06/28/26 12:41:00
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06/28 12:40 CDT Australia easily beats India and sends South Africa into the
Women's T20 semifinals
Australia easily beats India and sends South Africa into the Women's T20
semifinals
LONDON (AP) --- Australia produced a statement group-closing win that
eliminated India and advanced South Africa into the semifinals of the Women's
Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday.
Australia looked primed for a seventh crown in 10 World Cups after blowing away
India by six wickets with an over to spare at a packed Lord's.
India had to win to overtake South Africa for the last semifinal spot.
But half-centuries by Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner in a 100-run partnership off
59 balls powered Australia to victory in front of an India-heavy crowd of
27,163, a second record attendance for a World Cup group match in 24 hours.
"Pez (Perry) said that 170 (India's total) is very, very gettable," Australia
captain Sophie Molineux said. "She was good to go out there and chase it down
with Ash. Those two batted beautifully."
On the same pitch earlier, South Africa labored past Bangladesh by four wickets
and waited for India's fate.
In the semifinals, Australia will play the West Indies on Tuesday and England
will face South Africa on Thursday, both at The Oval.
Perry and Gardner explode
India was riding confidence from taking the ODI World Cup last November
followed by a rare T20 series win in Australia. And halfway through the Lord's
match, India was on track.
Shafali Verma blasted off although Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues scored
at run-a-ball pace. Rodrigues perhaps sacrificed herself too late in the 19th
over to bring in big-hitting Richa Ghosh.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was leading India's charge and smashed three
consecutive sixes in a 23-run last over to set up a competitive 170-4 total.
Kaur's 27-ball 56 was her fifth fifty against Australia in T20 World Cups.
Bowling is India's strength and the attack reduced Australia to 68-3 in the
10th over.
Australia eventually needed 62 runs from 36 balls when Gardner and Perry
exploded. They took 16 runs from Shree Charani, 12 from Verma then 17 from
Renuka Singh to slash the asking rate to a cruisy 17 from 18 balls.
Perry raised her fifty from 33 balls followed by Gardner from 29. On the brink
of victory, Perry was out on 56 to give Charani her tournament-leading 14th
wicket. Gardner was 53 not out at a winning 172-4.
South Africa do it the hard way
South Africa played its part on the day by beating Bangladesh but was taken to
the last over.
By coincidence, the best batters on both teams were out to the first ball of
each innings. Juairiya Ferdous swung at and missed Marizanne Kapp and gave the
South African pacer her 100th T20 wicket. South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt
was bowled between bat and pad by Marufa Akter. The pair of opening ducks
happened only once before at a T20 World Cup in 2018 between Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh.
Bangladesh chose to bat and made only 117-5 in the face of quality bowling by
Kapp (1-9) Shabnim Ismail (1-15) and Nonkululeko Mlaba (2-22).
Sobhana Mostary top-scored for Bangladesh with 42 and captain Nigar Sultana was
32 not out off 20 to become the team's leading tournament scorer.
Annerie Dercksen and Tazmin Brits gave South Africa a better start but wickets
fell regularly enough to make the chasers sweat. Dercksen was caught behind in
the 15th over, Kapp was run out in the 18th and Nadine de Klerk fell in the
19th. It took Chloe Tryon to grab the win with two miscued shots.
"We seem to always do this but we take the win," Kapp said. "A win is a win.
Even if it was very scrappy."
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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