India and Australia - The road to the grand finale

Australia celebrating a nerve-wrenching semi-final victory ©Getty

India and Australia - The road to the grand finale

India

Beat Australia by 17 runs

There's starting a World Cup well, and then there's starting it with a victory over hosts and tournament favourites. After some Shafali Verma madness (29 off 15) at the start consolidated by Deepti Sharma's method (49 off 46) through the middle, it was Poonam Yadav's infuriatingly slow leg-break that ended Australia's fight. Poonam befuddled some of the best in the business - Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry among her spoils - with balls delivered at as low as 35 mph, derailing Australia's chase in some style.

Beat Bangladesh by 18 runs

Bangladesh put India in to bat in Perth and learned - the hard way - what the recent fuss surrounding Shafali Verma was all about. She went a step further, smashing 39 off 17. Jemimah Rodrigues played the yang to Shafali's yin, bringing stability to the table with 34 off 37 before Veda Krishnamurthy gave India a much-needed nudge with a cameo. Despite the best efforts of Murshida Khatun and Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh couldn't work their way around another devastating spell from Poonam Yadav (3 for 18 in 4 overs).

Beat New Zealand by 3 runs

With semi-final qualification in sight, the Shafali juggernaut rolled on in rather emphatic fashion, but the rest of India's batters flattered to deceive on the day. The opener's 34-ball 46 was the best contribution to India's modest 133, but the bowling pack ensured the streak continued. Albeit only just.

They had to overcome a real scare from Amelia Kerr, who threw the kitchen sink at Poonam Yadav in a quest to chase down 34 off the last 12 deliveries. 18 off those 34 were pocketed off Poonam, but Shikha Pandey just about held her nerve to deny New Zealand a famous World Cup win.

Beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets

India's left-arm spin duo Radha Yadav (4 for 23) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2 for 18) proved to be too hot to handle for Sri Lanka, even as captain Chamari Athapaththu fought on with a 24-ball 33. The next best score - 25* off 16 - came from the No. 9 batter Kavisha Dilhari as Sri Lanka limped to 113 for 9. With another rollicking start, Shafali ensured the result in India's favour was a matter of when, not if. India coasted to their fourth victory on the bounce to finish unbeaten, and on top of the Group A points table.

Semifinal: No result due to rain

Showers in Sydney handed a rude exit to England, whose defeat to South Africa ended up costing them a fair shot at making the final. Rains just didn't relent, even for a truncated fixture, allowing India to advance on the basis of faring better in the group stages. ICC drew flak for the absence of a reserve day for the knockout clash, but England had to take it on the chin considering they and every other participating nation signed off on the playing conditions at the start.

The Indian women's cricket team will be aiming for much-needed consistency when it opens its bid for an elusive ICC trophy with the T20 World Cup opener against defending champions Australia. AFP file photo

Australia

Lost to India by 17 runs

Australia were jolted very early in the tournament when they were rattled by Poonam Yadav in the tournament opener despite being billed as the firm favourites to clinch the trophy. India had crawled their way to 132/4 in their quota of 20 overs and while many people expected the run chase to be straightforward for the Australians, Poonam had other ideas. From 55 for 1, Australia were bowled out for just 115, losing their last nine wickets for just 60 runs.

Beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets

After the setback against India, Australia were on the verge of nearing elimination when they were reeling at 10/3 in a run chase of 123. But Meg Lanning and Rachel Haynes ensured their campaign didn't derail as they added 95 runs for the fourth wicket. Australia eventually won the contest by five wickets with just three balls remaining in the chase. In the context of the tournament, this result was massive for the hosts.

Beat Bangladesh by 86 runs

Australia's campaign was back on track following this result. They were at their ruthless best and absolutely hammered Bangladesh by a massive margin of 86 runs. Openers Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney set up the win with a 151-run opening partnership before Megan Schutt ran through the Bangladesh top-order. The Asian side managed only 103 on the board in a run-chase of 190.

Beat New Zealand by 4 runs

In another must-win encounter which was also virtually a quarterfinal, Australia edged past their Trans-Tasman rivals by 4 runs to book their place in the final four after a lot of hiccups. Beth Mooney held fort with a half-century and Rachel Haynes chipped in with a vital cameo at the death. Georgia Wareham and Megan Schutt ensured New Zealand were never in the fray as Katey Martin's late charge wasn't enough.

