Australia hold off India rally to reach Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals

• Australia, 151-8, beat India, 142-9, by nine runs
• Defending champions take four wickets in last over to seal win

Tahlia McGrath has taken the captaincy reins seamlessly from the injured Alyssa Healy to lead Australia into the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, while also handing big rivals India a potentially fatal blow. McGrath, taking over because of skipper Healy’s foot injury, led from the front in Sharjah on Sunday with a brisk knock of 32 as the champions again demonstrated their enviable strength-in-depth in their nine-run victory.

Halfway through India’s chase of the Aussies’ 151-8, McGrath’s side had already done enough statistically to guarantee qualification. But the unbeaten side were determined to maintain their stranglehold, restricting India to 142-9 – thanks to four wickets in Annabel Sutherland’s last over – to hand their fancied rivals a defeat that leaves their semi-final hopes out of their hands.

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Source: Cricket - The Guardian