India vs Ireland, ICC Women’s World T20, as it happened: IND win, through to semis
India booked their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Twenty20 for the first time since 2010 on Thursday as Mithali Raj scored her second straight half-century in a 52-run thrashing of Ireland. Last year’s World Cup runners-up went into the game knowing victory would secure a last-four spot after previous wins over New Zealand and Pakistan. Raj struck an assured 51 as India posted a total of 145-6 that was always likely to be too strong for Ireland, and the tournament’s lowest-ranked team struggled to 93-8 in reply as Radha Yadav finished with three for 25.Follow India vs Ireland, ICC Women’s WT20 Updates, below -
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Player of the match
Mithali Raj for her innings of 51 is the player of the match.
23:44 hrs ISTIND win, through to semis
It had been coming for a while but India have beaten Ireland by 52 runs and are now through to the semis of the T20 World Cup for the third time. Ireland finish on 93/8 after their 20 overs.
23:39 hrs ISTIRE eight down
Two more quick wickets for India and Ireland are seven down. It’s all unravelling. Taniya Bhatia with another stumping. IRE 91/8 after 19.
23:hrs ISTJoyce follows Kavanagh
Ireland top-scorer Joyce is the next one to go. She goes for 33 as the match meanders towards it’s conclusion.
23:27 hrs ISTIreland lose Kavanagh
Deepti Sharma gets Shauna Kavanagh LBW. Originally given not out but on review the decision is overturned. IRE 82/4 and just three overs remaining for the Irish team to get 64.
23:18 hrs ISTIRE three down
Ireland are three down after Ireland Shipper Delany for 9. Not that it will make any difference to the outcome of this match.
23:15 hrs ISTIND almost there
Ireland 66/2 after 14 overs and still need 80 more runs from just six overs. Doesn’t look likely at all given what has happened previously. India bowling overs quickly.
23:07 hrs ISTOvers running out
Overs are running out for the Irish team and the run rate is now climbing quickly. Looks like Ireland have given up and are going through the motions.
23:01 hrs ISTHalf way stage
10 overs gone and Ireland are 43/2 , still needing 103 more runs to win. Things not looking good for Ireland or the rest of teams in Group B.
22:57 hrs ISTIndia get second wicket
India have now picked up their second wicket. Shillington is gone, stumped by Bhatia for 23 off the bowling of Poonam Yadav. Ireland 42/2 and in deep strife.
22:54 hrs ISTIND rushing through overs
India are rushing through their overs and without Ireland realising the runrate is now over 9. A steep mountain ahead for Ireland. Unless something drastic happens IND are almost through to the semis.
22:49 hrs ISTMithali hit on knee
Mithali has gone off the field after he was hit on the knee while fielding. The pressure on Ireland batters keeps on increasing as run rate keeps on climbing. IRE 35/1 (7)
22:41 hrs ISTIndia remove Lewis
Deepti Sharma picks up a wicket with her first ball. Gabby Lewis is bowled for 9 off 19 balls. Ireland starting to fall behind.
22:37 hrs ISTIreland try to cut loose
After a maiden over, Ireland have two overs back to back where seven runs come and the score after five overs is 27. gabby Lewis has gotten stuck and India need to pounce on that.
22:30 hrs ISTMaiden Over by Joshi
Brilliant by Mansi Joshi, she bowls a maiden over to Joshi and the score after the third over remains at 13/0. India begining to stamp their authority in this one.
22:26 hrs ISTDecent start by Ireland
It’s been a decent start by Ireland in their chase of 146. 13/0 after two overs. They are fighting for their lives in the tournament.
22:20 hrs ISTIreland begin chase
Ireland have begun their chase of 146. Gaby Lewis and Claire Shillington at the crease.
22:03 hrs ISTEnd of India innings
End of India innings and the final score is 145/6, Late flurry of wickets stalled the momentum and that could prove costly. Mithali Raj was the top scorer for India with 51. Should India win they will be through to the Semis for the third time. Ireland need 146 to win.
