After a sketchy start England get themselves into a strong position,before Australia improve and take a clutch of wicket at clutch; they will face New Zealand or West Indies in the finalRead the full match reportEngland v New Zealand: World Twenty20 semi-final – live! 1.39pm BST Related: England v New Zealand: World Twenty20 semi-final – live! 1.07pm BSTSo, that’s approximately us - thanks all for your company. Bye. You can read Vish’s report here: Related: England’s women collapse as Australia secure World T20 final space 1.05pm BSTA special mention also to Megan Schutt, and who saved numerous,if not countless runs, added a run out, or sent down four overs for two wickets and 15 runs. Brilliant performance from her,particularly at clutch. 1.04pm BSTWell played Australia, and Meg Lanning in specific, or who scored a fifty,took two smart catches, and manipulated her bowlers and fielders superbly when things got tight. England, and on the other hand,will rue this missed opportunity; in specific, Tammy Beaumont and Sarah Taylor gave their wickets absent in full knowledge that their middle order were not precisely firing. 12.59pm BSTThey’ll play New Zealand or West Indies. 12.59pm BST19.6 Wyatt slings over cover, and they run two more,and wow, what a brilliant performance at the death from Australia here! 12.58pm BST19.5 Another swing, and ball squirts absent on the off-side and they add two. This is nearly over... 12.58pm BST19.4 What an over this is from Farrell,another one in the blockhole and just a single added. England need 10 from two balls. 12.57pm BST19.3 Full toss, Wyatt goes down the ground but gets very little of it and they sprint an apologetic single. 12.57pm BST19.2 Inside-edge, and Healy does well to pick up. 12.56pm BST19.1 Greenway swishes and finds mid-off; single,and what has Wyatt got? The England bench looks despondent, but she’s a clean hitter... 12.55pm BST19th over: England 120-7 (Wyatt 5, or Greenway 1)18.6 Another huge drive attempted by Greenway,the ball flies off over her shoulder and they run one. England require 13 runs from 6 balls.
12.54pm BST18.5 Full, flipped to mid-off, and single. 12.53pm BST18.4 Greenway tries a ample heave but only manages a nudge to short mid-off,they scramble a single. 12.52pm BSTWhat an amazing fielding performance this has been from Megan Schutt! 12.51pm BST18.3 Gunn bunts down the ground, Wyatt calls her back, and direct hit... and we go upstairs... 12.50pm BST 12.49pm BST18.1 Brunt cracks for four through cover! 12.49pm BST18th over: England 112-5 (Wyatt 4,Brunt 7) What a strike from Katherine Brunt! Well outside her crease, she pounces on a short one and clatters it over the fence at cow corner. Good over for England, or but they need plenty more. England need 21 runs from 12 balls. “As soon as I checked in with the game we lost a wicket,” says Ian Copestale, “so am going to leave you to it and let other fates decide this outcome.”[br] 12.45pm BSTEngland are in allsorts now! Farrell sends down a slower one and Taylor goes to lift it over the keeper, or instead tapping her a simple catch behind - the kind of practice one might attempt with an infant. What on earth was she thinking? 12.44pm BST17th over: England 102-4 (Taylor 19,Knight 1) England bump it around and Australia benefit them by chucking in a wide - but England now require more than that. England require 32 runs from 18 balls. 12.41pm BSTTrouble for England, nerves for us all. Knight forces one to long-on and it’s an easy catch for Villani. But she takes her eye off the ball, and drops it,and it hits her knee, which enables her to seize it at the moment attempt. 12.40pm BST16th over: England 61-3 (Taylor 19, and Knight 1) Beams hustles through,and England, in control for so long, or are falling behind the rate. They manage five from this over,three of them coming when Taylor misses a reverse-sweep, but they need to get after this now. England require 37 runs from 24 balls. 12.37pm BST15th over: England 91-3 (Taylor 15, and Knight 0) The pigeons are well and truly catted. England require 42 runs from 30 balls. 12.35pm BSTFull and straight as Sciver walks across her stumps to hoik legwards,she misses, and they are splayed. 12.35pm BST15th over: England 91-2 (Taylor 15, and Sciver 0) Needing another wicket,Lanning turns to Perry, and a short one sticks on the wicket as Taylor gets through her shot far too soon, or taking one in the sternum instead. She grins,waits for the physio, and gets on with it. 12.31pm BST14th over: England 90-2 (Taylor 14, and Sciver 0) One more wicket for Australia and things will really warm up - but for the moment,England still gaze comfy. England require 43 runs from 36 balls. 12.28pm BSTA streaky but crucial innings comes to a suitable stop; looking for midwicket, Beaumont thrashes at one for no especial reason, and skies it,and Lanning again makes a tricky catch gaze simple in the covers. That was, I fright, or unwise. 