Australia defeated India by five runs in a nail-biting match at Newlands to advance to the Women's T20 World Cup final. Australia advanced to the T20 World Cup final for the seventh time in a row, and captain Meg Lanning dubbed the triumph "one of the best" she has been a part of.
The outcome of the semi-final might have gone any way; first in the favour of Australia, when they scored 172 runs after choosing to bat, and then in the favour of India, when Harmanpreet Kaur did what she does best when facing Australia in a World Cup. Only this time, after a brilliant innings of 52 off 34, her bat got trapped in the ground and she was out. "Can't be unluckier than that," she said after the game, explaining just why she was teary-eyed in the dugout.
The first 20 overs of Australia's innings saw Beth Mooney score a half-century and be in excellent form as they reached 172/4. With just 37 balls, Mooney scored 54 runs, including seven fours and a six. Meg Lanning, the skipper, scored 49 runs off 34 balls, an undefeated effort that included four fours and two sixes. Shikha Pandey was in good bowling form for India and took two wickets, Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav bagged one dismissal each.
India, facing a 173-run target, reached 167/8 in 20 overs, losing by five runs despite Harmanpreet Kaur's half-century. The Indian captain hit six fours and a maximum scoring 52 runs off just 34 balls. Darcie Brown and Ashleigh Gardner, two of Australia's bowlers, both bowled well and both claimed two wickets.
Brief Scores: Australia 172/4 (Beth Mooney 54, Meg Lanning 49*; Shikha Pandey 2-32) beat India (Harmanpreet Kaur 52, Jemimah Rodrigues 43; Darcie Brown 2-18) by five runs