India Women choked once again in the deciding over to lose by nine runs to Australia in their Women’s T20 World Cup Group A clash in Sharjah on Sunday.

With this win, Australia Women are assured of a semi-final spot while India stare at an early exit. If New Zealand beat Pakistan in Dubai on Monday, India will crash out of the tournament. If the New Zealanders lose to Pakistan, India will qualify as they have a better net run rate than the White Ferns.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (54 not out off 47 balls) had helped India claw their way back into the contest after Australia won the toss and posted 151/8.

But with 14 needed off the last six balls, India lost four wickets while Harmanpreet found the strike just twice in that over bowled by Annabel Sutherland (2/22), who dismissed Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav (who replaced injured leg-spinner Asha Sobhana).

Arundhati Reddy and Shreyanka Patil were run out.

“We knew this was a difficult tournament. The only thing is, when Deepti Sharma (29 off 25 balls) and I were batting, we were not able to utilise a few loose balls at that period,” Harmanpreet admitted after the game.

“We could have controlled the boundaries. I think we were still in the game. But then again, as we know Australia’s experience, they know how to win games like that. We have to learn from them.”

England on top

In the other game of the day, England signalled their intentions with a 10-wicket mauling of Scotland to jump to the top of Group B and brighten prospects of making the semi-finals.

Opting to bat first, Scotland could only post a modest 109/6. In reply, England openers Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt-Hodge came out all guns blazing and completed the chase in just 10 overs while jacking up the team’s net run rate with a brilliant Powerplay.

Bouchier, who started the innings with a flurry of boundaries and also got a life early on, remained not out on 62 off 34 balls, while Wyatt-Hodge was unbeaten on 51 off 26 deliveries on a surface that played much better than a typical Sharjah wicket.

Brief scores: Scotland Women 109/6 in 20 ovs (Sophie Ecclestone 2/13). England Women 113/0 in 10 ovs (Maia Bouchier 62 n.o., Danni Wyatt-Hodge 51 n.o.). England Women won by 10 wickets.

With PTI inputs