Key events
17th over: Australia 154-3 (Perry 53, Gardner 42)
Advantage Australia. Officially. Another Ash Gardner six and out of nowhere her strike-rate is soaring. Two balls later and Perry finds the fence as well.
India are cracking now. A no-ball from Renuka Singh as an attempted slower ball misses the strip. Free-hit to Australia…Perry on 49 and she nails it for four to bring up a 33-ball 50.
16th over: Australia 137-3 (Perry 44, Gardner 35)
Australia are on a surge here. First-ball from Shafli Verma’s third over goes for four. And so does the third.
Too short from Verma this over. As the Aussie pair pull their way to 12 runs across the over.
15th over: Australia 125-3 (Perry 38, Gardner 29)
Shree Charani back into the attack. And the No.1 T20 bowler in the world still has two overs left.
She almost strikes first ball as the ball narrowly avoids the fielder at short fine leg. But two balls later, Ash Gardner dumps her into the stand for six. And two more balls later, Ellyse Perry slices for four AND it’s a no-ball! But, Charani gets away with it. The free-hit just goes for one. 16 off the over.
14th over: Australia 109-3 (Perry 32, Gardner 20)
And then the quiet over India needed comes back. Just seven runs off it, but Deepti Sharma is very, very lucky as her last ball is very loose but Perry can only hit the fielder.
62 needed off the final six overs.
13th over: Australia 102-3 (Perry 29, Gardner 20)
Here we go. The Aussies are on the charge. Four, then six from Ash Gardner who rocks back and pulls Yadav into the stands.
Another boundary follows and a couple so that big over Australia desperately needed arrives. 17 off it!
12th over: Australia 85-3 (Perry 23, Gardner 5)
It’s been a great spell from India who have been super tight the last three overs.
Another over passes with just six runs scored. That required run rate is close to 11 now.
11th over: Australia 79-3 (Perry 19, Gardner 3)
And after taking the catch Radha Yadav is into the attack.
She starts well but leaks a boundary from her fifth ball as Perry drives through the offside. Just seven runs off it in total. Another small win for India.
10th over: Australia 72-3 (Perry 13, Gardner 2)
The halfway point and Australia need 99 from the second half of this innings.
Deepti Sharma’s over not only claimed the vital wicket of Mooney but only four runs came off it as well.
WICKET! Mooney c Yadav b Sharma 22 (Australia 68-3)
Gone! Skewed high and Radha Yadav settles underneath it, takes a simple catch and screams in delight.
India, definitely, definitely ahead now.
9th over: Australia 68-2 (Perry 11, Mooney 22)
Perry is flying here. Another boundary takes her to 11 off five balls but three dots follow as the match continues to ebb and flow. Still in the balance.
8th over: Australia 62-2 (Perry 6, Mooney 21)
Perry to the crease and into her work early with a boundary.
Eight runs off the over again. There hasn’t been many fireworks this match, but we keep marching towards a fantastic finish.
7th over: Australia: 54-1 (Perry 0, Mooney 19)
And that was the last ball of the over as well. Run-rate for Australia creeping up towards nine-an-over. I reckon I’d rather be India at this stage, but not by much.
WICKET! Litchfield c Mandhana b Shree Charani 24 (Australia 54-2)
Got her. Breakthrough for India just as Litchfield and Mooney’s partnership had reached 50.
Litchfield looks to go long but succeeds only in finding the safe hands of Smriti Mandhana at long-off. A wicket for Shree Charani in her first over.
6th over: Australia 49-1 (Litchfield 22, Mooney 17)
First sixer of the innings as Litchfield skips down the track and lifts it straight. The ball lands perfectly on the boundary cushion and that’s six.
Powerplay done. 12 runs off that over. Australia 49-1.
5th over: Australia 37-1 (Litchfield 13, Mooney 16)
The runs return for Australia and badly needed.
Two boundaries are hoiked to the legside as 12 runs are scored in total. It’s feast or famine at Lord’s.
4th over: Australia 25-1 (Litchfield 12, Mooney 5)
India have slammed the brakes on here. Shafali Verma into the attack and she concedes only one run from her over.
From their last 12 balls, Australia have scored just two runs. Each dot roared on by the Indian crowd at Lord’s.
