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I wasn’t planning on taking a dive into mythology this morning, but our OBO regular John Starbuck has compelled me:
“Not that I want to jinx the current match, but here’s a suggestion. Given that both England teams have lately been rescued by rain, maybe they should adopt some official rain gods, just in case? The women’s team could go for Chacmool, while the men’s might opt for Tlaloc. They seem to have been very successful in their day (in what we now call Latin America) and maybe all they need is official belief to operate again.”
Two spots have yet to be filled for the final four.
Australia have secured their passage, as have South Africa (who were trounced by England).
An expected sell-out crowd is expected today. Not quite full yet but there’s a proper vibe brewing as the players walk out of the tunnel and get ready for the anthems.
A reminder that and England win would see them progress to the semi-finals.
India need two wins from their three remaining matches.
Team news
Two changes for England and one for India.
Nat Sciver-Brunt welcomes back the returning Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell who have recovered from a brief illness.
India have included Renaka Singh Thakur who poses a challenge with her in-swingers.
England: Beaumont, Jones (wk), Knight, Sciver-Brunt (c), Dunkley, Lamb, Capsey, Dean, Ecclestone, Smith, Bell.
India: Mandhana, Rawal, Deol, H Kaur (c), Sharma, Ghosh (wk), A Kaur, Rana, Gaud, Charahi, Thakur.
England win toss, bat first
Nat Sciver-Brunt immediately asks to set a target.
Looks a good deck, she’s confident about that call.
“Clear and focussed,” is the message from the skipper.
No worries for India as Hamanpreet Kaur says she would have bowled first anyway.
Not long to go. Indore looks a picture with gorgeous blue skies.
There’s other cricket on the go if you fancy.
England’s spinners might be doing the business, but their batters. have failed to show up as a unit.
As Raf Nicholson points out, they may be unbeaten (as they’ve not yet played Australia) but it’s not been a perfect show in India.
Preamble
Good morning everyone and welcome to this World Cup match with plenty on the line.
After a rained-off game against Pakistan spared the blushes of England but they’re still sitting pretty in third on the table and should already have enough in the bank to qualify for the next round.
It’s hosts India, though, who really need this win. Another defeat would be their third from five matches and would turn their remaining fixtures against New Zealand and Bangladesh into knockout games. They can’t afford a slip here.
India have the edge over England lately and have won five of the six ODIs the sides have played against each other since the 2022 World Cup.
This will be a battle of the spinners and England’s slow turners have been in good touch, picking up 24 of the 30 wickets the side has taken across the tournament. India’s batters have struggled in particular against left-arm spin which means Sophie Eccelstone and Linsey Smith will have a big part to play.
The game will be played on a red-soil pitch (news to me too) which tends to provide bounce and carry. It’s also a fresh deck as the last time any cricket was seen here was 13 days ago.
We’ve got the conditions. We’ve got some jeopardy. We’ve got two ace outfits. Let’s hope all the ingredients come together and deliver a cracking contest.
