Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of the Commonwealth Games 2022 T20 final between India and Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.
Jonassen bowls the last over. India needs 11 runs to win.
IND 151/8 IN 19 OVERS
Schutt bowls out. Radha slaps this to mid-off and hares for a single. OUT! She is run out at the non-striker’s end with a brilliant direct throw. Yastika comes in now. FOUR! Boundary first ball as Deepti steps out and hammers this over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Loud appeal for LBW and given out! Deepti reviews immediately. No bat involved. OUT! Deepti has to walk back. Meghana comes in and takes a single. Yastika drives it back to the bowler. Yastika takes a single off the last ball and keeps strike.
IND 145/6 IN 18 OVERS
Gardner with the ball. Deepti starts with a single. FOUR! Rana steps out and drives through the covers and a horrible misfield in the deep by McGrath allows four runs. OUT! Rana is run out next ball. FOUR! Deepti Sharma gets a thick outside edge past the keeper that runs away to the boundary. Two singles to end the over.
IND 134/5 IN 17 OVERS
Just what India didn’t need has transpired. Three quick wickets including that of Harmanpreet and Australia back in the lead in this contest. Sneh Rana sweeps behind for a couple behind square. FIVE-WIDES! Crucial runs for India as this runs away for five wides down leg side. Rana sweeps again but fetches just a single at deep square. Full toss and Deepti cannot capitalise and only manages to flay this to deep midwicket for a single. Nudged away by Deepti for a single.
IND 121/5 IN 16 OVERS
Gardner into the attack. A couple of singles to start the over. Harmanpreet key here if India is to win. She hangs back and pulls on leg-side. OUT! Vastrakar steps out to clear the long-on fence but finds the fielder in the deep. OUT! Harmanpreet goes for the scoop but doesn’t connect well and this loops up and Healy dives behind the stumps to take the catch.
IND 118/3 IN 15 OVERS
Jemimah now joins the attack as she steps out and gets it over midwicket for a boundary. Sliced through point for two more. OUT! Jemimah is clean bowled as she looks to make room on the off-side and misses. Vastrakar comes in.
I NDIA NEEDS 50 RUNS TO WIN FROM 36 BALLS
IND 112/2 IN 14 OVERS
King comes back. Flighted, Harmanpreet steps out and drills this past the bowler for four runs. Jemimah sweeps for a single. India going steady. Harmanpreet turns one off her legs for a single. Flighted and Jemimah steps out for a single at mid-off. It is a risky run but Jemimah dives well to make her ground. SIX! Cracking shot for six as Harmanpreet steps out and pummels this over long-on.
IND 98/2 IN 13 OVERS
Fifty for Harmanpreet off 34 balls with a single as Jonassen comes on to bowl her third over. Harmanpreet paddles but gets a top edge which lands safe behind short fine-leg for one more.
IND 93/2 IN 12 OVERS
McGrath comes back for a second. Full toss and whipped away by Harmanpreet for a couple. Full toss on the pads and Harmanpreet doesn’t need a second invitation and sends this to the square leg fence. Another boundary next ball as Harmanpreet chips this over mid-off. She takes a single off the next ball, nudging it off the pads on leg-side.
IND 80/2 IN 11 OVERS
Harmanpreet playing a captain’s innings here. Ste steps out to Alana and hammers this through midwicket for four runs. She fetches the next one from wide outside off and sweeps behind square for a single. Jemimah gets down on one knee now and sweeps hard to square leg for a single. Harmanpreet keeps strike with a single off the last ball.
IND 73/2 IN 10 OVERS
Jonassen back for her second over. UPDATE: YASTIKA BHATIA WILL REPLACE TANIYA BHATIA. Tastika will come out to bat instead of Taniya, who received a concussion while keeping. Harmanpree thumps this over long-on for the first six of the innings. She clips one off her legs to end the over with a single.
IND 62/2 IN 9 OVERS
Schutt comes back. Harmanpreet paddles again but this is too high and falls in vacant area shot of fine leg for a single. She then plays a couple of solid straight bat defensive shots back to the bowler. Jemimah steers this to short third and is undecided whether to run or not. Eventually Harmanpreet sends her back.
IND 59/2 IN 8 OVERS
Harmanpreet employs the paddle sweep to perfection and guides this to the fine-leg boundary as McGrath comes on to bowl. 50 runs up for India in 7.1 overs. Goes for the paddle again and this is not fine enough and gets just a single behind square. Low full toss and Jemimah comes forward and drives through the covers for four more. Driven again next ball but this will be only a couple as the deep fielder cuts it off.
