Australia beat India (Photo ICC)
Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner combined for a stunning 100-run partnership to fire Australia to a six-wicket win over India at Lord’s.
The victory wrapped up top spot in Group A for Australia, setting up a semi-final clash with the West Indies, while South Africa now progress to take on England.
Following South Africa’s win over Bangladesh, the world’s number three side, India, needed to beat Australia to clinch a semi-final spot.
And for long periods, it looked as though they might do it, thanks in large part to Harmanpreet Kaur’s blistering 56 that lifted them to 170 for four.
But a day after England had pulled off a joint-record chase in ICC Women’s T20 World Cups, Australia raised the mark on the same ground.
In front of 27,163 fans, the highest-ever attendance for an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup group-stage match, with India men’s legends Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan among those in the crowd, Australia paced their chase perfectly.
And it was the century stand between Perry and Gardner that proved decisive as Australia continued their perfect run in the tournament, gaining some measure of revenge over India, who had beaten them in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 semi-finals.
India elected to bat, and after a tight first over, Smriti Mandhana elicited huge cheers from the crowd with back-to-back fours through midwicket off Kim Garth.
Shafali Verma followed her lead with a crunching four over mid-off from Ashleigh Gardner’s first ball before going even bigger with a six in the same area.
The game was evenly-poised after the powerplay, with India 43 without loss, relatively untroubled but also held in check by some accurate Australian bowling.
The fifty partnership came up off 42 balls, and when Gardner returned to the attack, Verma went after her once more, with a six over midwicket followed by a four through extra cover.
Sophie Molineux introduced herself into the attack and immediately produced a wicket, turning one past the edge of Verma (34) and onto the stumps to end the opening partnership at 66.
Jemimah Rodrigues, the star of India’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-final win over Australia, came out firing with an early boundary and a clear intent to run hard as India reached 74 for one at the halfway point.
Australia were keeping the run-rate down, and they gratefully accepted a wicket when Mandhana called for a run but got no response from Rodrigues, the opener left stranded and gone for a fluent 38.
Harmanpreet Kaur was next in, and she brought up the hundred with a powerful drive through extra cover as India reached 102 for two after 14 overs.
The India captain was able to keep the boundaries coming at regular intervals, but India were struggling to find a big over to set up an imposing total.
That all changed in the 19th over, a four from Kaur and then a six from Rodrigues, dropped over the boundary by Georgia Wareham, allowing India to score 13.
Rodrigues (34) then retired to bring the big-hitting Richa Ghosh to the crease, the third-wicket partnership ending on 64.
But it was Kaur who went on the offensive, hitting Molineux for successive straight sixes to reach her fifty from just 25 balls, taking India past 150 in the process.
The pressure was getting to Australia, Phoebe Litchfield putting down a straightforward catch and conceding a third consecutive six.
Ellyse Perry made no mistake on the penultimate ball, removing Kaur for 56 but a final boundary from Deepti Sharma took India to 170 for four from their 20 overs.
Australia needed a record chase in ICC Women’s T20 World Cups and got off to a dream start when Georgia Voll stroked one through the covers for a four first ball.
But she was gone the very next ball, trapped in front by Renuka Singh Thakur to heap the pressure on the world’s number one side.
Phoebe Litchfield did not seem bothered by that pressure, though, going after Kranti Gaud with successive fours to take Australia to 23 for one after just two overs.
Consecutive overs going for just one run swung the momentum back India’s way, but a couple of boundaries from Mooney, the second just over the outstretched arm of Sree Charani, kept it right in the balance.
Litchfield then smashed Shafali Verma for a straight six, and Australia were up to 49 for one at the end of the powerplay.
With the fifty up, Litchfield top-edged one off Charani, but it landed safely out of the reach of Richa Ghosh. She was not as fortunate later the same over, though, picking out Smriti Mandhana at long on, going for 24 after a 50-run stand.
Ellyse Perry wasted no time, smashing Deepti Sharma for four over midwicket first ball, before piercing the field for another boundary next over.
But India’s spinners were making life tough, and when Mooney tried to take on Sharma, she paid for it, Radha Yadav making no mistake in the deep to remove the opener for 22.
In doing so, Sharma moved past Jhulan Goswami’s record for the most wickets in international women’s cricket with her 356th wicket.
Ash Gardner joined Perry, and Australia moved to 72 for three after 10 overs, enough to clinch top spot in the group.
Having come in for some treatment with the ball, Gardner returned the favour with the bat, smashing Yadav for a four and then a six to put the pressure back on India.
With six overs to go, Australia needed 62 with seven wickets in hand, and when Gardner lifted Charani for six, the chase looked in good shape.
Perry then split the field through gully for a four, off a no-ball, to add insult to injury in another good over for Australia.
The partnership between two of Australia’s most experienced campaigners was beginning to take the game from India, not helped by a misfield that allowed Perry to add four more.
Thakur returned for her final over but was hit for a six by Gardner and two fours by Perry, who brought up successive fifties, this one from just 33 balls.
Gardner matched her to finish the 18th over, needing just 28 balls to get there as Australia moved to within touching distance of the win.