Semifinal: Beat South Africa by 5 runs (DLS)

Laura Wolvaardt tried but she didn't find enough support at the other end to knock Australia out of the tournament. Rain played its role once again in a South African heartbreak as Australia reached their sixth final in seven editions. Lanning's 49 helped Australia put on 134 and as a result of the rain, South Africa were asked to chase down 98 in 13 overs. Wolvaardt made an unbeaten 41 but the Australian bowlers did enough to eke out a five-run win and set up a mouth-watering final against India.

Source: cricbuzz.com

Is the Virat Kohli-pack the best visiting Indian group?

Is the Virat Kohli-pack the best visiting Indian group?

Is the Virat Kohli bunch the best Indian touring side? ©AFP

"The undertaking of this group is to travel well, contend and win. In the event that you take a gander at the most recent three years, we have won nine matches abroad and three arrangement (two in Sri Lanka and one in West Indies), I can't perceive some other Indian group in the last 15-20 years that has had a similar run in such a brief timeframe, and you have had some incredible players playing in those arrangement" - These were the expressions of lead trainer Ravi Shastri after India lost the arrangement in England in 2018 after the fourth Test in Southampton. 

Dissimilar to the Indian groups of the past, Virat Kohli's side was at the highest point of the ICC rankings toward the beginning of the year (in 2018) preceding they were to visit outside Asia - having lost only two Tests in the previous three years. The group had the chance to carve their name in history as the best Indian group at any point had they proceeded with the fantasy run abroad - the litmus test for groups from the sub-mainland. With India finishing the present cycle after the visit to New Zealand, it's a decent time to break down and perceive how close, or far, was Shastri from reality. 

With the end goal of this article, India's abroad visits to South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia - condensed as SENA from this time forward - are clubbed together into different cycles, each ordinarily running for a long time - plus or minus a couple of months at either end. West Indies have been generally disappointing in the period since the 1990s and have been avoided for this examination. Two additional provisos to the investigation - the erratic Test in New Zealand in 1994 has been avoided, and India didn't visit New Zealand somewhere in the range of 2003 and 2008 - which makes the 2006-08 cycle containing just three visits.

Sarkar comes back to Bangladesh squad for third ODI against Zimbabwe

Soumya Sarkar missed the first two ODIs as Bangladesh took an unassailable lead in the series © Getty

Sarkar comes back to Bangladesh squad for third ODI against Zimbabwe

The Bangladesh Cricket Board, on Wednesday (March 4), added Soumya Sarkar to the crew for the third and last ODI against Zimbabwe. Aside from the incorporation of the left-gave batsman, who was inaccessible for the initial two games because of his wedding, the crew stays unaltered from the initial two matches. 

In the interim, BCB boss selector Minhajul Abedin said Mushfiqur Rahim won't include in the third ODI, with Bangladesh liable to handle an eleven that may play in the erratic ODI against Pakistan. Rahim has ruled against heading out to Pakistan for the last leg of the three stage visit, having additionally missed the past two excursions. 

"Mushfiqur won't play as we need to see one of the adolescents right now, they are picked for the Pakistan ODI one month from now. We would prefer not to give them an introduction there," said Minhajul. 

Bangladesh secured the arrangement against Zimbabwe in the second ODI with a brazen four-wicket win, having won the principal game by 169 runs. The last ODI will be played on March 6 in Sylhet, trailed by two T20Is on March 9 and 11 in Dhaka.

Ngidi's profession best six-for limits Australia to 271

Ngidi's profession best six-for limits Australia to 271

Lungi Ngidi registered career-best figures of 6 for 58 © AFP

Lungi Ngidi's excellent excursion that saw him return a profession best six-wicket pull helped hold Australia to 271 in the second One-Day International of the three-coordinate arrangement at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. After a solid beginning on Wednesday (March 4), normal wickets hurt Australia's odds of finding a workable pace more than 300 on a two-paced wicket. At last, Australia oversaw only 29 runs in the last five, losing wickets in a bunch towards the conclusion to leave South Africa with 272 to find a workable pace arrangement. 

