Key events
29th over: England 136-2 (Knight 33, Sciver-Brunt 15) Tidy again from Kranti who has bowled much better than her figures of 0-32 from seven overs suggests. One wide down the leg, as well as two singles, adds up to just three runs off that probing set. She’s not hooping it like she was earlier in the piece, but she’s targeting the stumps and still searching for wickets.
28th over: England 133-2 (Knight 32, Sciver-Brunt 14) Knight nails a slog sweep. More of that please. This screams off her bat and is hitting the fence with one bounce at serious velocity. But Rana then darts in her spinners, one clocks in at 87.8 km/h. She’s pinning the batters back and keeping them to just one single across the rest of the over. Good mini battles out there.
27th over: England 128-2 (Knight 27, Sciver-Brunt 14) Kranti returns and sends down a tidy set worth just two singles. England are going at 4.74. The last five overs have gone at 4.8. You get the sense that one of these two will need to press the accelerator.
26th over: 126-2 (Knight 26, Sciver-Brunt 13) Rana replaces Sharma. She starts with two dots before Knight heaves a sweep through square leg for four. She wasn’t quite at the pitch of it but got enough wood on it. A tapped single brings Sciver-Brunt on strike and England’s skipper will keep it as she drags a single to deep midwicket.
25th over: England 120-2 (Knight 21, Sciver-Brunt 12) Another deft touch from Knight brings her four more down to deep third, beating the fielder to the boundary. Three singles elsewhere from this Amonjot over. England rebuilding well.
24th over: England 113-2 (Knight 15, Sciver-Brunt 11) Good again from Sharma. She’s 2-20 from five. Three singles here. The England batters know that they need to be watchful against India’s ace spinner.
23rd over: England 110-2 (Knight 13, Sciver-Brunt 10) NSB drills a full toss from Amnjot for four, smearing it wide of mid-on. She got all of that. Amanjot rectifies and finds her radar, keeping things tight and giving away only two singles from the rest of her over.
22nd over: England England 104-2 (Knight 12, Sciver-Brunt 5) The England skipper walks to the crease and hits her third ball for four with a mighty sweep past fine leg. She’s there as Jones gave her wicket away but the foundation has been set. What can England’s two premier batters do from here?
WICKET! Jones c Mandhana b Sharma 56 (England 98-2)
Oh Amy, what have you done?! That is so soft from a batter who looked so set. A little skip and a flick to Sharma is nudged to a diving Mandhana at a wide mid-on. Sure, it was a sharp take, as she moved quickly to her right, but that was such a soft way to go after playing so beautifully. Sharma deserved credit fir giving the ball some air, but Jones will be sick with herself.
21st over: England 98-1 (Jones 56, Knight 12) Knight kicks off this over with a delicate steer that races along the ground and reaches the boundary down at deep third. She played that so late, almost out of the keeper’s gloves. England’s batters trade singles before Renuka tightens up and closes with three dot balls.
20th over: England 92-1 (Jones 55, Knight 7) Just two singles off that Sharma over.
19th over: England 90-1 (Jones 54, Knight 6) Jones reaches her half century with an excellent pick up, thwacking Renuka Singh’s over-pitched delivery for four towards cow corner. That’s her first World Cup fifty but the job’s not done. She’s well set and will want to double up at least.
18th over: England 84-1 (Jones 49, Knight 5) A jaffa bamboozles Knight and draws a thick edge worth two. That one didn’t turn from Sharma. No slip in place and she must wonder why not. Tidy elsewhere, three singles from the over but it’s lovely bowling from Deepti Sharma, who now has 150 ODI wickets to her name.
17th over: England 79-1 (Jones 48, Knight 1) Jones rocks back and nails a pull shot off a lifter from Kranti in front of square for four. That was a cracking shot. Knight gets off the mark with a little dab into the covers for one.
WICKET! Beaumont b Deepti 22 (England 73-1)
Finally India have the breakthrough! After a drinks break it’s Deepti Sharma who has it, full and straight at the leg stump. Beaumont tried to sweep it but it was too full to do so and her leg peg is knocked back.
She was looking so comfortable, having taken two singles off the over before then. Jones had two singles of her own and it was shaping up to be another secure set for England but it ends with India’s fans chanting in the stands.
16th over: England 73-1 (Jones 43, Knight 0)
15th over: England 69-0 (Beaumont 20, Jones 41) Kranti is back in the attack and should have a wicket! Her first ball hits Beaumont on the pad as she shuffled across her stumps. The bowler appeals but no on joins her. They don’t review but if they did they’d have the breakthrough as three reds would have overturned the not-out decision. How costly will that be? It’s a tidy set from from the returning seamer. Just three runs – two of them leg-byes – from it.