Perry did fall before the job was finished, chipping to Verma to go for 56, but Georgia Wareham came in and hit the winning runs to wrap up a scintillating chase with six balls to spare.
Australia win helps South Africa advance
The Proteas have made back-to-back finals at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, after Australia beat India in the second match of the double header at the Home of Cricket to make it through to the last four.
South Africa advanced to a semi-final against hosts England.
Against Bangladesh, they put themselves in a strong position thanks to a fine showing with the ball, Nonkululeko Mlaba the pick of the bowlers with two for 22.
Sobhana Mostary scored 42 and Nigar Sultana Joty 32 not out, but Bangladesh were restricted to 117 for five.
And although South Africa lost Laura Wolvaardt first ball, Annerie Dercksen’s 45 made sure an occasionally nervy chase went the way of the Proteas.
After electing to bat, Bangladesh made a disastrous start when Marizanne Kapp bowled Juraiya Ferdous off the first ball of the match, the opener with a wild swipe across the line and missing a straight one.
Kapp was miserly as she bowled her first four overs straight, finishing with figures of one for nine as Bangladesh found themselves under pressure early.
They lost Taj Nehar, LBW to Shabnim Ismail, for one to fall to 14 for two after four overs but Sobhana Mostary and Sharmin Akhter got them back on track.
A partnership of 56 was just what was required, with Sobhana particularly effective behind square on the offside, before she attacked Nadine de Klerk with a thumping six over the legside.
Sharmin played her part at the other end, but finally succumbed for 22 when she tried to charge down the wicket to Nonkululeko Mlaba and was outfoxed by the spin and bowled.
That left Bangladesh at 70 for three, and soon they were 77 for four when Sobhana’s fine innings was ended on 42, De Klerk getting some revenge with a short ball that was cut to Mlaba.
With both set batters gone, the Bangladeshi innings could have stalled, but skipper Nigar Sultana Joty had other ideas.
That including a spectacular sweep for six off Ayabonga Khaka although Mlaba punished Shorna Akter when she tried to go for another maximum the next ball, picking out Ismail on the long-on boundary.
From 95 for five in the 19th over, Bangladesh finished strongly, including back-to-back boundaries off the last two balls from Nigar, who ended on an unbeaten 32 from just 20 deliveries to lift her team to 117 for five from their 20 overs.
As with the Bangladeshi innings, South Africa also lost a wicket first ball, an absolute beauty of a delivery from Marufa Akter beating Laura Wolvaardt all ends up. Bowling with real pace, she got one to come in and through the South African skipper’s defences, crashing into the stumps.
The rest of the over was more challenging, three consecutive wides, including one that went to the boundary, allowing South Africa to get their chase underway.
Runs were generally proving hard to come by off the bat, but Annerie Dercksen went after Sanjida Akter Meghla with a huge six over deep midwicket.
Tazmin Brits got in on the act off Rabeya Khan with a sweep for four as she and Dercksen helped the Proteas to 40 for one in the powerplay.
Bangladesh desperately needed a wicket and got it when Brits tried to go big against Nahida Akter, picking out Marufa on the boundary, going for 20.
Sanjida returned at the other end and removed Dane van Niekerk for four, LBW trying to reverse sweep with South Africa 59 for three at the halfway stage in their innings.
Dercksen needed some treatment after a full-length dive from a quick single, but she and Kapp steadied the ship as Bangladesh searched for further breakthroughs.
And a straight six off Sanjida took Dercksen into the forties, with the chase well in-hand.
But she could not see them home, nicking one behind off Nahida to go for 45 to make it 87 for four.
Rabeya Khan returned and conceded just one off her final over to leave South Africa still needing 26 off the last four overs.
The boundaries had started to dry up but a drive through the covers from Nadine de Klerk eased the tension, bringing the required rate back under a run a ball. But next ball, a mix-up saw Kapp (16) run out, reigniting the contest once more.
Another De Klerk four, this time behind square on the legside, was almost followed by another run-out, but Chloe Tryon got home just in time.
De Klerk tried to finish the job in style but did not have the distance on a skied pull, brilliantly caught by Shorna Akter in the deep for 15 with five still required.
Having taken it to the final over, Bangladesh’s hopes were effectively ended when Tryon edged Marufa for four off the first ball.
And she hit the next delivery over the infield to see South Africa home, leaving their fate in the hands of Australia to see if their competition would continue.
Scores in brief
Bangladesh v South Africa – Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
Bangladesh: 117/5 in 20 overs (Sobhana Mostary 42, Nigar Sultana Joty 32 not out; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2/22, Marizanne Kapp 1/9)
South Africa: 118/6 in 19.2 overs (Annerie Dercksen 45, Tazmin Brits 20; Nahida Akter 2/24, Marufa Akter 1/23)
Result: South Africa win by four wickets
Australia v India – Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
India: 170/4 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 56, Smriti Mandhana 38; Sophie Molineux 2/46)
Australia: 172/4 in 19 overs (Ellyse Perry 56, Ashleigh Gardner 53 not out; Sree Charani 2/32, Deepti Sharma 1/31)
Result: Australia win by six wickets