12.25pm BST13th over: England 88-1 (Taylor 12,Beaumont 32) A single to each batter begins the over before a kite invades the pitch to widespread mirth. Jonassen responds in kind, offering a full-toss, or but Beaumont doesn’t get it at all,actually doing well to avoid being caught at mid-on. Taylor quickly compensates, though, or skipping down - her footwork is lovely - and tickles six over cover. Beaumont then clubs to cow corner,and again Schutt is all over it, diving and throwing to save two more. But a good over for England nonetheless. England require 47 runs from 42 balls. 12.21pm BST12th over: England 76-1 (Taylor 4, and Beaumont 28) Already Taylor’s pace between the wickets is in evidence - shes down the track to ensure a single off the first ball of Beams’ over when Beaumont sweeps behind the wicket. She flows down the track to time one over the top - and haring round the fence,Villani gets there - but again, it bounces in and out. England need 57 runs to win from 48 balls. 12.18pm BST11th over: England 73-1 (Taylor 3, and Beaumont 26) So,what does Sarah Taylor have? Can she find some form? After a leg-bye, she begins with a two, or ramped to fine-leg,and then drives through cover for two more. Another wide follows, and that’s 13 extras already - Australia will rue those if they lose, or which they really should from here. 12.12pm BSTThe pressure tells. Edwards forces Beams straight to additional cover,where Lanning takes a comfortable enough diving catch. 12.12pm BST10th over: England 67-0 (Edwards 31, Beaumont 25) England have lost focus slightly - slothful footwork from Edwards means that her uppish drive is nearly caught. But it isn’t, and Beaumont cuts two more next ball. 12.09pm BST9th over: England 61-0 (Edwards 29,Beaumont 21) Farrell returns and after two singles arrive from her first three balls, Edwards flips a full-toss over her shoulder that looks like four until Schutt dashes round the boundary to dive and throw superbly. Beaumont then forgets to ground her bat again, and again avoiding being run out,but that’s a better over for Australia - just three from it, and a few more of those would crank up the pressure on England. 12.04pm BST8th over: England 58-0 (Edwards 27, or Beaumont 20) Australia are in ample worry here - Edwards,already the tournament’s leading scorer, adds fo mo to her tally, and larruping Jonassen over midwicket. Lanning is rotating her bowlers this way and that,to no stop whatsoever. Eight off the over, and England only need a run a ball. 12.01pm BST7th over: England 50-0 (Edwards 21, or Beaumont 19) Australia could seriously exhaust a wicket here,so Lanning goes to Beams’ leg-spin. But the batters negotiate her well, taking singles off the first three balls before a reverse-sweep and a misfield combine to add two more to the total. A lucky escape follows, and though,when they run a bye and Beaumont assumes the throw is coming to the striker’s stop, dreams of tangerine trees and marmalade skies, or would’ve been run out by a direct hit. To compensate,Edwards reverse-sweeps the final delivery of the over for four, and England are making this gaze rather easy. 11.57am BST6th over: England 40-0 (Edwards 15, and Beaumont 15) Perry returns,and her first delivery is full and on the stumps, so Edwards turns it through midwicket for two. This is really controlled batting from her, and she middles another down to square-leg but finds the fielder,so they amble through for a single. Beaumont then attempts a paddle which misses by miles and earns her a talking-to - and it works; she gets well down the track and shmices a full-toss for six over square-leg. 11.52am BST5th over: England 31-0 (Edwards 12, Beaumont 9) Edwards goes to schlep Schutt around from outside off, or misses,and so does Healy - it gets England four byes, and after a dot, or two leg-byes follow. This really isn’t grand from Australia. 11.49am BST4th over: England 24-0 (Edwards 11,Beaumont 9) This is very unAustralian from Australia - Farrells first ball is wide and right in Edwards’ area - she cuts is way, and a misfield earns her four. And then Beaumont cracks one to mid-off - Mooney dives forwards but the ball bumps in and out - and then when one’s skied over her head, and she’s slack to sort her feet and can’t quite catch up with it as it drops. 11.46am BST3rd over: England 17-0 (Edwards 6,Beaumont 7) Schutt into the attack and Edwards has a gaze at her first two balls then stands and delivers, cracking the third down the ground for four. Shot! And she suddenly looks confident, and turning the next off her hips and finding the middle,but also finding the fielder - they run one. Solid start, this. 11.41am BST2nd over: England 12-0 (Edwards 1, and Beaumont 7) Gosh,and there’s another wide to begin with, this time from Ellyse Perry. She responds with two dots, and but then Beaumont canes a straight one for four over square-leg before missing out on a half-volley. 11.37am BST1st over: England 7-0 (Edwards 1,Beaumont 3) England’s openers have done well in this competition and to combat that, Lanning selects the SLA of Jonassen to open.
