Women's T20 World Cup: 'One of Australia's best wins' or did India lose semi-final?

"It was 1 of the champion wins I've been progressive in."

As defending champions Australia reached their seventh consecutive Women's T20 World Cup last aft a thrilling five-run win successful Cape Town, the emotions consumed some teams, with Australian joyousness - and alleviation - contrasted by depleted India's disappointment.

"There were a mates of times I got a spot nervous," Lanning admitted. "But we stayed calm and composed. We didn't panic retired determination and we emotion the large moments."

India looked retired of it, slipping to 28-3 successful pursuit of 173, earlier a heroic counter-attack from Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur near Australia rattled.

The hostility mounted arsenic India edged ever closer, until skipper Harmanpreet was crucially tally retired successful the 15th over.

"Bowling the past implicit I reckon my bosom complaint was 190," said Australia all-rounder Ash Gardner, who successfully defended 16 from the last implicit to unafraid her side's passage.

"We astir apt weren't successful a winning presumption but erstwhile our backmost is against the partition that's what we bash best. The combat shows the quality that is successful this team."

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Lanning accepted her broadside did not play their champion cricket, but with a sixth World T20 rubric successful their sights, they proved wherefore they are 1 of the world's large sporting teams.

Despite Australia's relief, this felt similar a important missed accidental for India, finalists astatine the past T20 World Cup successful 2020 and an ever-improving broadside who came adjacent to upsetting Lanning's world-beaters successful the Commonwealth Games final.

The fielding was the glaring quality betwixt the teams.

Shafali Verma enactment down Beth Mooney connected 32 earlier she made a half-century and Lanning was dropped connected 1 earlier she went connected to marque an unbeaten 49 - including a six from the last shot that felt important astatine the time, and adjacent much truthful aft a five-run margin.

Australia's athleticism successful the tract was exemplary, with players swooping to the shot and putting their bodies connected the enactment clip and clip again to prevention boundaries.

But seldom person the ascendant unit of women's cricket been truthful rattled, and arsenic erstwhile England spinner Alex Hartley told BBC Test Match Special, it was a crippled that India lost, alternatively than 1 Australia won.

"Australia are truthful utilized to winning. They're truthful utilized to being successful power of cricket games and they find a way," said Hartley.

"This is not the champion broadside we person seen from Australia. India had specified an accidental but what I person learned contiguous is that Australia are beatable."

Australia came retired connected apical successful the crunch moments, and had a small spot of luck connected their broadside too.

An opening basal of 52 betwixt Mooney and Alyssa Healy had India connected the backmost foot, with the fielders' assemblage connection dropping - hands connected hips and heads successful hands.

It did not assistance erstwhile Verma enactment down that straightforward accidental disconnected Mooney astatine long-on, her vexation evident erstwhile she held a 2nd accidental aboriginal connected - though by that clip the opener had reached 54.

The 19-year-old was visibly affectional and threw the shot to the crushed aft taking the catch.

But portion Australia won the adjacent battles of skill, they besides needed a portion of luck.

Harmanpreet was taking the crippled distant from the defending champions with a well-judged knock, punishing uncommon escaped balls from Australia and innovating too, scooping the shot implicit the fielders and into the gaps.

But the India skipper was cruelly tally out, her bat jarring successful the crushed arsenic she tried to descent it into the crease for what should person been a comfy 2nd run.

Instead a grateful Healy whipped disconnected the bails.

Harmanpreet's departure from the tract told the communicative successful itself, arsenic she dragged her heels, looked to the entity and trudged to prime up the bat she had thrown crossed the outfield successful disbelief.

And arsenic her bat flew crossed the outfield, India's hopes went with it.

"We couldn't person been unluckier than that. This is not what we were expecting," said Harmanpreet.

"The mode I got tally out, you can't beryllium unluckier. I americium blessed we took this to the past ball."

The India skipper had besides been suffering with a fever which required a infirmary sojourn successful the build-up to the game, making her efforts look each the much incredible.

India volition undoubtedly beryllium asking themselves "What if?" aft specified an agonising encounter.

This was a semi-final to savour, a crippled wherever neither broadside was astatine their best, and wherever India came truthful remarkably adjacent contempt dreadful starts successful some innings.

For now, Australia instrumentality the spoils. But marque nary mistake, the spread is getting smaller.