WORLD CUP WOBBLES – England or India to steady their ship first?

Unbeaten England face a wounded but dangerous India on Sunday, in a match that could define both teams’ World Cup campaigns. Alice Jackson previews the big game.

Sciver-Brunt’s side were flying high after three straight wins, but a poor showing against Pakistan exposed weaknesses ahead of Sunday’s fixture. Meanwhile India are desperate to stay in semi-final contention, after two wins and two losses have landed them fourth in the table rankings. The two sides will meet in Navi Mumbai in front of a record crowd of nearly 18,000.

Current form

England began their World Cup campaign with all guns blazing, with three wins from three against South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh –  as if their bruising Ashes performance never happened. After kicking off the tournament with a ruthless 10-wicket thrashing of South Africa, Nat Sciver–Brunt’s side went on to beat Bangladesh by four wickets in an albeit less convincing show of skill. Bangladesh reduced England to 103 for six chasing 179, but a 79-run partnership between Knight and Dean pulled them to safety.  A Sciver-Brunt century and Ecclestone’s four wickets extended England’s winning streak, as they eased to an 89-run win over Sri Lanka. But it was Pakistan who really put England to the test. A superb bowling display saw England struggle with the bat – Pakistan needed only 78 runs off 24.2 overs when rain interrupted play for the second time and officials called the game off. Both teams came away with a point, but England will be feeling the pressure as their 100 percent win rate comes to an end.  

India started the tournament off strongly with convincing wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan. But it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing from there. Richie Ghosh did well to rescue them from 102-6 against South Africa, but her efforts proved futile as South Africa chased down the total with three wickets and seven overs remaining. Nadine de Klerk’s phenomenal 84 helped Wolvaardt’s side to steal the win.  Their loss against Australia was perhaps harder to take. Batting first in the six-fest match, the home team posted 330 – their highest-ever World Cup total. However Australian skipper Alyssa Healy powered a record chase with a masterful 142 off 107 balls, pulling off the highest successful chase in women’s ODI history.  India can at most afford one defeat from their upcoming games against England and New Zealand if they wish to reach the semi-final. 

Recent head-to-heads

India won the ODI series 2-1 during their tour of England this summer, chasing down 259 to win by four wickets in the first match. The tourists won the third ODI by 13 runs with skipper Kaur scoring her seventh ODI century.  England then beat India by 152 runs in the first of the World Cup warm-up matches, in which Sciver-Brunt hit 122.

Players to watch

Nat Sciver Brunt has been England’s heartbeat this tournament. The England captain made history against Sri Lanka, where she scored her fifth CWC century. England’s top-ranked spinner Sophie Ecclestone continues to dominate. Her knack for breaking partnerships in the middle of overs, as shown by her four-wicket-wonder against Sri Lanka, gives England a crucial edge. Pace enforcer Lauren Bell continues to impress, with returns of 1/24, 1/28 and 0/32 in the group stages. 

Smriti Mandhana is a key cog for India at the top of the batting order. She scored 80 in the showstopper against Australia, reaching a monumental milestone of 5,000 ODI runs. She also became the first ever player to cross 1,000 runs in a calendar year, amassing 1,062 runs in 18 innings alone. Amanjot Kaur has been impressive in her first World Cup appearance, scoring her maiden tournament half century against Sri Lanka. 

Prediction

England’s form has, in general, been spectacular, although their performance against Bangladesh –  a team who scraped through the qualifiers and have played no international cricket since then – could be considered by some as a Bangladesh win. Their wobble against Pakistan also makes things less certain. Still, where India have lost two out of four, England remain unbeaten with a higher net run rate. And with Ecclestone and Bell hopefully back from illness, their form is set to return. Surely it’s an England win. 

Where to watch

In-person:
Holkar Stadium, Indore at 3pm local time

TV:
UK – Sky Sports 10.30am local time
India – Star Sports Network at 3pm local time
Sri Lanka – Maharaja TV at 3pm local time
Pakistan – PTV and Ten Sports at 2.30pm local time
Bangladesh – Nagorik TV and T Sports at 3.30pm local time
South Africa – SuperSport at 11.30am local time
Australia – Amazon Prime Video, check local times
New Zealand – Sky TV NZ, check local times

Check out our guide to the Women’s Cricket World Cup here: https://thenewwomenssportmagazine.com//when-and-where-to-watch-the-cricket-world-cup