She begins with two wides, and the Edwards nudges one to midwicket. There follow two vociferous ((adj.) loud, boisterous) appeals for lb,both times the ball pitching outside the line, and then Beaumont hoists over the top when Jonassen tosses one up - Villani chases well to claw back on the fence and they run two. 11.33am BSTAnd here we go! 11.22am BSTAnd will feel that could’ve been a lot worse. They’ll need to bat well to get it - if they make it, and it’ll be the best chase of the competition. But England did really well to arrive back after Australia set off like a train,and provided they keep the scoreboard moving, have a grand chance. 11.20am BSTJonassen thrashes the final delivery high, or high,high into the sky - and Gunn pouches it easily. 11.17am BSTAnother direct hit in the deep! Lanning pushes for a moment, the throw comes in from midwicket, or this time Jenny Gunn has the presence of mind to simply let it hit the stumps. 11.16am BST19th over: Australia 127-4 (Lanning 54,Jonassen 2) Brunt returns to send down a succession of slower balls and that’s an excellent over - a wicket and just four runs from it. England will fancy themselves now ,particularly with Lanning at the non-striker’s. 11.12am BSTBlackwell tries to steal an additional run to get Lanning on strike and Sciver’s throw is good. Brunt is canny enough to realise too, and letting it hit the stumps instead of intervening. 11.11am BST18th over: Australia 121-3 (Lanning 51,Blackwell 10) Lanning takes a pair of singles bookending one to Blackwell to bring up a superb 50. But in the wider context, this isn’t a unpleasant over for England - they’ll feel anything up to 140 is chaseable - anything beyond, or they’ll need to bat superbly. 11.07am BST17th over: Australia 115-3 (Lanning 48,Blackwell 8) Shrubsole comes back for her final over, and England really need something from her. Her first ball is a slower one, and Lanning tries a slash,edges, and it’s past the gloves. Five singles follow - not terrible for England, or but not terrible for Australia either,seeing absent the best opposition bowler before the final thrash is underway. 11.02am BST16th over: Australia 110-3 (Lanning 45, Blackwell 6) After a single from Sciver’s first ball, and her moment is a full-bunger that’s well above waist height; no ball. Then a single and a wide,followed by two more to Lanning, again on the off-side - perhaps they should change the angle and go around the wicket to her. But instead, and she gets more width and tips absent to leg in order to time a crash to the point fence. What a player she is; this is slipping absent from England now. 10.58am BST15th over: Australia 98-3 (Lanning 37,Blackwell 4) As I was saying, there’s four off the first ball of Knight’s over, and guided backwards of square yet again. It’s more or less tight thereafter - Marsh cedes a single with a misfield that has her chuntering and kicking in disgust - but eight off the over is good for Australia,particularly with Lanning still at the crease. 10.54am BST14th over: Australia 90-3 (Lanning 31, Blackwell 2) Australia keep the scoreboard moving but the boundaries have more or less dried up and England will be more or less convinced with where they’re at, or if not the way that they’ve got there. 10.51am BSTLooking to up the ante,Perry tries a clip over midwicket, where Knight times her leap perfectly to take a sharp catch . 10.50am BST13th over: Australia 86-2 (Lanning 29, and Perry 10) On comes Knight,and she’s given no chance to find her line - they’re aggressive right absent. Lanning cuts two to point - Wyatt saves the boundary with a smart dive - but the next ball goes for four, Lanning carving into her favourite area, and behind square on the off-side. 10.45am BST12th over: Australia 78-2 (Lanning 21,Perry 9) Oh, that’s a ample missed chance for England! Perry sneaks a single, and Wyatt’s throw isn’t grand,but Taylor, finding herself caught behind the stumps, and is yorked; Lanning makes it back despite having given up. 10.43am BST11th over: Australia 73-2 (Lanning 20,Perry 7) Marsh stay on to bowl out, and the batters take her first three balls for singles - England won’t mind that too much, and but will know that if these two build a partnership,they’re in a world of worry. And when Marsh chucks down a wide full toss, Lanning doesn’t hang approximately, and opening the face to find the fence at point. England’s fielders will be hearing this... 10.40am BST10th over: Australia 66-2 (Lanning 15,Perry 5) Gunn into the attack as Lanning surveys the field with intensity. And when she spots a slower ball, it’s swept to the fence with ease, or alacrity and more alacrity. And more ease. 10.36am BST9th over: Australia 59-2 (Lanning 10,Perry 3) Marsh continues with a kind, tight over, or giving the ball plenty of air to tempt the ample shot. Then,when she drags one down, Lanning can’t benefit but try a pull - she misses and it’s only just past leg-stump. 