Australia pip India by five runs to reach T20 World Cup final and remain on course for third title in a row; Harmanpreet Kaur's run out crucial as India end on 167-8 chasing 173 - England vs South Africa is Friday's second semi-final, live on Sky Sports from 12.30pm
Friday 24 February 2023 06:21, UK
Defending champions Australia are through to a seventh successive Women's T20 World Cup final after edging India by five runs in a Cape Town thriller.
The Southern Stars will be aiming for a third straight title and sixth overall when they face either 2009 champions England or host nation South Africa in Sunday's final.
Australia looked on course for a first semi-final exit since 2009 after Harmanpreet Kaur's 32-ball fifty had left India requiring 41 from 34 balls in a chase of 173 - only for Harmanpreet to then be run out after her bat got stuck in the pitch.
India eventually finished on 167-8, with another crucial moment coming in the penultimate over when Ellyse Perry's stunning one-handed stop at deep backward square denied Sneh Rana a boundary.
India were ultimately punished for errors in the field, dropping Beth Mooney (54 off 37) when she had 32 and Australia captain Meg Lanning (49no off 34) when she was on just one.
Shafali Verma spilled Mooney at long-on, while wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh grassed Lanning as Australia posted 172-4, a score pumped up by Lanning's two sixes in an 18-run final over.
England meet South Africa in Friday's second semi-final, with coverage beginning on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event at 12.30pm ahead of the first ball at 1pm.
Both England and South Africa will have noticed twitchiness in the Australia ranks during the Southern Stars' semi-final win at Newlands on Thursday.
India made a terrific fist of the chase after initially being reduced to 28-3 once Verma (9) and Smriti Mandhana (2) fell lbw and Yastika Bhatia (4) was run out after a mix-up with Jemimah Rodrigues (43 off 24).
Rodrigues and Harmanpreet (52 off 34) added 69 from 41 balls for the fourth wicket, a stand which featured some gorgeous aerial cover drives from Rodrigues but ended when the same player tried to uppercut a bouncer from Darcie Brown over wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy.
India continued to score at above the required rate as Harmanpreet went on to share a stand of 35 from 26 deliveries with Ghosh (14 off 17) and the Asian side were 132-4 in the 15th once Harmanpreet cut and swept Georgia Wareham for successive fours to nail a 10th T20I fifty.
The game's key moment came a few balls later with Harmanpreet short of her ground at the wicketkeeper's end as Healy whipped off the bails after collecting Ash Gardner's powerful throw from deep square - Harmanpreet visibly displaying her anger as she stormed off.
When Ghosh slashed Brown to long-on at the end of the next over, India's hopes took another huge hit but they just about stayed in the chase before an ask of 16 from the last over proved too tough, with a final-ball four from Deepti Sharma (20no) only reducing the margin of defeat.
Australia were suspect at times with the ball but did enough with the bat as Mooney, Healy (25 off 26), Lanning and Gardner (31 off 18) all contributed.
Mooney displayed superb footwork as she notched her 17th T20I fifty, sealing the milestone from 34 balls with a ramp over short third, and shared a stand of 52 with opening partner Healy.
The left-hander was reprieved on 32 as Verma dropped the ball over the boundary, while Lanning edged the third ball she faced behind, only for Ghosh to grass the chance up close to the stumps.
Verma atoned for her error a touch by pouching Mooney at backward point but Australia plundered 73 runs from the final six overs with Gardner slamming five fours in her cameo.
Lanning took Renuka Singh Thakur apart in the 20th over as she thumped two full tosses for six and and edged a four, runs that turned out to be vital.
Australia captain Meg Lanning:
"To fight back from the position we were in, it was one of the best wins I've been involved in. We didn't play our best cricket but I was so proud of the girls.
"India were coming hard at us so we knew it was going to be hard to defend and it came down to the wire. We got a little bit of luck with the Kaur wicket but we just had to hang in there and we got over the line."
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur:
"The way I got run out, you can't be unluckier. I am happy we took this to the last ball. We fought in this tournament and played really good cricket and still got to the semi-finals. When you have to win, you have to take your chances. We can only learn from this."
England play South Africa in Friday's second semi-final in Cape Town (12.30pm on air ahead of a 1pm start) with Heather Knight's team looking to make their fifth final and keep their hopes of a second title alive. England or South Africa will then play Australia in Sunday's final at the same venue.