3rd over: Australia 24-1 (Litchfield 12, Mooney 4)
A fantastic over for India as Renuka Singh swings the ball away from Australia’s two left-handers to good effect. A couple of fielders hit, a couple of balls missed and just one run recorded off the over.
2nd over: Australia 23-1 (Litchfield 12, Mooney 3)
Great batting from Litchfield as the left-hander walks down at Kranti Gaud and cracks a pull over midwicket, before repeating the trick but this time driving down the ground for another boundary.
Early run rate from Australia very positive. It’s gonna be cracker. Can feel it.
1st over: Australia 11-1 (Litchfield 1, Mooney 2)
A very eventful start. First-ball four. Second-ball wicket. A couple of wides and all-in-all 11 runs scored.
WICKET! Voll lbw Singh 4 (Australia 4-1)
It looked good and it was good! An explosion of noise at Lord’s as ball-tracking comes up with three reds.
Voll had nailed the first ball for four as well but India on top early.
We have a review for LBW – Renuka Singh has pinged Georgia Voll on the pad second ball. Looks close…
Here we go and ready for the chase. India have had their pep talk, while Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll head to the middle.
Australia are through. India must win to join them in the semi-finals.
At the break. Well, a bit going on at the end of the innings there. India definitely favourites for mine. I wondered if they’d left a bit too much in the tank or paced it perfectly and turns out it was the latter.
Time for a quick drink and see you in ten.
20th over: India 170-4 (Deepti 4, Ghosh 1)
What a finish for India. 23 runs off the final over. 36 off the final two.
And Australia will be kicking themselves. After Kaur went to fifty, the next ball was dropped by Phoebe Litchfield at long-off as it went through her ahnds and for six. Between her and Wareham’s drops, that’s 12 runs gifted alone.
171 to win!
Wicket! Kaur c Perry b Molineux 56 (India 166-4)
Kaur goes from the penultimate ball of the innings. Caught at cover. Deepti Sharma in to face the last ball.
Fifty for Harmanpreet Kaur!
Back-to-back sixes for Kaur takes her to a 25-ball 50. This innings is finishing brilliantly for India.
19th over: India 147-3 (Ghosh 0, Kaur 38)
Big miss for Australia. Not just the wicket, but the runs. A simple-ish chance for Georgia Wareham running round on the boundary bursts through her hands and goes for six.
And dropped again! Two-in-two.
And now Rodrigues has been retired out! It’s all happening. She was on 34 off 29. And so for the final over they’ve subbed her out and Richa Ghosh is in.
18th over: India 134-2 (Rodrigues 26, Kaur 33)
Seven off the over. Five singles and a double from the sixth.
I can’t work out if India are timing this perfectly on a wicket that isn’t perfect for batting. Or leaving some runs out there. The fifty partnership between these two has come up off 39 balls.
17th over: India 127-2 (Rodrigues 23, Kaur 29)
Kim Garth back into the attack and India’s steady innings continues. A big swing is edged for four, but otherwise it’s a series of singles.
Nine off it. Kaur going well on 29 off 18. But India will still want a big push to the finish line.
16th over: India 118-2 (Rodrigues 20, Kaur 23)
Seven runs off the over after Kaur wallops a boundary over cover.
I can’t really work out how good a score this is. The run-rate isn’t intimidating for Australia…
False alarm. Australia thought they had Rodrigues LBW, but the on-field decision is overturned after Wareham’s delivery pitched outside leg.
Great images of the South Africans watching on, furious at the decision however correct it may be.
15th over: India 111-2 (Rodrigues 17, Kaur 19)
Beautiful batting from the Indian captain as she slices Sutherland behind point for four.
Nine runs off the over as India keep ticking along. Five overs to go. Big finish incoming.
14th over: India 102-2 (Rodrigues 13, Kaur 14)
Hundred up for India. Eight runs off the over Molineux’s second over.
Bit of breaking news in the cricket world. Ben Stokes will retire from international cricket after the third New Zealand Test is done.
13th over: India 94-2 (Rodrigues 12, Kaur 7)
Lucy Hamilton returns for her third over. But it’s a good one for India with nine off it. Harmanpreet Kaur gets under way with a boundary.
12th over: India 85-2 (Rodrigues 9, Kaur 1)
A great over for Australia. Just three runs off it and the wicket of Mandhana. The skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, comes to the crease.
