Australia knock India out to reach Women's T20 World Cup semis

India were knocked out of the Women’s T20 World Cup after Australia’s Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner struck half-centuries to secure a six-wicket win at Lord’s on Sunday.

Australia maintained their flawless record in the group stage, winning all five matches to finish top and advance to the semi-finals, chasing down India’s target of 171 with an over to spare.

India had entered the match needing a victory to progress after South Africa boosted their own qualification chances with a four-wicket win over Bangladesh in a low-scoring game.

Australia suffered an early setback when opener Georgia Voll fell to the second ball of the chase, but Perry and Gardner steadied the innings with a 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Perry made 56 off 38 deliveries before being dismissed by Shree Charani, while Gardner remained unbeaten on 53 from 29 balls to guide the chase home.

“We obviously got to see how India bat and knew it was a good wicket and just needed a good partnership,” Perry, who was named the player of the match, said.

“Hopefully, two more big games to go. But focus will be on the semi-finals first.”

No maiden T20 World Cup title for India

The result ended India’s hopes of securing their maiden Women’s T20 World Cup title and completing a double after their triumph in the One-Day International World Cup last year.

India had posted 170 for four, powered by captain Harmanpreet Kaurs blistering 56 off 27 balls, including three sixes and six fours. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided a solid platform with a 66-run stand, but the middle order struggled to maintain momentum.

Jemimah Rodrigues scored 34 off 28 balls before being retired out in the closing stages, and Harmanpreet accelerated to lift India to their highest total against Australia in a Women’s T20 World Cup match, though it proved insufficient.

The defeat marked the second successive edition in which India had failed to reach the semi-finals, following their group-stage exit in 2024.

Defending champions New Zealand were eliminated on Saturday after suffering a nine-wicket defeat by England.

Australia will face the West Indies in the semi-finals on Tuesday. ...