Snehasis Mukherjee in Navi Mumbai
Australia, the defending champions, posted 338 in 49.5 overs against India in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. A magnificent century from Phoebe Litchfield, along with valuable contributions from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, powered them to the huge score.
India had an average day in the field, marked by several misfields, overthrows and dropped catches. Questions were again raised about Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy, especially her decision to not keep slip fielders and use spinners in the death overs despite having Renuka Singh Thakur (2 overs left) and Kranti Gaud (4 overs left) available.
India made a bold selection call, dropping Harleen Deol and going with six bowling options. For Australia, skipper Alyssa Healy made her comeback after missing the last few games and she chose to bat first after winning the toss. Sophie Molineux also returned to the playing XI.
The Women in Blue got an early breakthrough when Kranti Gaud dismissed Healy for just 5. Before that, Harmanpreet had dropped a simple chance to remove her, but thankfully, it did not prove costly.
From there, Litchfield took charge with a classy knock of 119 off 93 balls. She and Perry stitched together a brilliant 155-run partnership for the second wicket to put Australia in control. India’s fielding woes continued, with multiple misfields and overthrows helping the scoreboard tick.
After Litchfield’s dismissal, Beth Mooney joined Perry for a steady 40-run stand. But India found a small opening after that, picking four wickets for 45 runs, reducing the Aussies from 220/2 to 265/6.
N Shree Charani dismissed both Mooney (24) and Annabel Sutherland in quick succession. Just as Perry looked set for her first century of this World Cup, Radha Yadav struck to remove her for 77. A sharp throw from Jemimah Rodrigues, collected smartly by Richa Ghosh, ran out Tahlia McGrath cheaply.
That was India’s chance to tighten the screws and keep Australia under 300. But Ashleigh Gardner and Kim Garth had other plans. Their attacking 66-run partnership in quick time saw Australia wrest the initiative. Gardner scored a quickfire 63 off 45 balls, ensuring her side ended strongly at 338 all out.
Now, all eyes will turn to Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana — can the openers provide the solid start that India need to chase down this mammoth target? The next few hours will decide if India can keep their home World Cup dream alive or if the defending champions will once again seal their spot in the final.
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