IND 48/2 IN 7 OVERS
Alana King into the attack. Dragged short and Jemimah pulled through midwicket for a couple. Tight over from the leg-spinner King with only six coming from it.
IND 42/2 IN 6 OVERS
Brown continues into her third over. Full and straight and flicked away by Harmanpreet for a single at midwicket. Jemimah makes a bit of room outside off and wristily drives this over covers for a boundary. Full and on-driven by Jemimah to mid-on and she hares for a single after a slight misfield. Pulled away by Harmanpreet through midwicket to the boundary. Too full this outside off and Harmanpreet drives this elegantly through cover and point for another four.
IND 28/2 IN 5 OVERS
Jonassen into the attack with her left-arm spin. Harmanpreet gets low to sweep behind square for a couple. Nurdled away behind square again off the front-foot for one more. Jemimah gets on the front foot too to drive through the covers for one more.
IND 23/2 IN 4 OVERS
Brown continues. Jemimah and Harmanpreet at the crease. A bt of a lull now as Harmanpreet and Jemimah look to rebuild. Just one from the over.
IND 22/2 IN 3 OVERS
Dropped! An absolute sitter floored by Schutt at cover as Shafali gets a top edge trying to pull on leg-side. OUT! Shafali goes this time. Shafali lofts this high and this time this is taken at mid-off by Tahlia McGrath.
IND 16/1 IN 2 OVERS
Brown from the other end. Mandhana starts off with two dot balls. FOUR! Mandhana now joins the act and drives uppishly between cover and mid-off to find four runs. OUT! Bizarre dismissal. Mandhana left her leg stump exposed and looked to play this length ball behind but missed the flick to see the ball crash into leg-stump.
IND 12/0 IN 1 OVER
Megan Schutt to start with the ball. Mandhana and Shafali open. Shafali starts with a single through the leg-side. Mandhana steps out first ball and drives through the covers for one more. Both openers off the mark. FOUR! Outside edge and this goes through a vacant slip cordon and to the third man boundary. Mandhana shimmies out again and steers between point and cover for a single. FOUR! Scorching shot to the boundary by Shafali.
AUSTRALIA 161/8 IN 20 OVERS. INDIA NEEDS 162 RUNS TO WIN.
AUS 161/8 IN 20 OVERS
Deepti will bowl the last over. Full toss first ball, Haynes steps out but doesn’t connect well and just a single at midwicket. Run out appeal now and umpires go upstairs. OUT! Jonassen is short of her crease as Mandhana effects a direct hit from mid-off at the non-striker’s end. Schutt steps out and whips this over the infield for a couple at wide long-on. Haynes sweeps the last ball behind square leg for a couple and that is the end of the innings.
AUS 156/7 IN 19 OVERS
Radha to bowl the 19th over. OUT! Alana King sweeps this straight to the midwicket fielder and the wheels are coming off this Australian innings. Jess Jonassen in at number 9. Haynes steps out and launches this over midwicket and to the boundary. Good dive at the deep but just out of reach.
AUS 150/6 IN 18 OVERS
Mooney continues to take the attack to the opposition. Presses forward and lofts this over the covers for a boundary. OUT! Another stunning catch and this is Deepti Sharma this time. Mooney sliced this high into the air looking to clear the straight boundary but ended up skying it high and Deepti, after backpedalling from mid-on, extended her hand behind her as the ball stuck in her palm. Alana in now. 150 up for Australia in 18 overs.
AUS 138/5 IN 17 OVERS
Renuka bowls out. OUT! Renuka comes back and strikes as Harris gets this high into the air trying to go big on leg side and Meghana pouches it at mid-on. Excellent over at the death as just five come from it with one wicket.
AUS 133/4 IN 16 OVERS
OUT! First ball of the over and Rana strikes. Gardner goes for a big swipe outside off but misses the ball, which turns away and the keeper does the rest to stump her out. Big wicket for India. Grace Harris the new batter in. Mooney lofts this down the ground and to the long-off boundary for four runs and gets to her half-century off 36 balls.
AUS 125/3 IN 15 OVERS
Gardner steps out to Radha, gets under the ball and launches it over midwicket for a maximum. Good controlled aggression by Australia as they collect five singles after that first ball six and still have 11 runs from the over.
