Women's T20 Champs 2018, Nov 9-25

[bigfluffylemon]

India got off to a flyer, but have been reeled back a little. Still plenty of wickets in hand and Kaur at the crease - 140+ is on the cards.

England's batters need to come to the party tonight. They really haven't so far. The talent of Wyatt, Beaumont, Knight, Sciver et al. should be able to threaten most targets if they get going, but they haven't yet in this tournament.

[bigfluffylemon]

Now it's India's turn to collapse. Kaur gone just at the point where India would be looking to accelerate.

Looks like a pretty slow wicket, tough to bat on. Just goes to show how good Dani Hazell's innings was for Australia.

[bigfluffylemon]

Good grief. India collapse from 77-2 after 13 to 112 all out. Some sharp fielding from England. But judging by the wicket, the initial partnership of 43 might be the difference.

113 is surely gettable, but on a slow wicket with India's bowlers, it's unlikely to be easy.

[bigfluffylemon]

England almost exactly where India were after 13 overs. Before the wheels fell off.

Just need to rotate the strike and keep bunting the singles and England should do this. But why am I expecting a nerve-wracking wobble?

As a point of interest, India have used six bowlers, all of them spinners...

[bigfluffylemon]

Amy Jones has been the find of the tournament for England. Sarah Taylor's a hard act to follow, but Jones has done well. Kirsty Gordon looks handy too.

[bigfluffylemon]

All over, and surprisingly straightforward for England in the end. India's spinners gave away too many easy singles, and England played them well - didn't try to take them on and hit out, but rather just kept working the singles, rotating the strike and not let them settle. Well done. Finally a strong performance with ball and bat, and India will rue giving it away in the last third of their innings.

Amy Jones POTM for me - same contribution as Sciver with the bat, but also a hand in two vital run-outs that helped turn the game for England during India's innings.

Charlotte Edwards called it on TMS - she was saying an Australia-England final just after the group stages ended, despite Australia and England's losses to India and West Indies respectively. I was doubtful, but I guess she knows what she's talking about. Funny that.

[bigfluffylemon]

Australia have to be favourites for the final, but anything can happen. Looking forward to it.

Now over to Colombo...

[Durhamfootman]

well done England.

I had an eye on the first innings scorecard and it looked as though England had taken everything on board from the Australia/India game.... and bowled well, giving India little to work with once they'd got the big wicket of Smriti Mandhana.

I went to bed after about the 15th over of the first innings, feeling hopeful, but not expectant

delighted with the result. No drama

[Durhamfootman]

Tight game, but England have seemed to me to be a bit sub-par with the bat and in the field all tournament. I can't see them getting through the semi, and I think that would be a fair reflection - 4th best in the world.

It's T20, so there's never a foregone conclusion, but I think England will have to play a blinder to beat India.

so do I

but, I'll re-iterate... India only managed one partnership themselves against Australia, albeit a belter. Early wickets in the semi and India might look vulnerable.... it feels to me as if all India's runs are with Mandhana, Raj and Kaur. Get them early......... hey, it's T20.... anything can happen

who knew that India would help out by leaving one of those 3 batters on the bench?

odd decision

[Red Devil]

Tight game, but England have seemed to me to be a bit sub-par with the bat and in the field all tournament. I can't see them getting through the semi, and I think that would be a fair reflection - 4th best in the world.

It's T20, so there's never a foregone conclusion, but I think England will have to play a blinder to beat India.

so do I

but, I'll re-iterate... India only managed one partnership themselves against Australia, albeit a belter. Early wickets in the semi and India might look vulnerable.... it feels to me as if all India's runs are with Mandhana, Raj and Kaur. Get them early......... hey, it's T20.... anything can happen

who knew that India would help out by leaving one of those 3 batters on the bench?

odd decision

very odd decision - feels a bit like politics maybe as there is no cricket sense

I understand the desire for youth but the side India picked only had Mandhana and Harmanpreet as experienced batters with pedigree - Rodrigues looks very promising and then you have the wickie who has done ok - so that had to be the top 5 because none of the others have any batting record to speak of. Not having Raj there in the semi-final was a big mistake and Ind got punished for it.

Also, Rodrigues and Harmanpreet were going ok and then Rodrigues should have run 2 but was ball watching and they only got 1. Harman gave her a right volley and it seemed to affect her as she had a real hack at the next ball and got away with it and then got run out going for 2 the ball after that. Once she went we had no batters left (our slated number 5 had only scored 20 T20 international runs!) and then once Harman went as well it was all over.

[Durhamfootman]

not a good night for India

still..... they are improving all the time

[bigfluffylemon]

Nice timing for watching the final in Oz - 11am on a Sunday. Not so good for the UK.

Awkward pitch. Hard to get the ball away, fairly slow and some uneven bounce. Looks like the other day - 120 will probably be competitive, and 140 quite decent.

Crap fielding from Australia. Uncharacteristically so. England should be in all kinds of bother - 5 or 6 down. But apart from Wyatt, no one has really picked up the pace in the pitch.

[bigfluffylemon]

Healy is having a shocker behind the stumps.

[bigfluffylemon]

England crumbling, despite some poor play by Australia. This innings not really got going.

[bigfluffylemon]

Geez, this is not a good advertisement for the women's game. Given it's a final, and therefore the best two sides in the game, both sides have been terrible so far.

But for all they don't really deserve it with some awful fielding, Australia are on top as England haven't got their innings going at all. This is going to be a very gettable target for Australia. Repeat of Shrubsole's Lord's heroics are going to be needed, I think.