England booked their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup with a thrilling four-run win over co-hosts India in Indore.
Set 289 to win, India were cruising at 234-3 with opener Smriti Mandhana well-placed on 88.
But the opener’s soft dismissal, caught down the ground off spinner Linsey Smith in the 42nd over, was the turning point as the co-hosts completely threw away their winning position.
The run-rate climbed and although Deepti Sharma’s gritty half-century kept India hopes alive, the middle order buckled under the pressure and with 14 needed from the last over, Smith held her nerve with India finishing on 284-6.
England’s 288-8 was set up by former captain Heather Knight’s masterful 86-ball century, after they started cautiously, reaching 44-0 off the powerplay but crucially kept wickets in hand.
Tammy Beaumont was again scratchy for 22 from 43 balls but Amy Jones found valuable form with her 56, before Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt set a platform with a fluent stand of 113.
Knight was the aggressor, whacking 15 fours and a six in her third one-day international century, and they put England in a brilliant position at 211-3 with just over 11 overs to go before Sciver-Brunt fell for 38.
England looked to be a few runs short, however, as they could not capitalise on the partnership with another middle-order wobble, losing three wickets for eight runs in the space of 12 balls.
Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey all fell cheaply to spin again, which looked like it might be costly once Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur started to cruise through the middle overs, notching a similarly flawless partnership of 125 which had a raucous crowd roaring for every run.
Mandhana’s knock was sublime and looked certain to eclipse Knight with a match-winning century but her one lapse in concentration cost India, who need to win their last two games to confirm a semi-final spot, having suffered three consecutive defeats.
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