| Women’s World Cup, Eden Park |
|---|
| India 277-7 (50 overs): Raj 68, Yastika 59, Harmanpreet 57* |
| Australia 280-4 (49.3 overs): Lanning 97 Healy 72 |
| Australia won by six wickets |
| Scorekeeper. Desk |
Australia completed the highest chase in Women’s World Cup history to beat India and reach the semi-finals.
In an excellent throw, India went 277-7 after half a century by Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur and Mithali Raj.
Australia seemed to be galloping before captain Meg Lanning went out for 97 in the penultimate over.
Amid the mounting tension in Auckland, Australia needed eight from the final, only for Beth Mooney to seal the six-wicket victory with three balls remaining.
It meant Australia surpassed the 258 it took against Sri Lanka at the 2017 World Cup, while also recording the third-best chase in all women’s one-day internationals.
Their fifth win of the tournament puts them two points behind South Africa at the top of the table and guarantees a place in the bottom four.
- Women’s World Cup fixtures and results
India will likely need to win their last two matches, against Bangladesh and South Africa, to have a chance of progress.
When asked to bat at Eden Park, the 2017 runners-up appeared to be putting pressure on tournament favorites Australia in front of a rowdy and partisan crowd.
The true square footage and rectangular dimensions of the pitch posed problems for bowlers and pitch captains, with Raj, who made 68, and Yastika, 59, taking the lead in a partnership of 130.
And when India stalled, trailing 213-6 at the start of the 43rd, Harmanpreet hit 57 of 47 balls, adding 64 with Pooja Vastrakar in a riotous position for seventh wicket.
Any momentum India gained was stolen by the intent of Alyssa Healy, whose 72 came from just 65 balls as she and fellow fly-half Rachael Haynes advanced to seven above.
Despite Australia losing two wickets by two runs, Lanning and Ellyse Perry were in complete control during their 103 partnership, maneuvering the ball and running between wickets.
Australia’s progress was slowed by a rain delay, after which Perry slapped a full throw from Vastrakar to Raj under cover.
The speed required briefly veered to more of a run-a-ball, but Lanning found a willing ally in southpaw Mooney.
Lanning had dotted the region behind the square on the opposite side and seemed to be reaching his fifteenth century in one day with another cut, only to find Vastrakar’s hands on the dot.
With the Indian fans believing again and veteran closer Jhulan Goswami, in her 200th ODI, pitching in the final, Mooney kept her composure.
He bowled over the middle of the wicket for four, capitalized on a field error to pinch two and then hit Goswami over his head for the winner limit.
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