Port Elizabeth (South Africa): India Women’s Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals. The Indian team qualified for the semi-finals after defeating Ireland in their last Group B match. India won by five runs under the Duckworth-Lewis rule in a rain-interrupted game.
Batting towards the target of 155 runs set by India, Ireland stopped the game at 54 runs with the loss of two wickets in 8.2 overs. This time Ireland’s Duckworth Lewis par score was 59. As they could not continue the game, they lost by five runs. With the win, India secured the semi-finals along with England from Group B.
Chasing a target of 156, Ireland lost Amy Hunter (1) in the form of a run-out on the very first ball. Ireland faltered when Orla Prendergast (0) was dismissed on the fifth ball of the first over. But while Gabby Lewis (32*) and captain Laura Delaney (17*) were pushing ahead with a partnership of 53 runs, rain interrupted the game.
India scored 155 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs thanks to Smriti Mandana’s half-century. Mandana scored 87 runs off 56 balls including three sixes and nine fours. Only Shafali Verma, who scored 24 runs off 29 balls, performed better after Mandana. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (13), Richa Ghosh (0), Jemima Rodriguez (19) and Deepti Sharma (0) are the other players out.
Laura Delaney took three wickets for Ireland.