11th Jun, 2026
India showed great fight but fell just short in a thrilling run chase against England in the final warm-up game for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 in Cardiff on Wednesday. Half-centuries from Amy Jones and Nat Sciver-Brunt lifted England to 171/6 in their 20 overs. Despite Richa Ghosh’s late heroics, India were dismissed for 166 in 19.5 overs.
India won the toss and elected to field first in overcast conditions. Though England lost an early wicket, Jones and Sciver-Brunt steadied the innings with a 70-run partnership. Playing with caution and composure, they kept the scoreboard ticking without taking too many risks.
Opener Jones struck eight fours during her innings of 64. Sciver-Brunt, the seasoned star who will be key to England’s fortunes at the home World Cup, anchored the innings with an unbeaten 57 off 45 balls. The breakthrough was provided by off-spinner Shafali Verma, who is proving her all-round chops. Verma dismissed Jones with a delivery that stayed low and skidded onto the stumps.
Even though the England innings was interrupted by rain in the 15th over, Sciver-Brunt made sure they did not lose momentum. Danielle Gibson provided the acceleration right at the end, scoring 30 from 12, as England picked 19 in the last over.
Shreyanka Patil followed up her four-wicket haul against West Indies with 2/29 against England. Meanwhile, Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani and Radha Yadav claimed one wicket each.
Chasing a healthy total, India had a wobbly start as they lost both the openers inside the first three overs. While Smriti Mandhana fell to a brilliant diving catch from Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Verma swung at a Issy Wong delivery only to see it crash into the stumps.
All of India’s middle-order batters got off to a start but could not capitalise on it. It was Ghosh’s gritty knock that kept India in the game. She came into bat after India lost captain Harmanpreet Kaur and looked in a spot of bother at 63/4. However, the wicket-keeper batter rallied with the lower order, scoring 68 off 36, to take India within touching distance.
Ghosh brought up her half-century with a heave over deep square leg fence and followed it up with a four. With India requiring 17 runs in the last over, Ghosh turned up the pressure, hitting a boundary and then dancing down the track for another big one. She tried to skip down the pitch on the next ball off Linsey Smith as well but was beaten in the air, and Alice Capsey completed the stumping. Renuka Singh followed her back into the pavilion on the very next ball as India folded for 166. Smith was the most successful English bowler with 3/42, while Charlie Dean, Corteen-Coleman and Gibson all claimed two wickets.
(Courtesy: ICC)
