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England Women confirmed their spot in the semifinals of the ICC Women’s World Cup on March 27, beating a hapless Bangladeshi side in Wellington. Despite initial jitters in the competition, England successfully made the cut for the knock-outs, coming out triumphant by 100 runs at the Basin Reserve.
Batting first after winning the toss, defending World Cup champions England made a more-than-decent score of 234/6 in their allotted 50 overs, thanks to knocks of substance from Sophia Dunkley (67), Natalie Sciver (40) and critical thirties by Tammy Beaumont (33) and Amy Jones (31).
Bangladesh did a reasonably good job with the ball, led by their experienced off-spinner Salma Khatun, who bagged figures of two for 46 in her ten overs and finished the tournament as her team’s top wicket-taker and performer. Her effort was backed up by miserly spells from Jahanara Alam (1/39) and Ritu Moni (1/36).
But longstanding issues on the batting front held Bangladesh back, as they collapsed to just 134 all out in 48 overs. In a painstaking run-chase, 30 from Lata Mondal was the top score. There were twenties from Shamima Sultana (23), Sharmin Akhter (23) as well. But the inability to rotate the strike and get the ball off the square consistently led to Bangladesh’s downfall once again.
Sophie Ecclestone (3/15), Charlotte Dean (3/31) and Freya Davies (2/36) were the stand-out performers with the ball for England. Ecclestone and Dean were especially severe against the Bangladesh top six, running through the opposition batting to make it a no contest.
Brief scores
England 234/6 in 50 overs (Dunkley 67, Sciver 40; Khatun 2/46) beat Bangladesh 134/10 in 48 overs (Mondal 30; Ecclestone 3/15, Dean 3/31) by 100 runs
The second, and perhaps the most crucial game played on the night, saw South Africa outperform India under pressure in a direct knock-out game to end the Asian rivals’ World Cup dreams.
To make the cut for the semis over the West Indies, Mithali Raj and her team needed to win against South Africa. But Proteas women chased down the fighting 275-run target in a last-ball finish to seal the opponent’s fate.
Defending seven runs off the final over, Deepti Sharma held the opposition at bay till the final ball but eventually, Mignon du Preez’s (52) fantastic batting abilities overcame Deepti’s sustained pressure. Du Preez could’ve been out caught at mid-off on the penultimate ball with three runs needed, but Deepti’s heel was found just outside the popping crease on a no-ball with the free-hit awarded.
Laura Wolvaardt (80) and middle-order batters Lara Goodall (49), Marizanne Kapp (32) also played critical knocks under immense pressure. At one stage, when the Wolvaardt-Goodall partnership was going, the Proteas looked like racing away with an easy win.
But spinners Harmanpreet Kaur (2/42) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/61) struck on time to bring India back in the contest. Deepti (0/41) also bowled a miserly spell to keep things tight. In the end, however, there weren’t enough runs on the board.
Earlier in the day, opening batters Smriti Mandhana (71) and Shafali Verma (53) led India’s batting surge at the top of the order, before skipper Mithali Raj (68) and Harmanpreet (48) kept the team in line for a competitive score from the middle-order.
India could’ve easily had more runs on the board if the experienced Shabnim Ismail (2/42), Masabata Klaas (2/38) and rest hadn’t pulled the game back in South Africa’s way.
Brief scores
India 274/7 in 50 overs (Mandhana 71, Raj 68; Klaas 2/38) lost to South Africa 275/7 in 50 overs (Wolvaardt 80, du Preez 52; Kaur 2/42) by 3 wickets
2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup semifinal schedule
| # | Teams | Venue | Date |
| Semifinal 1 | Australia – West Indies | Basin Reserve | March 30 |
| Semifinal 2 | South Africa – England | Hagley Oval | March 31 |
