Women's T20 World Cup: Want to watch India play in semis? Sacrifice sleep

While all the matches featuring India have taken place at 8 pm so far, the semi-final match will be played at 5 am on November 23.

The women’s T20 world cup has thus far proved to be a big advertisement for Indian women’s cricket. After making a mark in the 2017 women’s 50-over world cup in England, where they lost to the home team in the final, the women in blue have sparkled in the shortest format of the game in Guyana.

The four games thus far have all been played on what constitutes prime time in India – starting at 8 pm IST. But now as the tournament moves from the South American mainland to the Caribbean island of Antigua for the knockout stage, the games would be played under floodlights. This would mean that to watch the action against England in the semi-finals, ardent cricket lovers would have to be up and about at 5 am IST.

Many have grumbled that the Board of Control for Cricket in India could have done better and impressed upon the International Cricket Council to host all the games at a time when more Indians could also watch them, but it has not.

Incidentally, during the 2010 T20 men’s world cup in West Indies all the games in which India played were held during the daytime there so that people caught the action in the evenings here. More recently, the Asia Cup held in the United Arab Emirates had seen all the games being played at 7 pm. IST which provided a huge audience for the tournament in South Asia. It is keeping in mind the viewership that all the premier leagues also have evening games.

Unfortunately, while the women’s cricket team through its sterling performance has done all it can to popularise the sport in India, the BCCI administrators have disappointed. They should have tried to impress upon the organisers the need to hold the women’s T20 world cup semi-finals and final too at times when most people could have watched them. But that did not happen. In India people will have to rise early on Friday, which is a working day, to see some part of the game.

For their part, the girls have not put a foot wrong so far. They topped their group by authoritatively defeating all their four opponents, who by the way were no pushovers. Among them Australia is the top ranked and New Zealand is the second placed. The first to feel the heat were the Kiwis, who are ranked fourth, just behind India in the T20 rankings.

The New Zealand girls were out-batted by India. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur hit a scintillating 103 of just 51 balls, her second 50 coming of just 17 deliveries. A half-century at the other end by Jemima Rodrigues and two three-wicket hauls by spinners Poonam Yadav and Dayalan Hemalatha gave India a 34 run win and announced its arrival at the world cup.

The next match was against arch-rivals Pakistan, which was riding high over its win over Ireland. But the girls in blue held their nerves. They restricted their neighbours to 133. Then as they walked in to bat, they did not carry the burden of the 10 runs they had been awarded as Pakistani players – in a first for any team in international cricket – were docked five runs twice for running on the danger zone.... Read More

Business Standard

ICC Women's World T20: India, Australia face off in inconsequential game

Considered title contenders, both India and Australia stormed into the semifinals of the showpiece with a game to spare.

Business Standard : India will face their biggest challenge so far in the ICC Women's World T20 when they lock horns with a gifted Australian team in an inconsequential game here Saturday.

Considered title contenders, both India and Australia stormed into the semifinals of the showpiece with a game to spare.

Assured of a place in the last-four stage, the result of Saturday's match may not be of much significance, but India are aware that beating a superior side will help them take the confidence into the knockouts.

The two fancied teams wasted no time in switching into top gear in the Caribbean, having convincingly won all their three matches so far, and another victory in the next round robin game would certainly be a huge morale booster.

While India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur provided the best possible start to the tournament with her blazing century against New Zealand, the seasoned Mithali Raj showed there is no substitute for experience with two fine half-centuries, the knocks coming in times when the team needed them the most.

While Harmanpreet's scintillating innings, which contained as many as eight sixes, will be remembered for years, Mithali got into the act in the much-awaited match against arch-rivals Pakistan and calmly saw the team through.

A downpour in the morning made the conditions difficult for batting against Ireland, but opener Mithali battled her way to her 17th T20I half-century helping her side put up a challenging total, anchoring the innings till the 19th over.

The spinners then rattled the Irish batswomen and ensured an easy win for India.

India cruised into the semi-finals with a 52-run defeat of Ireland at the Providence Stadium. The result meant that Group B's top-two spots were decided, with Australia being the other semifinalist. It also meant New Zealand and Pakistan were knocked out of the tournament.

The Aussies, too, have been in exceptional form. They easily saw off Pakistan in their first pool match by 52 runs, comprehensively defeated Ireland in their second by nine wickets and then beat New Zealand by 33 runs.

While Meg Lanning's side has quite a few match-winners, the name that stands out at the moment is opening batter and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy.

Her form with the bat recently has been very impressive and she has scored more runs than any of her teammates. Since the beginning of October, Alyssa has scored six half centuries in eight innings.

Ahead of the game against Australia, the India skipper said they need to be more aggressive on the field.