Australia started in a rush as David Warner found the limits freely at an early stage as the guests hustled away to 50 runs in the seventh over. Anrich Nortje bowled at a decent pace, however was taken for runs, surrendering 27 in his initial three. Ngidi, however, struck in his second over to get the large wicket of Warner, who tossed his great beginning of a 23-ball 35, tumbling to a shy of-a-length conveyance that he chipped directly to cover. From 50 for 0, Australia abruptly slipped to 81/3 with Ngidi scalping the enormous wickets of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne in progressive conveyances before long. Smith spooned one in the opening directly to midwicket, before Labuschagne's back-footed cut was pouched at in reverse point. With that twofold strike, Ngidi turned into the quickest South African to arrive at the milestone of 50 ODI wickets. He returned in the passing to finish his lady five-wicket take and return his profession best ODI figures of 6 for 58. 

Aaron Finch watched his side disintegrating from the opposite end, yet the captain remained unflinching. Australia urgently required an association to get moving and the onus was currently on Finch to take them forward. He endeavored to do that with D'Arcy Short, however the last's vulnerability at the wrinkle, forestalled it right off the bat. Short was given upwards of three lives at an early stage in his innings before he settled down to organize a restoration. Despite the fact that the runs turned out to be difficult to find and the rate dropping on account of the wickets and the powerlessness of the pair to get moving, the burst forthright despite everything kept Australia over the five-run rate. There was little in the wicket for the bowlers at an opportune time, however they were tolerant and relentless enough to squeeze out the blunders from the batsmen. 

Finch arrived at another ODI 50 years, including 77 for the fourth wicket with Short, who got moving himself after the underlying nerves. The pair fabricated a solid establishment to take Australia to a solid aggregate. It was that entry of play where South Africa required a bay to stem Australia from excelling in the game. Captain Quinton de Kock brought back Nortje after his first spell that nearly went for eight-an-over. He struck second ball on come back to get the enormous wicket of Finch in the wake of having bowled a snorter to Short in the first. Finch anticipated a shorter conveyance, however Nortje conveyed a more full one to which Finch drove away from his body to get a thick edge to the 'manager. Short and Mitchell Marsh held hands to include 66 runs and take Australia over the 200-run mark in the 37th over, with the previous scoring his lady ODI fifty in transit, with a sum of 290-300 looking very conceivable. 

South Africa however, returned unequivocally, striking at the perfect time to foil Australia's endeavors of finding a good pace all out. Several calm overs and three spots in the over from Tabraiz Shamsi disappointed Short enough for him to submit the mistake. He was held under tight restraints on the leg-side without any runs coming there, driving him to remove the backfoot, however just wound up with a dolly to point. He fell for a 83-ball 69 with Marsh having a lot to do. Andile Phehlukwayo sent Marsh back not long after for 36 leaving two new batsmen in the center, with Australia's odds of getting 280 waning. South Africa just yielded 49 runs in the last 10 overs, making an eminent rebound to hold Australia to a gettable aggregate. 

Brief scores: Australia 271 of every 50 overs (Aaron Finch 69, D'Arcy Short 69; Lungi Ngidi 6-58) versus South Africa.

Could India's consuming aspiration rival England's large match family?

Could India's consuming aspiration rival England's large match family?

So here we are, close the pointy end of another ICC World Cup with the playing conditions under the scanner. Two weeks of developed pressure could all be discharged in a thunderclap at Sydney. Not at all like the limit tally rule a year ago, the "no save days for World T20 elimination rounds" won't enthuse numerous an England supporter. For in the event that it keeps on bucketing down in Sydney as it has been estimate to and as it did on Tuesday, India will rain move their way into their first-ever T20 World Cup last just uprightness of their unrivaled gathering stage record. 

However, on the off chance that things don't disentangle so significantly off the field, at that point the principal elimination round at the Sydney Cricket Ground can possibly deliver a seismic occasion on it. The cup isn't yet on the line, yet there's ostensibly something progressively huge, at any rate from India's point of view. Heather Knight and Co. end up being one obstacle unreasonably soak for a continually improving India to scale at Lord's and at Antigua - in every one of the last two World Cups. In this way, past the challenge that pits the No.1 T20 bowler - Sophie Ecclestone - against the No.1 player - Shafali Verma - there are smaller than expected fights that will have mental suggestions. 

