Knight, Sciver and Jones lead England into final
India, who left out Mithali Raj, collapsed from 89 for 2 to 112 all out, a total that proved inadequate even in unusually spin-friendly conditions
India, who left out Mithali Raj, collapsed from 89 for 2 to 112 all out, a total that proved inadequate even in unusually spin-friendly conditions
Scorer: @Thilak_Rama | Commentator: Karthik Krishnaswamy
10.50pm And that is that from the semi-finals. Australia and England will face off for the third time for the World T20 title on Sunday. A chastening day for West Indies and India. We hope you've enjoyed our coverage. Until next time, it's goodbye from me and Thilak.
Heather Knight: "The match got away from us a bit in the Powerplay, but the spinners bowled really well to bring us back. Kirstie has been outstanding on her first tour. Sophie, young spinner as well, has shown a lot of quality over the last year or so. I think Anya might have killed me (if I'd bowled for the hat-trick). I think the conditions have been very tricky in St Lucia and when we've come here, No worries at all about [the form of Beaumont and Wyatt]. The final is going to be a great game, hopefully we'll have a great atmosphere and a brilliant game of cricket."
Harmanpreet Kaur: "Whatever we decided, we decided for the team. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, no regrets. I'm proud of the way my girls played through the tournament. This is a learning for us because we are a young team. Sometimes you have to change your game according to the wicket. England bowled really well, read the wicket really well. It was not an easy total to chase, and our bowlers bowled really well. We stretched the match till the 18th over. I think we are a young team and we still need to work on our mental strength. If we can work on how to play under pressure, that will change how we play these games."
Amy Jones is the Player of the Match. "Just fantastic to get the win. Nat just came in and took the pressure off immediately. We just wanted to be there at the end basically. Playing at 8pm gives you a lot of thinking time. We were thinking about it, planning on how to play their high-quality spinners, and the plans worked."
Javaid Rana: "We are celebrating in East london.. Congratulations England girls.."
Supriya: "That's the problem with a team winning all matches in the league stage... WI & India lost the one match that mattered!"
10.38pm England have won by eight wickets, with 17 balls remaining. That should tell you everything you need to know. A lot of the post-match press in India will reflect on the non-selection of Mithali Raj, but this game was about a lot more than that decision. England were just better with bat, ball, and on-field tactics. At 89 for 2, India were building up a bit of momentum, but they collapsed thereafter, with their middle and lower order struggling against England's smart spin bowling and a slow, grippy pitch. From 112 all out, there was only one way back, but India's bowling plans were geared towards containment rather than going after wickets, and Amy Jones and Nat Sciver were too good to let those plans get the better of them.
Pankaj Kasana: "Looks like even Star Sports are trolling Indian Team Management. Constantly putting Mitali's advertisement on air." -- Ha!
Jones needs two for her fifty, England need two to win.
The India captain says the side wanted to stick to the XI that defeated Australia in the previous game, so Mithali Raj missed out
India punted on youth, but it backfired spectacularly on a tough surface where Raj's experience could've been valuable
Raj's manager had harsh words for Harmanpreet Kaur in unprecedented outburst, calling Raj's treatment "completely uncalled for"
India, who left out Mithali Raj, collapsed from 89 for 2 to 112 all out, a total that proved inadequate even in unusually spin-friendly conditions
India are the form team coming into this semi-final, but do they have the big-match temperament to get past a highly experienced England side?