Key events
8th over: Australia 62-2 (Perry 6, Mooney 21)
Perry to the crease and into her work early with a boundary.
Eight runs off the over again. There hasn’t been many fireworks this match, but we keep marching towards a fantastic finish.
7th over: Australia: 54-1 (Perry 0, Mooney 19)
And that was the last ball of the over as well. Run-rate for Australia creeping up towards nine-an-over. I reckon I’d rather be India at this stage, but not by much.
WICKET! Litchfield c Mandhana b Shree Charani 24 (Australia 54-2)
Got her. Breakthrough for India just as Litchfield and Mooney’s partnership had reached 50.
Litchfield looks to go long but succeeds only in finding the safe hands of Smriti Mandhana at long-off. A wicket for Shree Charani in her first over.
6th over: Australia 49-1 (Litchfield 22, Mooney 17)
First sixer of the innings as Litchfield skips down the track and lifts it straight. The ball lands perfectly on the boundary cushion and that’s six.
Powerplay done. 12 runs off that over. Australia 49-1.
5th over: Australia 37-1 (Litchfield 13, Mooney 16)
The runs return for Australia and badly needed.
Two boundaries are hoiked to the legside as 12 runs are scored in total. It’s feast or famine at Lord’s.
4th over: Australia 25-1 (Litchfield 12, Mooney 5)
India have slammed the brakes on here. Shafali Verma into the attack and she concedes only one run from her over.
From their last 12 balls, Australia have scored just two runs. Each dot roared on by the Indian crowd at Lord’s.
3rd over: Australia 24-1 (Litchfield 12, Mooney 4)
A fantastic over for India as Renuka Singh swings the ball away from Australia’s two left-handers to good effect. A couple of fielders hit, a couple of balls missed and just one run recorded off the over.
2nd over: Australia 23-1 (Litchfield 12, Mooney 3)
Great batting from Litchfield as the left-hander walks down at Kranti Gaud and cracks a pull over midwicket, before repeating the trick but this time driving down the ground for another boundary.
Early run rate from Australia very positive. It’s gonna be cracker. Can feel it.
1st over: Australia 11-1 (Litchfield 1, Mooney 2)
A very eventful start. First-ball four. Second-ball wicket. A couple of wides and all-in-all 11 runs scored.
WICKET! Voll lbw Singh 4 (Australia 4-1)
It looked good and it was good! An explosion of noise at Lord’s as ball-tracking comes up with three reds.
Voll had nailed the first ball for four as well but India on top early.
We have a review for LBW – Renuka Singh has pinged Georgia Voll on the pad second ball. Looks close…
Here we go and ready for the chase. India have had their pep talk, while Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll head to the middle.
Australia are through. India must win to join them in the semi-finals.
At the break. Well, a bit going on at the end of the innings there. India definitely favourites for mine. I wondered if they’d left a bit too much in the tank or paced it perfectly and turns out it was the latter.
Time for a quick drink and see you in ten.
20th over: India 170-4 (Deepti 4, Ghosh 1)
What a finish for India. 23 runs off the final over. 36 off the final two.
And Australia will be kicking themselves. After Kaur went to fifty, the next ball was dropped by Phoebe Litchfield at long-off as it went through her ahnds and for six. Between her and Wareham’s drops, that’s 12 runs gifted alone.
171 to win!
Wicket! Kaur c Perry b Molineux 56 (India 166-4)
Kaur goes from the penultimate ball of the innings. Caught at cover. Deepti Sharma in to face the last ball.
Fifty for Harmanpreet Kaur!
Back-to-back sixes for Kaur takes her to a 25-ball 50. This innings is finishing brilliantly for India.
19th over: India 147-3 (Ghosh 0, Kaur 38)
Big miss for Australia. Not just the wicket, but the runs. A simple-ish chance for Georgia Wareham running round on the boundary bursts through her hands and goes for six.
And dropped again! Two-in-two.
And now Rodrigues has been retired out! It’s all happening. She was on 34 off 29. And so for the final over they’ve subbed her out and Richa Ghosh is in.
18th over: India 134-2 (Rodrigues 26, Kaur 33)
Seven off the over. Five singles and a double from the sixth.
I can’t work out if India are timing this perfectly on a wicket that isn’t perfect for batting. Or leaving some runs out there. The fifty partnership between these two has come up off 39 balls.