21:58 hrs ISTMithali goes
No sooner had Mithali reached her 50, she is caught behind for 51 off the bowling off Garth. India’s momentum is being stalled and a good position has been wasted. IND 133/5
21:55 hrs ISTMithali hits 50
Mithali Raj has brought up her 17th T20 fifty. She has played the role of the anchor really well. 50 of 54 balls for her. Time to go berserk
21:52 hrs ISTIND lose three quick wickets
Veda Krishnamurthy is gone now. She goes for 9, bowled by Lucy O’Reilly. India’s rampage has taken a bit of hit and the acceleration hasn’t been what was expected.
21:44 hrs ISTIndia lose Harmanpreet
India lose their second wicket in a quick succession. Skipper Harmanpreet holes out at cover but not after hitting a towering six. India still have plenty of wickets in hand. Kaur goes for 7.
21:39 hrs ISTRodrigues departs
India lose their second wicket as Rodrigues is stumped off a wide for 18. India still in a great position. Harmanpreet Singh in next. IND 106/2
21:36 hrs IST100 up for India
India have brought up their 100. Rodrigues looks in pristine touch, six overs to go and India will be targeting at least another 60 runs to put this match beyond Ireland.
21:32 hrs ISTIndia up the ante
India are putting their pedal to the metal. Rodrigues has come in and already hit two boundaries. with seven overs remaining and nine wickets in the hut India can throw all but the kitchen sink at it. IND 94/1 (13)
21:27 hrs ISTBonus runs for India
Lucy O’Reilly bowls a wide delivery down the leg side and it goes for five wide. India have been scoring runs at a good pace at the moment and these bonus runs will certainly aid them. Rodrigues then hit a boundary on the last ball as 14 runs came from that over from Lucy OReilly
21:20 hrs ISTGarth strikes, Mandhana falls
Ireland have managed to pick their first wicket of the day as Kim Garth castles Smriti Mandhana for 33. A slower delivery from Garth and Mandhana failed to read the line of the delivery and it crashed into her stumps.
21:16 hrs ISTGood over for Ireland
Isobel Joyce concedes just five singles from her over as she didn’t give the batters any room to free their arms. Ireland need more of such overs if they want to keep India’s score under check.
21:11 hrs ISTAnother good over for India
After Kim Garth had given away just two runs off her first five deliveries, Mithali Raj hits a boundary towards the gap between the keeper and short third. Six runs come from the over as these two are putting on a good partnership for the opening wicket.
21:07 hrs ISTIndia cross 50 in style
Smriti Mandhana comes dancing down the track and hits the ball straight over the bowler’s head for a huge six. With that, India have also crossed the 50-run mark in 7 overs.
21:03 hrs ISTFlurry of boundaries
Maritz bowls a full toss on the pads of Mandhana and the southpaw plays the ball on the up for a boundary towards deep mid wicket. Mithali then joins in the party hits back to back boundaries on the last two balls of the over to make it 15 from the over.
20:57 hrs ISTMandhana trying to get a move on
Mandhana comes dancing down the track and hits the ball on the up for a boundary towards extra covers. This is her third boundary off the innings. The India openers haven’t fired at all yet and Mandhana is trying to change that. Five overs have been bowled and India have scored just 27 runs.
20:50 hrs ISTDropped catch
Maritz has dropped a sitter as Mithali survives. A lofty full toss from Richardson and the India opener hit it straight towards Maritz at square leg, who failed to grab hold of it. India have been scoring runs at just 4.4 at the moment but that can go up anytime if they have wickets in hand.
20:44 hrs ISTBoundaries to start proceedings
Smriti Mandhana has issued her intentions early on as she has hit couple of boundaries already. First she hit a four off the last ball of Richardson’s over and then, hit one off Lucy OReilly. India are off to a steady start despite these two boundaries from the southpaw.