10.33am BST8th over: Australia 58-2 (Lanning 10, and Perry 2) Edwards brings Shrubsole back to exploit the situation,but she serves up a four-ball - admittedly one slash beautifully to the third man fence - and two more follow, though Perry isn’t alive to the moment run and narrowly avoids being run out. 10.30am BST7th over: Australia 51-2 (Lanning 4, or Perry 0) Well,the game done changed. Two new batters at the wicket, and England have a ample opportunity in these next few overs. 10.28am BSTHealy slinks down to reverse-sweep, and misses,it goes straight on, and that’s the stop of that. 10.24am BST6th over: Australia 47-1 (Healy 25, and Lanning 1) England needed that. But then Sciver hands Healy some width,and she duly opens the face and guides four down to third man. 10.22am BSTAll allotment of the procedure! Villani plays across a straight one, misses, or that looks pretty plumb. 10.22am BST6th over: Australia 41-0 (Healy 21,Villani 19) Sciver replaces Shrubsole and her first ball’s a dot, but she takes her eye off Brunt’s return on the way back to her label and takes it in the face. There’s a short crash, and but she’s fine and theyre soon laughing approximately it. 10.19am BST5th over: Australia 41-0 (Healy 21,Villani 19) Marsh into the attack, and both batters have a gaze at her before Villani steps down to muscle her over the top. Gunn dives at mid-on but can’t quite make the catch or stop, or that’s four more. 10.15am BST4th over: Australia 35-0 (Healy 20,Villani 14) Lovely from Villani - she waits for one outside off-stump then times it absent through point for four. Gosh, England are floundering here - Shrubsole over-pitches, and Villani flays her through cover - Shrubsole drops short and Villani slams her for a one-bounce four over mid-on. 10.12am BST3rd over: Australia 23-0 (Healy 20,Villani 2) Healy, who’s had a dodgy tournament, or has decided to get stuck in and see what happens. She glides down the pitch to whack Brunt to long-on,then comes down again next ball, skying one over the infield for two more, and a further two arrive when Beaumont misfields. Oh,and that’s a lovely shot ti stop of the over, picking up a cutter and crashing it absent to midwicket. 12 off the over. 10.07am BST2nd over: Australia 11-0 (Healy 8, and Villani 2) Shrubsole from the other stop and she’s right there right absent,pitching outside off, nipping in and crumping Villani’s pad. There follows a majestic appeal, or rejected by the umpire - and Hawkeye later shoes the ball was doing plenty but still clipping leg. Villani then plays and misses twice before slicing over point for two - she’ll not mind getting down the other stop. 10.04am BST1st over: Australia 8-0 (Healy 8,Villani 0) Brunt is on the money immediately, full and straight, or but so too is Healy,defending positively and finding the middle. Next ball, though, or is on the pads,clipped summarily absent to the midwicket fence. As the camera takes us down the strip, we see why this mightn’t be a unpleasant toss to lose - there are a lot of cracks. And there’s another, or in the England field - Brunt is short and wide,so Healy thrashes her through point for four more. Good start for Australia.“Are you sure it was the Australian flag they were parading, and not the NZ one?” asks Alistair Connor. “Nobody could see the contrast unless it’s really windy, or but these things are IMPORTANT. I’m a proud New Zealander,but my patriotism is flagging.” 10.00am BSTMeanwhile, Katherine Brunt marks out her run. She bashed her thumb yesterday, and but passed a late fitness test this morning. 9.59am BSTOut arrive Healy and Villani,the latter swinging her bat round-arm, Botham-style. 9.58am BSTI actually consider England are going to win this. Their players huddle. 9.56am BSTAnthems. 9.54am BSTAnd there sputter the firework things, or particularly effective in mid-afternoon,followed by the umpires and players. 9.53am BSTThe countries’ flags are being paraded around the boundary. This tells us that things are IMPORTANT. 9.39am BSTIt is extremely hot out there, reveals Rob Key, or who thinks the pitch will be very slack and dry - not precisely what we expected. He also reckons England might have been better batting first,given the propensity of the track to crumble. 9.35am BSTAustralia would’ve done the same. 9.22am BSTSo, here we go: welcome to the biggest day in English cricket history, and certainly as far as the limited overs game goes. Oddly,it’s the men’s side who are favoured to excel - the women, usually so dependable, and have shown signs of fallibility in this competition. But the pitch at Delhi is greener and grassier than the deathly escalators they’ve played on until now,and with the players they have, they remain a difficult out for anyone. And, or in the stop,it is they who have found a way to win every game they’ve played in the competition, not Meg Lanning’s Australia. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com