Centurion Edwards leads England to win over India

Agencies/Mumbai

Meanwhile, the efforts of the other centurion of the match, India’s Harmanpreet Kaur, went in vain as the hosts suffered a 32-run defeat after.

Kaur’s quickfire 107, which came off 109 balls, were laced with eight fours and two sixes, and made her only the second cricketer from India to slam a ton in the World Cup.

The 23-year-old from Punjab, however, didn’t get much support at the other end as India could only reach 240 for nine in their stipulated 50 overs.

Fast bowler Katherine Helen Brunt was the top wicket-taker for England as she returned with a four-wicket haul in nine overs, while spinner Danielle Wyatt chipped in with a couple of wickets.

Chasing a target of 273, India had a dismal start as they lost their top three batters — last match centurion Thirushkamini Murugesan, Punam Raut and skipper Mithali Raj — in a span of 34 minutes and by the eighth over.

They managed to recover from 29 for 3 as vice-captain Kaur and wicket-keeper batter Karuna Jain steadied the innings with a partnership of 106 for the fourth wicket in 157 balls.

Jain’s knock of 92-ball 56 was punctuated by five fours, though she couldn’t capitalise on the ‘life’ she got, when the English skipper dropped her on 55. Arran Brindle struck three balls later in the same over to dismiss Jain when Laura Marsh took her catch at backward point.

Former India skipper Jhulan Goswami, who came in to bat after Jain departed, also got a reprieve when Jennifer Gunn dropped her on two at extra cover off Anya Shrubsole.

Goswami made a quickfire 19 in 20 balls, with three fours before Heather Knight took a brilliant flying catch at mid-off to send her back.

Kaur then forged a 53-run stand with Reema Malhotra, but it was all over for the hosts when they lost three wickets – Malhotra, Amita Sharma and Niranjana Nagrajan — in three consecutive balls at the team score of 225 runs.

Earlier, Edwards hit a captain’s knock of 109 to become the highest run-scorer in women’s cricket with 4,901 runs, surpassing Aussie Belinda Clarke’s 4,844. She also became the 4th woman to score over a 1,000 runs in World Cup.

During her 107 minutes at the crease, Edwards struck 16 fours, before being run out.

For India, Goswami and Nagrajan grabbed two wickets apiece. The hosts, however, lost their way after a good start, allowing England off the hooks in the middle overs.

England got off to a slow start and lost opener Danielle Wyatt (2) in the fifth over, after being invited to bat.

Wyatt, who had got a reprieve when first slip fielder Thirushkamini Murugesan failed to latch on to the ball off Goswami, was dismissed in the bowler’s next over, when she was caught at mid wicket by Amita Sharma.

Having been reduced to four for one, the defending champions consolidated and Edwards forged a century stand with one-down batter Sarah Taylor.

Taylor hit three fours, including the first one of the innings, before she was run out.

England added 62 runs for the third wicket with captain Edwards and Lydia Greenway taking the attack to India. The duo extracted 15 runs of spinner Reema Malhotra’s over — the 32nd of the innings. Indian pace spearhead Jhulan Goswami and Niranjana Nagrajan snapped up two wickets apiece, while left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana picked up a one.

BRIEF SCORES

England Women 272 for 8 (Edwards 109) beat India Women 240 for 9 (Kaur 107*, Jain 56, Brunt 4-29) by 32 runs