Australia produced another clinical display to defeat India by six wickets at Lord’s, ending India’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign and setting up a semi-final meeting with West Indies.
Having already secured qualification with four consecutive victories, Australia entered their final Group A match under no pressure. India, however, required a win to progress. After posting 170 and reducing Australia to a position where 86 runs were still needed from the final eight overs, India appeared well placed to keep their tournament alive.
Instead, Australia responded through a decisive century partnership between Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner, completing the chase with an over remaining and six wickets in hand.
The result also confirmed South Africa’s place in the semi-finals. Earlier in the day, South Africa had narrowly chased 118 against Bangladesh on the same Lord’s surface and then watched the evening fixture unfold, knowing an Australian victory would send them through.
Australia Rotate Their Attack
With qualification already secured, Australia used the match to test different combinations.
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Lucy Hamilton and Kim Garth shared the new ball, while leg-spinner Alana King was left out despite Australia’s reliance on spin earlier in the tournament. Ellyse Perry was handed a Powerplay over, as was Ash Gardner, while Sophie Molineux was only introduced in the final over of India’s innings, where Harmanpreet Kaur attacked her left-arm spin.
Even with the changes, Australia controlled much of India’s innings before the late acceleration.
India Recover with Late Assault
India’s opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put together 66 runs but consumed almost half of the innings in doing so.
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Verma eventually lost her wicket attempting an aggressive shot against Molineux, while Mandhana was run out after setting off for a run that never materialised. Jemimah Rodrigues remained busy but regularly found fielders patrolling the boundary.
India’s innings gained momentum during the final two overs. Harmanpreet Kaur struck three sixes, while Rodrigues added another maximum. Two of those sixes came after catching opportunities from Georgia Wareham and Phoebe Litchfield were not converted near the boundary, helping India finish on 170.
Perry and Gardner Turn the Match
Australia’s chase began with an early setback when Georgia Voll was dismissed from the second ball of the innings after Renuka Singh Thakur successfully reviewed an lbw decision.
Phoebe Litchfield returned after missing three matches because of a quad injury but managed only 24 from 25 balls before departing. When Beth Mooney was caught at long-on for 22, Australia were 68 for 3 and still required 103 runs from 65 deliveries.
Perry and Gardner then transformed the contest.
After spending a few overs settling in, the pair rapidly increased the scoring rate. They collected 17 runs from an over by Radha Yadav, followed with 16 from Sree Charani, added 12 from Shafali Verma, and then took another 17 from Renuka Singh Thakur as Australia seized complete control.
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Perry repeatedly found gaps through the off side, while Gardner cleared the boundary three times, including two pulls for six and another straight hit.
With three overs remaining, the required rate had dropped below one run per ball, leaving India with little chance of a comeback.
Australia Head into Knockouts in Style
Australia eventually completed the chase with an over to spare.
Both Perry and Gardner reached half-centuries before Georgia Wareham finished the match with a straight boundary.
The victory not only ended India’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals but also reinforced Australia’s status as one of the favourites for the title. Despite making several changes to their playing XI and already having secured qualification, Australia comfortably chased a competitive target against a strong opponent.
Australia now advance to a semi-final clash against West Indies, while South Africa join them in the final four following India’s elimination.
