India book spot in final four at Women’s T20

INDIA BECAME the second team to qualify for the semifinals of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup when they easily defeated Ireland by 51 runs in their Group B encounter at the Providence Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Led once again by opener Mithali Raj, who scored her second successive half-century, India posted a formidable 145 for six from their 20 overs.

Ireland never seriously looked like getting to that total, eventually finishing on 93 for eight from their 20 overs as they slumped to their third straight defeat.

The win means that India and Australia will advance from Group B, with the winners of that group set to be determined when the two teams clash tomorrow.

It will also be India’s first semifinal appearance in a Twenty20 World Cup since 2010.

Raj was at the forefront of her team’s total, scoring 51 from 56 balls, inclusive of four boundaries and one six.

She teamed up with Smriti Mandhana, who made 33, to add 67 runs inside the first 10 overs and gave India a good foundation.

Garth was the pick of the Ireland bowlers, grabbing two for 22 from her four overs.

In pursuit of a challenging total, only Isobel Joyce, who topscored with 33, and Clare Shillington, who made 23, put up any resistance, with none of the other batters getting into double figures.

Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma were India’s two best bowlers, finishing with three for 25 and two for 15, respectively.