17th over: India 127-2 (Rodrigues 23, Kaur 29)
Kim Garth back into the attack and India’s steady innings continues. A big swing is edged for four, but otherwise it’s a series of singles.
Nine off it. Kaur going well on 29 off 18. But India will still want a big push to the finish line.
16th over: India 118-2 (Rodrigues 20, Kaur 23)
Seven runs off the over after Kaur wallops a boundary over cover.
I can’t really work out how good a score this is. The run-rate isn’t intimidating for Australia…
False alarm. Australia thought they had Rodrigues LBW, but the on-field decision is overturned after Wareham’s delivery pitched outside leg.
Great images of the South Africans watching on, furious at the decision however correct it may be.
15th over: India 111-2 (Rodrigues 17, Kaur 19)
Beautiful batting from the Indian captain as she slices Sutherland behind point for four.
Nine runs off the over as India keep ticking along. Five overs to go. Big finish incoming.
14th over: India 102-2 (Rodrigues 13, Kaur 14)
Hundred up for India. Eight runs off the over Molineux’s second over.
Bit of breaking news in the cricket world. Ben Stokes will retire from international cricket after the third New Zealand Test is done.
13th over: India 94-2 (Rodrigues 12, Kaur 7)
Lucy Hamilton returns for her third over. But it’s a good one for India with nine off it. Harmanpreet Kaur gets under way with a boundary.
12th over: India 85-2 (Rodrigues 9, Kaur 1)
A great over for Australia. Just three runs off it and the wicket of Mandhana. The skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, comes to the crease.
WICKET! Run out Mandhana 38 (India 83-2)
That’s a mess. Rodrigues reverse sweeps, Mandhana sets off but Rodrigues never has any interest.
Mandhana is stranded at the wrong end and it’s the simplest of run outs for Australia. A gift.
11th over: India 82-1 (Mandhana 37, Rodrigues 8)
Aussie review an optimistic LBW shout but Sutherland’s delivery was always pitching outside leg.
India looking in an increasingly strong position. It’s not the best wicket and anything above 150 will be challenging.
10th over: India 74-1 (Mandhana 31, Rodrigues 7)
Ooo, a lovely start from Rodrigues. She paddle sweeps her first ball for two, then runs down and thumps a four over extra cover the following ball. An atmosphere is building at Lord’s. I’m calling it early. It’s gonna be a classic.
WICKET! Verma b Molineux 34 (India 66-1)
First ball, first wicket for the skipper. She brings herself on and immediately Verma fancies it as she skips down the track, but it’s a fresh air swing and off-stump is pegged back. The Aussies are on the board.
9th over: India 66-0 (Mandhana 30, Verma 34)
Sixeeeeer! India had just been getting stuck a little in the last couple of overs. But with the offspinner Ash Gardner back on, Shafali Verma lifts her for six over the legside, and then drives a full toss for four through the offside.
8th over: India 54-0 (Mandhana 29, Verma 23)
I think Annabel Sutherland is potentially the best cricketer in the world. However, she has started with a big old wide here which isn’t helping my propaganda.
A series of singles follows however so just five off in the end. Better, Annabel, thank you.
7th over: India 49-0 (Mandhana 27, Verma 21)
Georgia Wareham, the sole leggie in Australia’s team today with Alana King left out, comes into the attack.
Ooo, that’s lovely. First ball is delicately cut behind point by Mandhana for four. But just two more runs follow as Wareham finds her lines. I’d say it’s even stevens so far.
6th over: India 43-0 (Mandhana 22, Verma 20)
The powerplay is over. A solid start from India as Verma’s been ticking along and Mandhana getting herself settled.
Here’s a stat for you. This is only the second time in 26 matches that Australia have failed to take a wicket in the powerplay. But you probably knew that already.
5th over: India 36-0 (Mandhana 20, Verma 15)
“The greatest the game has ever seen,” says Mel Jones as Ellyse Perry comes into the attack.
A steady start, with only seven conceded. And a so-so start for Mandhana, she’s on 20 off 20.
4th over: India 29-0 (Mandhana 15, Verma 14)
Spin into the attack and Verma into the game.
First ball from Ash Gardner is crunched for four. And woof! Fifth ball of the over and it’s smacked over long-off for six. Awesome batting from Verma.
