
Scare for Devine in the third delivery of the over, after she miscues an attempted drive down the ground, with the ball landing just short of Mandhana at mid-on. Just one off the over. The White Ferns are progressing at a little over three per over at the moment.
New Zealand 48/3 in 15 overs (Satterthwaite 25, Devine 5)
Boundary No 4 for Satterthwaite in the 15th over of the innings, going for a drive and picking the gap between cover and extra-cover. Six off the over. The fourth-wicket stand starting to look good now.
New Zealand 42/3 in 14 overs (Satterthwaite 20, Devine 4)
Third boundary for Satterthwaite, deftly guiding it towards the third man boundary, with the ball beating Deepti to the rope. Five off the over.
New Zealand 37/3 in 13 overs (Satterthwaite 15, Devine 4)
Deepti into her second over. Satterthwaite sweeps the first delivery of the over towards the midwicket boundary, though she can collect only a single due to the presence of a fielder in that area. Two runs for Devine in the fifth delivery, opening the face of her bat and guiding it towards third man.
The first 10 overs belong to India. The new ball offered about 6 overs of movement, and it has brought two wickets. Over to the spinners now.
Devine smashed a 41 ball 93 against Pakistan’s spin dominant attack. There were 9 sixes in that knock, a world record. If anybody thinks this game is over, think again.
New Zealand 34/3 in 12 overs (Satterthwaite 14, Devine 2)
It’s spin from both ends, with Gayakwad being tossed the ball from the other end, and she starts her spell off by conceding two off her first over.
New Zealand 32/3 in 11 overs (Satterthwaite 13, Devine 1)
First bowling change of the innings, with Deepti Sharma being given the ball at the start of the 11th over. Martin succumbs to the pressure that had been building for so long, holing out to Harmanpreet at midwicket while looking for a boundary. Devine, who scored a breath-taking 41-ball 93 against Pakistan earlier in the tournament, walks out to bat now. Satterthwaite sweeps firmly towards the midwicket boundary at the end of the over.
OUT! Deepti Sharma is given the ball after the 10th over, and she makes an impact straightaway as Martin holes out to Harmanpreet at midwicket while looking for the elusive boundary! New Zealand 27/3
Martin c Harmanpreet b Deepti 12(22)
New Zealand 26/2 in 10 overs (Satterthwaite 8, Katey Martin 12)
Just a single in the 10th over, and the White Ferns are progressing at a snail’s pace at the moment. Goswami and Pandey hve tightened their grip on the two batswomen at the centre with some tight bowling.
New Zealand 25/2 in 9 overs (Satterthwaite 7, Katey Martin 12)
Sharp work by the fielders stationed inside the circle in this over, saving vital runs for the Indians, increasing the pressure levels on the two Kiwi batswomen at the centre. Just two off the over.