14th over: England 66-0 (Beaumont 19, Jones 41) Beaumont thought het firm sweep would find the rope but excellent recovering fielding by Renuka kept her to one. Three more singles in the over has the scoreboard ticking along. India need to make a play. It’s all a little tame out there.
13th over: England 62-0 (Beaumont 17, Jones 39) The spinners had not conceded a boundary before Jones opened the face on a very full ball from Shree Charani and found the fence at deep third. The bowler then over compensates and drags down a touch and Jones climbs into a stiff bunt through the covers for another four. Jones then milks a single to long-on.
12th over: England 52-0 (Beaumont 16, Jones 30) The overs are coming thick and fast now. Rana continues, giving it a little air. Beaumont gets low and sweeps well but finds the fielder at fine leg. Jones is looking to be more upright as she muscles a single to midwicket. Just two runs off that over. Rana doesn’t look particularly threatening but she’s coughed up a miserly seven runs from her three overs. Is it time for one batter to hit the launch button? Maybe not just yet.
11th over: England 50-0 (Beumont 15, Jones 29) Shree Charani into the attack. Her slow left armers are a little darty and targeting the sticks. Six balls, six singles. The England batters are in the groove now. One punch back from Jones is almost hit straight to the bowler, but she had enough oomph on it to see it breeze down to long-on. A half century stand underlines this good start.
10th over: England 44-0 (Beaumont 12, Jones 26) That’s the end of the powerplay and you have to say it’s England who win it on points. They’ve not scampered away but they’ve crucially kept the wickets column unchanged. Rana’s flighty off breaks are worked for three singles by the batters. Expect a whole lotta spin from here.
9th over: England 41-0 (Beaumont 10, Jones 25) It’s all going England’s way. India burn a review after Thakur’s in-swinger moved too much and would have missed Jones’ leg stump and trickled away for two leg-byes. The next ball is squirted away for two more runs off a drive into the covers.
Missing the wickets! Great decision by the umpire. That swung a long way and was comfortably missing leg stump. Thought that would have been much tighter. Jones survives.
This time India review. Full and swinging in from Thakur. Could be umpire’s call as it beats Jones’ flick through midwicket and hits her front pad. We can see both off and middle stump so it’ll be tight…
8th over: England 37-0 (Beaumont 10, Jones 23) Spin early doors as Rana gets going. Good move I think. Her second ball is a gem and takes the edge of Beaumont’s prod but there’s no second slip in place. Two singles across the over.
To be fair to Kevin Wilson he sent this in at the start of the innings:
“I can see why Charlotte wouldn’t want to rip a side up just before a world cup but there are a few batters here who aren’t, or never have, really justified their selections. The men’s side allowed their squad to stay settled, then failed to integrate new players in, and they got humiliated in the last world cup. Problem is, besides Davina Perrin, who is going to come in. Batting is a serious issue with this side. If Knight and Nat fail, nobody else will step up.”
Early days still, but this is a great start from the English openers.
7th over: England 35-0 (Beaumont 9, Jones 22) Jones bags another boundary through the off-side. She’s played that shot so well today, flashing at width away from her body. Great hands. Thakur has bowled well but the lack of penetration will be frustrating.
Guy Hornsby, another friend of the OBO, is enjoying what he’s seeing:
“Morning Daniel, morning everyone. It’s a cracking atmosphere today in Indore, and no sign of rain, thank god. Indeed a fascinating battle between Tammy Beaumont and Renuka. The off stump guard seems to be helping with alignment but the danger is shell chew up balls and put pressure on her partner, with Jones looking more fluent. And as I type that, she’s threaded one past wide mid on. What the hell do I know! I’m surprised England batted first with the dew, a lot will come down to how Nat Sciver-Brunt rotates the attack, including herself. Game on!”
6th over: England 31-0 (Beaumont 9, Jones 18) Beaumont cashes in with a lovely whip through midwicket to cap of another productive over for England. Jones added three runs, first with a little flick worth two and then with a single off a crunched pull shot to the sweeper. England’s openers look in good nick. We were promised runs on this deck and we’re getting em.
5th over: England 24-0 (Beamont 5, Jones 15) This is a lovely little battle developing between Beaumont and Thakur. With Ghosh up the stumps Beaumont can’t get on top of the in-swing, which means she has to play late and be watchful. Thakur, pitching it full, is targeting the stumps. Beaumont does get one away to mid-off where she scampers a single. Jones tickles a single of her own down to fine leg.
