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Cricket PlayersSmriti Mandhana's career-best 87 guides India to Women's T20 World Cup semis with DLS win
Smriti Mandhana’s career-best 87 powered India’s total in their final Group 2 encounter and Ireland were slightly behind on the rain-rule when play was called off after heavy rain
Smriti Mandhana exhibited her class against Ireland at Gqeberha in South Africa on Monday, slamming a 56-ball 87 before India won their rain-hit final T20 World Cup Group 2 match by five runs via the DLS method. India made 155/6 and Ireland in reply were 54/2 in 8.2 overs when rain prevented further play and forced the match to be abandoned.
The win sealed India’s spot in the semi-finals for the third successive edition. India finished with six points from three wins and a loss to current Group 2 leaders England, who play Pakistan on Tuesday and look set to finish on top. Finishing second means India will run into Australia, the Group 1 toppers, in the semis.
Mandhana achieved her highest score in T20Is, eclipsing her previous best of 86 against New Zealand at Hamilton in 2019.
Harmanpreet Kaur elected to bat and Mandhana and Shafali Verma's 62-run partnership set the platform for the innings. Mandhana was the dominant partner with Shafali, who struggled to find her timing, labouring to 24 off 29 deliveries.
But with Mandhana in fine form — she made 52 in India's loss to England in the previous game — the others simply needed to lend a helping hand. The left-handed opener, who missed the opening game versus Pakistan due to a finger injury, benefitted from sloppy Ireland fielding, stepped out and took the aerial route when required.
She reached her half-century off 40 balls, taking her front leg out of the way to bludgeon leg-spinner Cara Murray over deep midwicket for six.
While Mandhana was able to find the boundary regularly, the Irish bowlers kept a check on the Indian middle-order. Captain Laura Delany, the pick of the Irish bowlers with figures of 4-0-33-3, dismissed Harmanpreet and in-form Richa Ghosh off successive deliveries. Mandhana was not perturbed. She was clever while pursuing the big hits, often using the assistance of the wind to clear the boundary.
Mandhana seemed set for a century, but ended up finding the long-off fielder while looking to go after seamer Orla Prendergast. The very next delivery, the Ireland bowler found Deepti Sharma's leading edge, which spooned into the hands of Georgina Dempsey at cover.
With the fall of two wickets in the very first over of the run chase, the Irish girls were pinned on the backfoot. Having driven the ball past the 30-yard circle, Amy Hunter hesitated while running back for the second run. It allowed Jemimah Rodrigues to release a pinpoint throw from cover that found the batter way short of her crease. There was another setback for Ireland in the same over as Prendergast was bowled by Renuka Singh after giving her the charge.
Just as Gaby Lewis and Delany began scripting an Ireland recovery with a 53-run partnership for the third wicket, a light drizzle swiftly turned into heavy rain, forcing the players off the field.
Brief scores: India 155/6 in 20 overs (S Mandhana 87; L Delany 3/33). Ireland 54/2 in 8.2 overs. India won by 5 runs via DLS method.
