Chennai: Charlotte Edwards became the first woman to surpass 2,500 runs in the shortest format of the game as England topped Group B with a 68-run rout of Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2016 on Sunday.
The England captain hit an unbeaten 77 to lift her team to 148 for five after electing to bat, before Pakistan were shot out for 80 in a one-sided contest in Chennai.
West Indies also moved into the semi-finals from the same group with a thrilling three-run victory in Mohali that knocked host India out of the tournament.
England, winner of the inaugural edition in 2009 and runner-up to Australia in 2012 and 2014, topped the group with eight points. The West Indies finished second on six points.
England will face three-time defending champion Australia in a mouth-watering semi-final at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground in Delhi on Wednesday, 30 March. The match will be played ahead of men’s semi-final between New Zealand and England, and will start at 14h30.
Group A winner New Zealand will clash with the West Indies in the second semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, 31 March.
Deandra Dottin starred with both bat and ball as the West Indies, restricted to 114 for eight after being sent in to bat on a sluggish pitch, hit back to keep India down to 111 for nine.
West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor led from the front with 47 off 45 balls after her team was reduced to 26 for three in seven overs. Dottin chipped in with a 40-ball 45 after sharing a 77-run stand with Taylor.
Harmanpreet Kaur claimed four wickets for 23 runs, three of them in the final over, and Anuja Patil finished with three for 16.
Useful contributions from Patil (26), Jhulan Goswami (25) and Smiriti Mandhana (22) left India needing 10 runs with four wickets in hand in the final over that was given to Dottin.
The 24-year-old from Barbados yorked Ekta Bisht with the first delivery, ran out Shikha Pandey fourth ball and then had Sushma Yadav caught at mid-off with the fifth with India managing just six runs in the over.
Taylor praised Dottin for her all-round prowess, saying she was delighted to pull off a “good” win.
“My partnership with Dottin was crucial after we lost those early wickets, but having ended up with 114 we knew we had to bowl tight,” the West Indies captain said.
“The important thing was not to allow India to get away in the first six overs and we managed to pull back well.
“Dottin has almost always delivered in the final over and I knew it will not be easy to take 10 runs off her over. She did it again. It was a good game and we are ready for the semi-finals.”
Indian captain Mithali Raj rued the narrow defeats in the last three matches against Pakistan, England and the West Indies, but said the experience will stand her team in good stead.
“Though we could not make it to the semi-finals, I am proud of the way the girls played the last three games where there were challenges each time,” she said.
“We just could not finish things off. Often we had the match in our grip but somehow let it slip away. We were also inconsistent in the field.
“But the girls gave it their best shot. There will always be pressure in a big tournament like the World Cup. The girls need to accept that and find a way around it.”
In Chennai, the 36-year-old Edwards played a captain's knock for England,, reaching the 2,500-run mark when she made three.
Edwards put on 68 for the first wicket with Tammy Beaumont (37) and then carried on till the end of the innings with 10 boundaries in her 61-ball knock.
Nida Dar, who took three wickets, also top-scored with 16 runs but no Pakistani batter was able to cross 20 against the steady English bowling.
Laura Marsh picked up three wickets for 12 runs, while Natalie Sciver and Anya Shrubsole took two wickets each.
Edwards said that she was more pleased with the team’s victory than her own personal milestone.
“The main aim, of course, was to win the match and confirm a semi-final place,” the England captain said. “But more importantly, the way we played today ... our batting and bowling was clinical.”
Talking of her own batting, Edwards said: “I am pleased, because it is always nice to contribute in big games and today was a big game.
“But every one also contributed which made my job a lot easier.”
Pakistan captain Sana Mir revealed she was giving up the leadership of the T20I team.
“This was my last game as T20 captain,” she said. “I am happy with the way the girls fought during the tournament because we came close to qualifying for the semi-finals.
“The support we have got in India has been very good. On behalf of the Pakistan team I would like to thank everyone for making our stay so enjoyable.”
Summarised scores:
West Indies beat India by three runs in Mohali
West Indies 114-8, 20 overs (Stafanie Taylor 47, Deandra Dottin 45; Harmanpreet Kaur 4-23, Anuja Patil 3-16)
India 111-9, 20 overs (Anuja Patil 26, Jhulan Goswami 25, Smiriti Mandhana 22; Deandra Dottin 3-16, Afy Fletcher 2-15)
England beat Pakistan by 68 runs in Chennai
England 148-5, 20 overs (Charlotte Edwards 77 not out, Tammy Beaumont 37; Nida Dar 3-21, Asmavia Iqbal 2-18)
Pakistan 80 all out, 17.5 overs (Nida Dar 16; Laura Marsh 3-12, Natalie Sciver 2-22, Anya Shrubsole 2-16)
Monday’s fixture:
South Africa v Sri Lanka (1530) Bengaluru
Group tables:
Group A
Team Played Won Lost NNR Points
New Zealand 4 4 0 +2.4 8
Australia 4 3 1 +0.6 6
South Africa 3 1 2 +0.4 2
Sri Lanka 3 1 2 -0.5 2
Ireland 4 0 4 -2.8 0
Group B
Team Played Won Lost NNR Points
England 4 4 0 +1.4 8
West Indies 4 3 1 +0.6 6
Pakistan 4 2 2 -0.6 4
India 4 1 3 +0.7 2
Bangladesh 4 0 4 -2.3 0
