Women's T20 World Cup: Australia beat India by five runs to reach seventh consecutive final

Defending champions Australia reached their seventh consecutive Women's T20 World Cup last with a tense five-run triumph implicit India.

Meg Lanning's broadside looked rattled earlier Harmanpreet was tally retired successful the 15th implicit to alteration the people of the crippled arsenic India fell abbreviated connected 167-8.

India volition rue a mediocre fielding show successful the Australian innings, wherever Beth Mooney was dropped connected 32 earlier going connected to marque 54, and Lanning was dropped connected 1 earlier smashing 2 sixes successful the past implicit to decorativeness 49 not out.

Rodrigues and Harmanpreet added 69 for the 4th wicket, rallying India to 93-3 from 10 overs, arsenic the holders were nether existent unit for the archetypal clip successful the competition.

But 19-year-old Darcie Brown crucially removed Rodrigues for 43 successful the 11th implicit successful a superb spell of 2-18 from her 4 overs.

Australia past proved their people to clasp their nervus with Ash Gardner defending 16 from the past implicit to adjacent retired a thrilling victory.

They stay unbeaten successful their quest for a 3rd consecutive satellite T20 victory, to spell with their 50-over rubric and Commonwealth Games triumph.

India, who mislaid to Australia successful the erstwhile last successful 2020 and the Commonwealth Games final, erstwhile again stumbled successful a adjacent brushwood against their world-class opponents.

Despite India's sloppy start, it did not consciousness similar Australia were capitalising, scoring astatine astir 7 runs an implicit until Gardner's quickfire 31 from 18 balls and Lanning's precocious acceleration, including a last-ball six, took them beyond 170.

Harmanpreet's squad past mislaid their apical 3 batters - each for single-figure scores - with the crippled looking to travel the predictable inclination of a comfy Australia victory.

But Rodrigues and Kaur accelerated brilliantly and looked acceptable to animate an upset.

But a dependable flurry of wickets towards the extremity of the innings, triggered by Harmanpreet's unlucky tally retired - with her bat getting caught successful the crushed - outgo India and they inactive hold for a planetary title.

More to follow.