4th over: England 21-0 (Beaumont 4, Jones 14) Jones looks in good touch. She starts this over with a wristy flick through a gap at square leg for four. Then, after digging out a yorker, she flays at some width and picks up a boundary in front of the covering fielder at deep third. Kranti is struggling to find a consistent line and length.
3rd over: England 13-0 (Beaumont 4, Jones 6) Thakur continues with Ghosh up to the stumps. They want the England batters staying in their crease so Thakur can pitch the ball up and allow it to swing. One splays down leg for a wide but another thwacks Beaumont’s front pad. There’s an appeal for lbw but they resists the temptation for a review. Just one Jones single off the bat to go with the wide means it’s a tidy set from the Indian opener.
2nd over: England 11-0 (Beaumont 4, Jones 5) Jones is rolling with a scythe through point as Kranti offers too much width outside the off stump. A single off an outside edge down to deep third keeps England’s keeper on strike for the next over.
1st over: England 6-0 (Beaumont 4, Jones 0) They consider a review after Thakur cuts Beaumont in half with a nip-backer with the first ball of the game! Did she nick it? No, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway as it was a no-ball. Beaumont then heaves the second (officially the first) ball over midwicket for four. Beaumont is looking to smother the swing by standing well out of her crease. It’s hooping. One sprays down. the leg side for a wide but otherwise Thakur is on the money, targeting the off stump. For the last ball Ghosh stands up the stumps, forcing Beaumont to stay in her crease, which she does as she presses forward to block.
Phew, what an eventful first over.
Righto, here we go.
Thakur has the ball in hand and will look to swing back into the right-handed Beaumont.
The pitch looks delicious, plenty of runs on offer. England will want to post something north of 270 I reckon.
One slip and a ring field.
I wasn’t planning on taking a dive into mythology this morning, but our OBO regular John Starbuck has compelled me:
“Not that I want to jinx the current match, but here’s a suggestion. Given that both England teams have lately been rescued by rain, maybe they should adopt some official rain gods, just in case? The women’s team could go for Chacmool, while the men’s might opt for Tlaloc. They seem to have been very successful in their day (in what we now call Latin America) and maybe all they need is official belief to operate again.”
Two spots have yet to be filled for the final four.
Australia have secured their passage, as have South Africa (who were trounced by England).
An expected sell-out crowd is expected today. Not quite full yet but there’s a proper vibe brewing as the players walk out of the tunnel and get ready for the anthems.
A reminder that an England win would see them progress to the semi-finals.
India need two wins from their three remaining matches.
Team news
Two changes for England and one for India.
Nat Sciver-Brunt welcomes back the returning Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell who have recovered from a brief illness.
India have included Renaka Singh Thakur who poses a challenge with her in-swingers.
England: Beaumont, Jones (wk), Knight, Sciver-Brunt (c), Dunkley, Lamb, Capsey, Dean, Ecclestone, Smith, Bell.
India: Mandhana, Rawal, Deol, H Kaur (c), Sharma, Ghosh (wk), A Kaur, Rana, Gaud, Charahi, Thakur.
England win toss, bat first
Nat Sciver-Brunt immediately asks to set a target. Looks a good deck, she’s confident about that call. “Clear and focused,” is the message from the skipper. No worries for India as Hamanpreet Kaur says she would have bowled first anyway.
Not long to go. Indore looks a picture with gorgeous blue skies.
There’s other cricket on the go if you fancy.
England’s spinners might be doing the business, but their batters. have failed to show up as a unit.
As Raf Nicholson points out, they may be unbeaten (as they’ve not yet played Australia) but it’s not been a perfect show in India.
Preamble
Good morning everyone and welcome to this World Cup match with plenty on the line.
After a rained-off game against Pakistan spared the blushes of England but they’re still sitting pretty in third on the table and should already have enough in the bank to qualify for the next round.
It’s hosts India, though, who really need this win. Another defeat would be their third from five matches and would turn their remaining fixtures against New Zealand and Bangladesh into knockout games. They can’t afford a slip here.
India have the edge over England lately and have won five of the six ODIs the sides have played against each other since the 2022 World Cup.
This will be a battle of the spinners and England’s slow turners have been in good touch, picking up 24 of the 30 wickets the side has taken across the tournament. India’s batters have struggled in particular against left-arm spin which means Sophie Eccelstone and Linsey Smith will have a big part to play.
The game will be played on a red-soil pitch (news to me too) which tends to provide bounce and carry. It’s also a fresh deck as the last time any cricket was seen here was 13 days ago.
We’ve got the conditions. We’ve got some jeopardy. We’ve got two ace outfits. Let’s hope all the ingredients come together and deliver a cracking contest.