20:36 hrs ISTMatch begins
India openers Smriti Mandhana and have made their way into the middle and they will start proceedings against Ireland’s Eimear Richardson. The sun has also come out and things are finally starting to look good at the venue.
20:27 hrs ISTNational anthem amidst rain
Stunning scenes at the Providence Stadium as the national anthems of both the teams will be played amidst the rain. The players and mascots are making their way into the middle as the pitch is entirely covered for the time being.
20:22 hrs ISTPlaying XIs
India: Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Veda Krishnamurthy, Taniya Bhatia(w), Deepti Sharma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Radha Yadav, Mansi Joshi, Poonam Yadav
Ireland Women: Clare Shillington, Gaby Lewis, Isobel Joyce, Laura Delany(c), Shauna Kavanagh, Kim Garth, Eimear Richardson, Mary Waldron(w), Lara Maritz, Lucy OReilly, Celeste Raack
20:17 hrs ISTToss update
Ireland have won the toss and they have opted to bowl first. India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said during the toss that she too was looking to bowl first because of the damp conditions at the venue.
20:05 hrs ISTToss delayed
Toss in the ICC Women’s WT20 match between India and Ireland delayed due to damp conditions after downpour at Providence stadium. Stay tuned as we will keep getting you all the updates of the situation.
19:50 hrs ISTWeather conditions
This is what ICC had to say - “The forecast is of heavy rain, even thundershowers, but the action has gone on without too much fuss so far. One hopes that is the case again for this game. There have been runs on the pitch, and both teams will want to make the most of that.”
19:40 hrs ISTThe squads for today’s match
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Tanya Bhatia, Ekta Bisht, Dayalan Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smriti Mandhana, Anuja Patil, Mithali Raj, Arundathi Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav
Ireland: Laura Delany (captain), Kim Garth, Cecelia Joyce, Isobel Joyce, Shauna Kavanagh, Amy Kenealy, Gaby Lewis, Lara Maritz, Ciara Metcalfe, Lucy O’Reilly, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Clare Shillington, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron
19:27 hrs ISTComplacency will be India’s biggest enemy
Things look good for India, especially with New Zealand losing two in two, but they must guard against complacency. Most people expect them to win and make it three in three. Ireland can not only do their cause a world of good, but play party-poopers for Kaur’s team by punching above their weight in this one.
19:14 hrs ISTIreland start as David in this battle against Goliath
Losses in their first two games to Australia and Pakistan have left the Irish reeling. Their stated aim at the World T20 was to win at least one match – they had identified the tie against Pakistan as their best chance – and try to ensure direct qualification for the next edition of the World T20. That hasn’t happened, and against India first and then New Zealand, it will be tough.
19:00 hrs ISTSpinners ruling the roost for India
Off-break bowler Dyalan Hemalatha and leg-spinner Poonam Yadav shone with 10 wickets among them so far and they leading the bowling chart for the team. As far as the seamers are concerned, they will look for a similar sort of impact today.
18:50 hrs ISTTeam’s batting prowess
If Kaur was the star of the opening win, the team’s most experienced campaigner, Mithali Raj, showed the way in the seven-wicket win over Pakistan. While Jemimah Rodrigues started her T20 career with a fine half-century, the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Veda Krishnamurthy will look to score some runs against Ireland.
18:40 hrs ISTIndia eye hat-trick of wins
India will enter the game against the Irish as overwhelming favourites but Kaur is aware that her team cannot afford to take things for granted in this mega-event. Ireland cricket is known for its fighting abilities and taking them lightly will not be the way to go for India, with qualification to the last-four knocking on their doors. Having eased past Pakistan a couple of days after the big win against the New Zealanders, India will nevertheless fancy their chances at the Providence.
18:30 hrs ISTHello and welcome
A very warm welcome to the live blog of the ICC Women’s World T20 match between India and Ireland. India won their first two matches of the tournament against New Zealand and Pakistan respectively and will look to seal a place in the final four with a win today.