Australia strengthened their grip on the summit after a convincing win over Bangladesh earlier in the day, but India can leapfrog them with another victory. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side are currently second in the standings and enter the competition after a resounding win over arch-rivals Pakistan.
India’s batting effort against Pakistan was built around experience. After losing Shafali Verma and Jemima Rodrigues cheaply inside the powerplay, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet steadied the innings with a crucial stand of 91 runs. The partnership marked a timely return to form for Mandhana, who had faced a difficult period in white-ball cricket. Richa Ghosh then struck in the closing overs to take India to a total of 170.
The Indian bowlers then put up a clinical display. Deepti Sharma recorded her best figures in T20 Internationals with five wickets, while Shri Charani took three wickets. Interestingly, India relied almost entirely on spin, bowling at just three overs and conceding 35 runs through the seamers.
The Netherlands came into the match after a spirited, albeit unsuccessful, outing against Bangladesh. After opting to bat, the Dutchman struggled to establish partnerships and lost wickets at regular intervals. Captain Babette DeLeed got out with a fighting fifty, while opener Heather Segers contributed 16 runs, the second highest score of the innings.
Although the total proved insufficient, the Dutch bowlers ensured that Bangladesh had to work hard for victory. A burst of four wickets in four overs, during which only 18 runs were conceded, dragged the match into the final over, before Bangladesh eventually emerged victorious by six wickets.
The circumstances at Headingley may add another layer of intrigue. The venue saw the highest average seam movement of the tournament so far when Australia played there previously, suggesting that the fast bowlers could have a big role to play. Both the teams will keep a close eye on the conditions before finalizing their combinations.