3rd over: India 16-0 (Mandhana 14, Verma 2)
Shafali Verma hasn’t been allowed to play yet. She’s only faced three balls.
Just five runs off the over. Mandhana pulling Hamilton for four.
2nd over: India 11-0 (Mandhana 10, Verma 1)
Kim Garth takes the second over. And that is gorgeous timing from Mandhana who clips the second ball for four. And same again third ball. Back-to-back boundaries for the only runs off the over.
1st over: India 3-0 (Mandhana 2, Verma 1) The left-arm of Lucy Hamilton gets us going.
Couple of dots to begin with, before Hamilton gets a bit straight to give Mandhana her first run. The final ball of the over sees an inside edge almost go back on to the stumps but an otherwise tidy start all round.
Right, let’s get cracking. Australia with ball in hand. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma stride out to the middle.
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Lord’s is close to capacity and looking a picture.
The teams are readying themselves for the anthems. The stands are a sea of blue with a smattering of yellow kicking about. This is a proper fixture. Can’t wait.
A hellish three hours await for South Africa. The Proteas beat Bangladesh in the first leg of today’s double-header at Lord’s. And now will sit and watch hoping that Australia will get the job done to send the Saffas through to the semis.
“Australia have this in the bag,” is the word from Laura Wolvaardt in her post-match presser.
Australia’s Nicola Carey: “Everyone’s contributed. Huge game against India. The crowd gets right behind them. No doubt about an India heavy crowd.”
An early confession. I did a lie to you earlier. I said a narrow defeat for India can still they them go through. Categorically false.
India are on six points. South Africa are on eight. So a defeat for India obviously still leaves them on fewer points than the Proteas. Not my finest mathematical moment.
Australia XI
Australia: Beth Mooney (+), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (c), Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton
India XI
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (+), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh
Changes for both sides.
Just the one for India as Kranti Gaud come back for Nandani Sharma.
And a big change for Australia, as Alana King misses out and is replaced by Phoebe Litchfield.
India win the toss and bat
Harmanpreet Kaur calls correctly and chooses to have a bat.
“Today’s the game just to enjoy ourselves,” is the message from the Indian skipper.
Sophie Molineux says if she’d won the toss Australia would have had a bowl anyway. So everyone’s happy.
Slightly delayed toss here at Lord’s after the South Africa and Bangladesh game went down to the wire. Will have news with you as soon as we get it. Sun’s out. I’d have a bat.
Attention switches to the main event now. Australia are four from four and been dominant throughout. Their margins of victory have been 65 runs, nine wickets, 98 runs and 113 runs so far this comp. So they’ve gone alright…
India have had three comfortable victories, but lost in a thriller to South Africa.
South Africa’s net-run-rate is 0.633. India’s is 2.268. So there’s even a world where a narrow defeat for India today will still be enough to go through. I’ll the need the assistance of some scientists to understand what that means in runs and wickets though.
South Africa win by four wickets!
Turns out it was as simple as that. Two balls were all that were required for South Africa to get the five runs needed. Chloe Tryon edges the first ball for four and then lifts the following delivery over cover for a single. It wasn’t pretty, but the job’s done.
Over to you India…
19th over: Right. Five off the last needed. We’re at Lord’s. A tie is a Super Over and Ian Smith is in the commentary box. Surely it’s written.
Here we go…
WICKET! de Klerk c Shorna b Ritu 15 (New Zealand 113-6)
Well, well, well. What a fantastic catch in the deep! South Africa six down needing five off eight. Job not done.
Why not…let’s have two bonus overs of OBO to take this match home. If you do want to get in contact, email me here.
Crucially, for this match to carry any jeopardy, South Africa must get the job done against Bangladesh.
SA currently need 10 runs from the final two overs at Lord’s – and it is nervy. Five wickets down. Will keep you up-to-date right through to the end.
Preamble
Welcome one, welcome all to the final group stage game of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
On the line? Well. For Australia not much. They’re as good as through barring a catastrophic defeat of historic proportions. But for India, this is basically quarter-final. Win and they’re through to the semis. Lose…and well, assuming South Africa get the job done over Bangladesh where at the time of typing they need 26 runs off the final four overs, it’ll be home time.
Join us for all the fun. Kick-off is 2.30pm (BST). Toss and team news will be at 2.00pm.