AUS 114/3 IN 14 OVERS
Deepti continues. Gardner drives through the covers and Vastrakar pulls off a sensational dive running in from point to save a couple of runs. Gardner then shuffles across outside off and swings and misses, gets a thin inside edge, in fact, and this will go down as a dropped chance by the keeper. India has struck back with two quick wickets but Australia still coasting at a healthy run rate.
AUS 109/3 IN 13 OVERS
Rana returns with the ball. Goes too full and straight on the last ball and Mooney gets one knee down and sweeps this behind to the fine-leg fence. Ten runs from the over.
AUS 99/3 IN 12 OVERS
Deepti to bowl her second over. And an absolute stunner of a catch by Radha Yadav. McGrath cuts off the backfoot and Radha dives to her left and takes a stunning low catch at point. Gardner is off to a luckt start as she collects two back-to-back boundaries off outside edges. Radha Yadav on fire as she hits the stumps directly with a throw from point but Lanning is easily inside.
AUS 87/2 IN 11 OVERS
Radha continues and flights the first one up to Mooney, who skips down the track and takes it on the full to drive it back to the bowler. OUT! It goes off the bowler’s hand and into the stumps at the non-stiker’s end. And Lanning is short of her crease by a whisker. Tahlia McGrath is in next. Mooney steps out to flick this through midwicket for a single. McGrath on strike. She plants her foot forward and drives to mid-off for a single. Two more singles to end the over.
AUS 83/1 IN 10 OVERS
Captain Kaur with the ball now. Slightly short and Mooney rocks back and pummels this through midwicket for four more. Full next ball and swept by Mooney for a single. Turning into her and Lanning goes back to nurdle this behind the keeper for another boundary. This is lofted over mid-off for another boundary as Kaur flights this in the slot to Lanning. Hat-trick of boundaries to end the over.
AUS 66/1 IN 9 OVERS
Pooja Vastrakar into the attack. Lanning gets an inside edge first ball onto the pads and steals a single. Mooney continues her charge as she slaps this length ball from outside off and over midwicket for a boundary. Wide yorker next ball and steered by Mooney to third man for a single. Loose ball on the pads and all Lanning has to do is help it on its way to the boundary at fine-leg. Vastrakar drags her length back a bit next ball and Lanning misses the cut. She goes back in her crease to pull this through midwicket for a single off the last ball.
AUS 54/1 IN 8 OVERS
Sneh Rana into the attack. Mooney on strike. Mooney and Lanning start off with a couple of singles. Mooney steps out to a flighted delivery and pumps this over the bowler’s head and to the boundary. Fifty up for Aussies in 7.3 overs. Mooney steers this to point for a single next ball. Lanning is struggling a bit here with 16 of 18 balls.
AUS 46/1 IN 7 OVERS
A bit of an interruption in play as Taniya Bhatia is down on the ground after that previous over. She is okay to continue now and here comes Radha with left-arm spin. Full and driven through the covers by Mooney off the front foot but Shafali does well to stop this at mid-off. Lanning sweeps this hard but finds the fielder at midwicket for another dot ball.
AUS 43/1 IN 6 OVERS
Renuka into her third over. Just three singles off the first four balls. SIX! First maximum of the match as Lanning launches this full one over mid-off and over long-off boundary for six runs. Four byes to end the over. That’s the end of the PowerPlay.
AUS 30/1 IN 5 OVERS
Deepti into the attack. Starts off with a wide. Lanning stays on the backfoot and cuts through the covers for four runs.
AUS 22/1 IN 4 OVERS
Meghana continues keeping it a little too full but also gets the ball to swing away a bit from the right-hander. Searing yorker next ball but Lanning digs it out well to collect a single behind point. Mooney miscues a pull but it lands safely beyond short fine leg for a couple of runs. Too full and straight and Mooney flicks this to the boundary and over midwicket.
AUS 14/1 IN 3 OVERS
Renuka continues. A half-hearted LBW appeal as Healy misses this length ball. It looked a bit high but Kaur goes up for the review. OUT! Excellent review in hindsight as this is just clipping top the top of the stump and Healy has to walk back. Meg Lanning is in next and plays and misses the first ball outside off. Lanning is off the mark with a single. Low full toss and Mooney drives this through the covers for a boundary for four runs. Mooney is up and away.
