India women pip New Zealand to reach semis

MELBOURNE: Teenage prodigy Shafali Verma helped India earn a nail-biting win over New Zealand Thursday and reach the women’s Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals, as defending champions Australia inched closer to joining them.

New Zealand won the toss at Melbourne’s Junction Oval and opted to bowl, restricting India to 133 for eight after 16-year-old Verma gave them a strong start with three sixes and four fours in a quickfire 46.

But they failed with the bat, narrowly missing their target despite a swashbuckling late charge by Amelia Kerr, leaving them on 129 for six.

After opening their campaign by upsetting four-time champions Australia, India beat Bangladesh, and their New Zealand victory made it three from three to ensure a semi-final berth for the second successive tournament.

India started solidly before Smriti Mandhana dragged a Lea Tahuhu delivery onto her stumps. Undeterred, the dynamic Verma clicked into gear and clubbed two big sixes in a row to get the scoreboard moving.

Rosemary Mair snapped a dangerous 51-run partnership with Tanya Bhatia (23) and Jemimah Rodrigues fell for 10. Verma rode her luck at the other end, surviving dropped chances on 26 and 32, and looked destined for a half-century before holing out to Hayley Jenson near the boundary rope.

Rachel Priest smacked two boundaries off the opening over in the run chase but she was gone by the second.

Suzie Bates, the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history, soon followed, attempting a paddle sweep. When Devine, who had made 50 or more in her last six T20Is, mishit a Poonam Yadav delivery and was caught for 14 they were in trouble.