Australia chased down 171 with an over to spare to beat India by six wickets at Lord's on Sunday and reach the semi-finals of the Women's T20 World Cup, completing the highest successful run chase in the tournament's history.
India batted first in the final group match and posted 170 for four from their 20 overs. Australia reached 172 for four in the 19th over. No side had run down a bigger total to win a match at a Women's T20 World Cup, according to ESPNcricinfo.
The chase did not start well. Australia slipped to 68 for three before Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner came together and took the game away from India. Perry made 56 from 33 balls, Gardner an unbeaten 53 from 28, and the pair added the bulk of the runs without being separated. Phoebe Litchfield contributed 24 earlier in the innings.
India's total had looked competitive at the halfway point. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur top-scored with 56, Smriti Mandhana made 38 and Shafali Verma 34. Sophie Molineux was the pick of Australia's bowlers with two for 46.
The win settled the group. Australia finished top with five wins from five, South Africa qualified in second, and India were knocked out in third, undone by the margin of this result.
Australia move into the semi-finals, where they are scheduled to meet West Indies, the runners-up from the other group, later this week. England play South Africa in the second semi-final.
It keeps Australia on course in a tournament they have dominated for the better part of a decade. The semi-final is the next test, and on the evidence of Lord's, the batting is in order.