AUS 9/0 IN 2 OVERS
Meghana Singh from the other end. Cut away first ball but straight to point. Healy slices this to point and a misfield allows her to take a single. Full on the pads and Mooney flicks this through square leg for a single and opens her account. Full again and Helay drives this straight to extra cover. Healy drives another full delivery back to the bowler and takes another single. Mooney advances and then hops to cut this shorter one to point to end the over.
AUS 6/0 IN 1 OVER
Renuka Singh starts with the ball to Healy. Three dots to start with. Australia off the mark as Renuka goes down leg side and it is called wide. Healy is getting behind the line of the ball to defend. Outside edge, just wide of the slip fielder and this runs away to the boundary for four runs. Healy off the mark. Punched away through mid wicket for a single off the last ball.
9:23 IST: The national anthems are underway at Edgbaston in Birmingham. First is Australia’s followed by that of India.
India Women Playing XI: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Taniya Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh.
Australia Women Playing XI: Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath, Rachael Haynes, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown.
TOSS: Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. India is unchanged.
9:04 PM IST: The toss has been delayed at Edgbaston. Not sure what the delay is about as yet.
8:59 PM IST: Ahead of the toss, here is a reminder that only six out of 15 matches have been won by the team batting first in this tournament. India has pulled off acouple of those wins, first beating Barbados by 100 runs and then pipping England by four runs in the semifinal.
8:48 PM IST: We are moments away from the all-important toss at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
While India and Australia will be locked in an intense battle at Edgbaston, there’s a lot of action in store from the Commonwealth Games. Keep yourself updated by following our live coverage here.
Match begins at 9:30 PM IST. Toss at 9:00 PM IST.
Skipper Harmanpreet getting into her groove ahead of the final!
Jemimah raring to go!!!
Players to watch out for: Smriti Mandhana has scored 153 runs in four matches in the tournament so far at an average of 51.00 and a strike rate of 156.12. She scored the fastest Women’s T20I half-century by an Indian against England in the semifinal on Saturday, with the milestone coming in just 23 balls. With the ball, Renuka Singh Thakur has been a revelation, picking nine wickets in four matches at a mind-blogging average of 8.77 and economy rate of 5.26.
Players to watch out for: Tahlia McGrath has been the star all-rounder in women’s cricket of late. She hasn’t disappointment in the Games either. She is Australia’s top run-scorer so far in four matches, with 126 runs at an average of 63.00 and a strike rate of 153.65. McGrath is also her team’s leading wicket-taker with eight wickets at 9.12.
Head-to-head: India will not only have its task cut out as it takes on the world champion in the final today, but will also have number stacked against it. Out of the 24 matches played between the sides so far, India has won only six games and lost 17.
Jhulan Goswami, who has witnessed several ‘so-near-yet-so-far’ moments in her career, spoke to Sportstar ahead of today’s final. Read here about what the veteran has to say as history beckons the Women in Blue.
Match starts at 9:30 PM IST. Toss at 9:00 PM IST.
India and Australia will lock horns in the final of the first-ever women’s cricket competition at the Commonwealth Games. on Sunday. While the Meg Lanning-side side will be favourite ahead of the match, Harmanpreet Kaur’s brigade has given enough reason to believe that they can pull off an upset. In fact, they almost did in the CWG 2022 opener when Renuka Singh Thakur’s sensational opening burst of swing bowling wrecked the Australian top order before Harris Grace and Ashleigh Gardner combined to pull off a three-wicket heist.
India will also take a lot of confidence from its narrow four-run win over England in the semifinal on Saturday as the team held its nerve in a crunch game, which is something that hasn’t been the case in big-ticket events of late. Meanwhile, Australia quite expectedly beat New Zealand by five wickets in the other semifinal on Saturday to set up an India-Australia title clash.
THE SQUADS
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Taniya Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Yastika Bhatia, Sabbhineni Meghana, Harleen Deol, Rajeshwari Gayakwad.
Australia: Alyssa Healy(wk), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath, Rachael Haynes, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown, Ellyse Perry, Nicola Carey, Amanda Wellington, Annabel Sutherland.
WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH INDIA VS AUSTRALIA FINAL LIVE
The Commonwealth Games 2022 T20 final between India and Australia will be aired LIVE on the Sony Sports Network at 9:30 PM IST. The match will also be LIVE streamed on the SonyLIV app.
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here