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The women’s T20 competition in Commonwealth Games 2022 has reached its final stages, with four teams – Australia, England, India and New Zealand fighting for the medals. England, the table-toppers of Group B, will take on India who secured second place in Group A in the first Semi-final at Edgbaston on August 6th.
England’s route to the semi-finals has been pretty dominant as they went undefeated in Group B. They defeated Sri Lanka women in the first game by five wickets, followed by a 26-run win over South Africa. England women then went on to hammer New Zealand by seven wickets in the third game in a battle for top spot in the group.
The English bowlers put on a sensational bowling performance against Sophie Devine’s team, restricting them to just 71/9 in 20 overs. Katherine Brunt conceded just 4 runs in her three overs and picked two wickets, while Sarah Glenn and Issy Wong also snared two scalps each. Sophie Ecclestone bowled four overs for 11 runs while bagging a wicket. England lost three wickets in the run-chase but Alice Capsey’s 23 off 19 and Amy Jones’ 10-ball 18 was enough to get them over the line.
India women, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, finished second in Group A with two victories and four points. They began the campaign with a loss against Australia women in the tournament opener by three wickets but then went on to hammer Pakistan by eight wickets. In the third and most recent game, India obliterated Barbados by 100 runs on Wednesday.
Shafali Verma got India off to an excellent start with 43 off 26, while Jemimah Rodrigues scored an unbeaten 56 off 46. Deepti Sharma made 28-ball 34 down the order to propel the team total to 162/4 in 20 overs. Renuka Singh destroyed the top order yet again, with Barbados being the victims this time, snaring 4 for 10 in her spell. The rest of the pack chipped in well as they restricted the opponents to 62/8.
Key players
Katherine Brunt, with a brilliant bowling skill set and power hitting down the order, remains a key player for England. She has been superb in the tournament, picking four wickets at an incredible economy of 3.11 rpo while also smashing 38* off 23 in one innings. Overall, Brunt has 107 wickets at 5.46 rpo and 550 runs at 17 average/115 strike rate.
Shafali Verma, an 18yr old powerhouse has the ability to put the opponents on backfoot straight away. She has smashed 48 off 33 and 43 off 26 in two of the three games in the ongoing tournament. Verma has 860 runs from 35 T20I matches at an average of 25 while striking at 141, including three fifties.
Harmanpreet Kaur has been in great form this year with both bat and ball. The all-rounder was excellent in the first game against Australia, scoring 52 off just 34. She bowled three overs against Barbados, picking 1 for 7. Kaur’s overall T20I record reads 2463 runs at 27 average while also picking 32 wickets.
Nat Sciver hasn’t had a great time in recent games but remains a key player for England. The all-rounder has 1840 runs in the format at an average of 25 and strike rate of 112 with 10 fifties. Sciver also has 74 wickets with her medium pace at an economy of 6.41, including best figures of 4/15.
Prediction
The head to head record between these two sides in T20 cricket heavily favours England, who have won 17 out of 22 clashes. In the last five completed matches, England lead the scoreline by 3-2.
England have been without their regular skipper Heather Knight in this tournament due to a hip injury, with Nat Sciver leading the side. Sciver’s form hasn’t been great, but England have plenty of impact players in the line-up. Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Amy Jones have the ability to win matches on their own, while Brunt and Ecclestone are capable strikers down the order. The bowling attack of Brunt, Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Issy Wong and Freya Kemp looks potent.
The Indian team also has plenty of match winners with the bat in Mandhana, Verma, Kaur and Rodrigues. Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana offer a good all-round balance to the side. Renuka Singh has been magnificent with the ball, while Radha Yadav has done well too.
There’s not much to separate the two sides at this stage but given England’s form and more attacking approach, expect England to come out on top.
