Preview: Their four-match unbeaten streak brought to a halt, India will be keen to bounce back and take a step towards securing a semi-final spot when they take on the mighty Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup on Wednesday. India were on a rampaging run beating England, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka before South Africa disturbed their momentum with a massive 115-run win. Similarly Australia’s four-match unbeaten run was stopped by England in the previous game and they would also look to get back to winning ways. Neither of the teams have yet qualified for the semi-finals but Australia are in a better position by virtue of a strong net run-rate. The Aussies lost to England by just three runs, while India were defeated by a huge margin. In the previous game against South Africa, India had a great chance of sealing a semi-final berth but now they have their task cut out in the remaining round robin games against two strong teams in Australia and New Zealand. The last match witnessed an abject batting surrender by India as they got out for a meagre 158 while chasing 274. The game was pretty much done and dusted when India collapsed to 56 for six in the 17th over before Deepti Sharma saved the team the blushes of getting bowled out for under 100 by scoring 60 off 111 balls in the able company of number nine Jhulan Goswami, who remained unbeaten on 43. India’s record against Australia is not great with eight wins in 41 completed matches, but skipper Mithali Raj’s 89 set up a five-wicket win the last time the teams met. They would expect the likes of in-form Smriti Mandhana, Punam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur, besides Deepti and Mithali to fire in unison against the Australians. Shikha Pandey, who came back into the side against South Africa and took three wickets for 40 runs, said her team was aware of the precarious position they were in. “We need to pull ourselves back from the defeat. The best cricket that we can play is there, so hopefully it will come against Australia,” said Pandey. “We need to play more attacking cricket and need to plan better. Even before the World Cup started, we said that we were going to do our best and not have to depend on other teams,” she added. For Australia, tomorrow’s game is a return to Bristol where England sneaked a three-run win and skipper Meg Lanning said they would have to bounce back quickly and put on a strong performance. “Against England was not our best performance with the ball but hopefully we can learn from that pretty quickly and come back for India,” said Lanning. Teams (from): India: Mithali Raj (captain), Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Mansi Joshi, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smrti Mandhana, Mona Meshram, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, Nuzhat Parween, Punam Raut, Deepti Sharma, Sushma Verma. Australia: Meg Lanning (captain), Sarah Aley, Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell, Nicole Bolton, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington. With inputs from PTI
ICC Women's World Cup, India vs Australia, highlights and cricket result: Raut's ton ends in vain as AUS win by 8 wickets
Catch the live scores and updates of ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 match between India and Australia to be played in Bristol
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After 45 overs, Australia 223/2 ( Meg Lanning 76, Ellyse Perry 56)
Perry muscled Yadav’s paceless delivery through mid wicket for a boundary and then stepped out to a tossed delivery to hit the winning runs, but she realises the shot is not on and retracts. Sushma Verma appeals for the stumping, but in some bizzare way, Perry has managed to get her hand (PALM) back inside the crease, not bat, not foot/boot, but palm!
After 44 overs, Australia 218/2 ( Meg Lanning 76, Ellyse Perry 51)
Only 3 runs off Bisht’s over. She completes her quota giving away 55 runs.
After 43 overs, Australia 215/2 ( Meg Lanning 76, Ellyse Perry 48)
Yadav has bowled a tight over, with only 4 runs off it, that too could have been avoided if not for silly overthrows. 12 runs required.
After 42 overs, Australia 211/2 ( Meg Lanning 73, Ellyse Perry 47)
Kaur gave away 4 off the first 5 balls, but provides some width to Perry, who uses the crease and slams it through covers for another boundary, moves closer to her fifty.
After 41 overs, Australia 203/2 ( Meg Lanning 70, Ellyse Perry 42)
Deepti Sharma bowls a touch short and Lanning goes on her backfoot and slugs it fiercely through mid wicket, a fielder in the deep had to move about 10-12 yards to stop it, but missed the ball by a couple of yards. Sharma is still managing to find some turn, she finds Perry’s inside edge, which misses the stumps and Lanning forces Perry to run the third one, Verma relays the throw to the bowler’s end, but Sharma doesn’t collect it cleanly and Perry dives home. Bring the 100-run partnership.
After 40 overs, Australia 195/2 ( Meg Lanning 65, Ellyse Perry 39)
Australia just racing away to the target now without taking any risks, the drooped down Indian shoulders tell the story, but this has been outstanding batting by Lanning. There was no fielder back on the square leg boundary and Lanning picked her spot and swept Kaur for her sixth boundary.
After 39 overs, Australia 186/2 ( Meg Lanning 59, Ellyse Perry 36)
Deepti Sharma who has been the most impressive players of them all, comes back and gets some real turn, keeps it tight but another simple piece of fielding not executed well by Mandhana. The ball slips through her at backward point and Lanning runs two.