Will Veda Krishnamurthy change her methodology on the off chance that it descends to her in a weight pursue? Will India's popular turn assault freeze again at seeing Nat Sciver? Will Anya Shrubsole run in with an additional spring in her progression at seeing an Indian player? 

The T20 World Cup has escaped England since they won the debut release in 2009. They have made it to the summit conflict on three different events and completed second best to the old adversary Australia. Their advancement to the last four this time, however, has not been without some early palpitations. It began a nauseous note when they were beaten by South Africa in the opener. That implied they needed to coarseness their teeth and battle past Thailand, Pakistan and the West Indies to complete the capability work. Their top-request exhibitions have been rough however Sciver's sizzling structure has since recharged their conviction that when all falls set up, this could well be their year indeed. 

Holding England up is the nation that has set the bar this World Cup. Truth be told, India have had imperfection free gathering stage runs for two straight T20 World Cups now. In any case, dissimilar to in the Caribbean, where Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged that they'd shocked individuals with their rush to the semis, India have conveyed the heaviness of developing desires on their back during this amazing run, a reality that loans further belief to the model accomplishments of the youthful Poonam Yadav and Verma. Structure hasn't yet been a companion to two of their enormous name players, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, yet who's to state Thursday won't see two exhibitions to coordinate their consuming aspirations? 

At the point when: India versus England, ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020, first Semifinal, 04:00 GMT; 09:30 IST 

Where: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 

What's in store: according to the playing conditions at ICC competitions, a 10-over-a-side experience is an unquestionable requirement for a total game. Should the downpour mists some way or another plot to abstain from congregating over the SCG in front of the famous scene's first round of this competition, the two research organizations will have enormous calls to make - at the hurl and with their determinations. India could be compelled to move away from the turn prevailing assault by the overheads and pursuing could abruptly turn into the more realistic arrangement given the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern components, breaking the bat-first-in-quite a while tenet. An abbreviated game could likewise constrain groups to stack their substantial hitters at the highest point of the request. 

Group News: 

India 

Away from the Poonam-Shafali story, Taniya Bhatiya has had a raging World Cup behind the stumps - affecting a competition high nine rejections. Her batting position however has been less guaranteed with the group shifting back and forth between utilizing her as an opener/one-drop or as a No.8. Inquisitively, her English partner - Amy Jones - has persevered through similar fortunes. Her batting position, more then likely, will by and by be dictated by the match circumstance. 

Shikha Pandey (7 wickets at ER 5.3) is another Indian experiencing a discreetly splendid World Cup regardless of working as the solitary seamer in the last two games. She could, in any case, be brought together with Arundhati Reddy for this game if the downpours leave the pitch with some additional zest. 

Plausible XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad/Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav 

Britain 

Britain have utilized just 12 players of their crew through the World Cup - a complexity to India's 14 - and will differ of changing their XI for a knockout game. In any case, they have the choice of a youthful seamer, Freya Davies, who is equipped for playing as a savvy bolster act to the Brunt-Shrubsole crease combo. 

Likely XI: Danielle Wyatt, Tammy Beaumont, Natalie Sciver, Heather Knight (c), Fran Wilson, Amy Ellen Jones (wk), Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers/Freya Davies, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn 

Did you know? 

- India have a 4-16 record against England in all T20Is. They did, be that as it may, beat Heather Knight's side once in the tri-arrangement before this World Cup. 

- Poonam Yadav is the main wicket-taker in the competition so far with nine scalps. However, in seven T20Is against England, she has taken just five wickets at a normal of 29.60 and SR of 30.0 - both the most noticeably terrible for her against an adversary in the organization. 

- India's spinners have taken most wickets in the competition up until now - 21 - while England spinners have been the most affordable surrendering at 4.33 runs per over. 

What they stated: 

"In the wake of losing the last semi-last, as a group, we understood that we need to fill in as a unit, and right now you will see that our group is functioning as a unit and we are not dependent on only a couple of players." - Harmanpreet Kaur 

"Poonam Yadav is a gigantic risk for them and is an improved bowler since the last World Cup. We've polished for her a great deal, I thought we played her remarkably in the last T20 World Cup and that was because of the readiness we had." - Heather Knight