England hanging on after loss to Australia in Women’s World Cup cricket

Mumbai: Australia maintained their World Cup domination over England to take a huge step towards next Sunday’s final after a brave last-wicket stand between Holly Colvin and Anya Shrubsole fell agonisingly short of securing a famous victory.

The pair came together with England apparently dead and buried at 114 for nine. But the tail-enders shredded Australia’s nerves until Colvin fell caught behind cutting at the off-spin of Erin Osborne.

The defeat leaves England’s hopes of defending their title hanging by a thread, and their destiny is no longer in their own hands. They only carried two points from the group phase through to the Super Six, so even if they win their remaining games against New Zealand and South Africa, they can now only reach six points.

Australia already have that many and New Zealand have four after thrashing Sri Lanka in their opening Super Six fixture. So all England can do now is win their remaining two games, and hope.

They appeared well on course for a first World Cup win against Australia since 1993 when they reduced them to 32 for five in helpful morning conditions. But after Australia recovered to post a respectable total, England slumped to 39 for six in reply.

“We’re disappointed to have got so close and not got over the line,” said the England captain Charlotte Edwards. “But the reason we’ve lost this game is poor shots and a couple of bad decisions which really cost us. The key to this competition is forgetting about this now and moving on to win our next two games. We can still go through.”

Edwards was the unlucky recipient of a poor lbw decision, but Sarah Taylor fell for her second consecutive duck in the tournament, and Australia uncovered a new star in Holly Ferling, a 17-year-old Queenslander who was a late replacement for the ill Ellyse Perry.

Lydia Greenway and Laura Marsh revived England’s hopes with a restrained seventh-wicket stand of 57, but Marsh’s dismissal for 22 from 75 balls and Greenway’s for 49 from 113 reasserted Australia’s control.

Edwards won the toss and, for the second game in succession, England’s seamers relished the damp morning conditions. Shrubsole, fresh from her career-best performance of four for 21 in the win against West Indies on Tuesday, wobbled the ball around to take three early wickets, including the dangerous Meg Lanning caught behind off an inside edge, and with Katherine Brunt and Arran Brindle each adding one breakthrough, Australia were reduced to 32 for five.

However, Sarah Coyte then joined the India-born veteran Lisa Sthalekar in a sixth-wicket stand of 82, ensuring that Australia’s bowlers would have something to defend. England did not seem too concerned, especially when Brindle broke the partnership by bowling Sthalekar, and Colvin had Coyte caught at mid on by Shrubsole for an excellent 44.

But they were soon in deep trouble themselves. The dismissal of Edwards started the rot, adjudged lbw to a ball that was clearly swinging down the leg-side.

But Taylor, who had fallen for her first ever golden duck in the last game, had only herself to blame for chasing a wide half volley from Meg Schutt, and Danni Wyatt and Brindle both fell to equally loose shots.

— Guardian News and Media 2013