After 38 overs, Australia 183/2 ( Meg Lanning 56, Ellyse Perry 36)
A real drag down by Bisht and Perry had no problems slugging it behind square off her back foot.
After 37 overs, Australia 179/2 ( Meg Lanning 56, Ellyse Perry 32)
Kaur starts after the drinks break, a little back of a length and Perry pulled to square leg, but the ball has gone through Pandey’s hands and run into the boundary. Not looking good for India.
After 36 overs, Australia 172/2 ( Meg Lanning 55, Ellyse Perry 26)
After a prolonged thought, Ekta Bisht is asked to bowl the 36th over and she has managed to bowl six successive dots to Meg Lanning. It is the first over of the batting power play. India need a wicket, perhaps a couple, to make a comeback or else the total won’t challenge the Aussies.
After 35 overs, Australia 172/2 ( Meg Lanning 55, Ellyse Perry 26)
Just a normal outing for Lanning then? She slams her 11th fifty off 55 balls. Perry takes a brace off the second ball before taking a single off the third. Wow! Lanning opens the face of the bat and guides it to third man for a boundary. Goswami, perhaps feeling the pressure, bowls a wide. Lanning pushes the final ball through covers for a single.
After 34 overs, Australia 162/2 ( Meg Lanning 49, Ellyse Perry 23)
Poonam Yadav is back. All too easy for the Aussies, need 65 runs off 16 overs. Perry and Lanning pick 4 comfrtable singles off the over.
After 33 overs, Australia 158/2 ( Meg Lanning 47, Ellyse Perry 21)
Goswami comes back to break this partnership. Good comeback over, a couple of dot balls, but cannot prevent them from taking 3 singles. 69 runs required off 102 balls.
After 32 overs, Australia 155/2 ( Meg Lanning 46, Ellyse Perry 19)
Perry pulls Bisht to long leg for another boundary, Perry did struggle in the start, but loose deliveries such as these won’t help the cause. Australia progressing without any trouble.
After 31 overs, Australia 148/2 ( Meg Lanning 45, Ellyse Perry 13)
Bowling short and wide to Perry will be more often than not punished and Sharma drops it short and she puts it behind point.
After 30 overs, Australia 132/2 ( Meg Lanning 43, Ellyse Perry 7)
Sensational shot by Lanning, she is out of her crease in a flash and looks like she checks her lofted drive, but she has place it to perfection, left of long off, with the turn, beautiful shot. How good a player, Lanning is!!? Even with her shoulder giving her trouble, she can bat with such ease, it is commendable.
After 29 overs, Australia 132/2 ( Meg Lanning 37, Ellyse Perry 7)
Excellent use of the crease from Lanning. She makes a bit of room and cuts it in front of square on the off-side. No sweeper out to cut that off.
After 28 overs, Australia 125/2 ( Meg Lanning 30, Ellyse Perry 7)
Pandey bowls it full and wide and Perry has driven it past cover point for his first boundary. Nice looking shot.
After 27 overs, Australia 119/2 ( Meg Lanning 29, Ellyse Perry 2)
4 runs off Bisht’s over. Lanning is complete control as she rocks back and taps behind point for a couple of runs. Smart batting, Perry hasn’t quite hit her straps.
After 26 overs, Australia 115/2 ( Meg Lanning 26, Ellyse Perry 1)
Perry gets her first run with as she guides it down to third man. 3 runs off the over.
After 25 overs, Australia 112/2 ( Meg Lanning 24, Ellyse Perry 0)
Bisht bowls a tight over, there was loud shout for lbw as the ball turned from the leg stump and hit Perry on the back foot. Replays showed that it was just missing the ff stump.
After 24 overs, Australia 111/2 ( Meg Lanning 23, Ellyse Perry 0)
Shikha Pandey is brought back into the attack. She finishes the over with 3 singles.
After 23 overs, Australia 108/2 ( Meg Lanning 20, Ellyse Perry 0)
Two balls and two contrasting display of fielding display, first Deepti Sharma picks, turns and hit direct on the stumps to catch Mooney short of the crease and the next ball the Punam Raut overruns the ball and it goes into the boundary.
OUT! Deepti Sharma’s direct hit has accounted for Mooney, she was off for another quick single and Sharma picking from mid wicket and shies at the stump. She departs after a well made 45.
Ellyse Perry in at no.4
After 22 overs, Australia 96/1 (Beth Mooney 44, Meg Lanning 14)
Yadav’s 5th over goes for 8 runs including a glorious cover drive by Mooney, gets forward and simply eases into the drive.