Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma bailed India out with bat and ball respectively to fire them to an emphatic opening win over Pakistan in front of a sellout crowd in Birmingham on Sunday.

Mandhana top-scored with 68 to lift India from 18 for 2 to 170, their highest in a T20 World Cup against Pakistan. Then, Deepti struck twice in two overs after Pakistan’s openers rattled 38 in quick time.

Deepti’s blockbuster act, though, was a direct hit from short third to run out the dangerous Muneeba Ali for 41, triggering a collapse Pakistan didn’t quite recover from. They lost 5 for 26 through the middle phase as India’s spinners tightened their grip. They were eventually bowled out for 106, with Deepti finishing with 5 for 10 to become the highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is.

In a match where both teams missed a number of opportunities on the field, the eventual difference was India’s death-overs lift. Richa Ghosh, who allayed fears of a form slump during the warm-ups last week, smashed 34 off 17. This included a sequence of four fours and a six off her last eight legal deliveries to help India muscle 60 off the last six overs when it seemed like they’d finish around 150.

That not only helped India finish on a high, but also gave them a massive net run rate cushion in what is being dubbed the group of death.

India looked to go hard early. Shafali Verma launched her first ball for six, but was caught behind four balls later off left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal in trying to manufacture a boundary opportunity. Jemimah Rodrigues then played an uncharacteristic swipe to be taken at cover in the fourth over, giving left-arm seamer Tasmia Rubab a wicket off her second ball on World Cup debut. At 18 for 2, India needed to stem early damage.

Mandhana offset some of that early pressure by hitting two boundaries off spinner Rameem Shamim in the fifth over. Mandhana was on 27 when Aliya Riyaz dropped her running back from mid-off to deny Rubab a second wicket. At that stage, India were struggling for momentum at 44 for 2 in the 8th over.

Fatima Sana rustled through the middle overs with spin as Harmanpreet Kaur also took her time to settle in, scoring 5 off 10 at one stage. But the introduction of left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu forced a slight change in approach as Harmanpreet hit her for two boundaries in her first over, and India scored 24 between overs 7-10.

Mandhana was particularly superb in stepping out and hitting inside-out over cover, one such boundary helped her raise a 34-ball half-century. Soon after, Saira Jabeen reprieved her for a second time at deep midwicket off Iqbal. You got the sense the floodgates had truly opened.

Mandhana holed out to long-on for 68 to give Pakistan a reprieve. That turned into double-delight three balls later when Bharti Fulmali was stumped, giving Iqbal the charge. When Harmanpreet flicked Fatima Sana to deep square, India had lost 3 for 14. India then went through a 21-ball period without a boundary before the runs came in a torrent in the last two overs.

Rubab, who came into her final overs with figures of 3-0-17-1, was then taken to the cleaners with Ghosh hitting her for a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 4 in a 23-run over. After displaying her brute force in the leg-side arc between mid-on and deep midwicket in the penultimate over, Ghosh’s deft touches helped pocket 15 off the final over to help India sign off with momentum on their side.

Muneeba should’ve been out in the second over when she jabbed at a sharp-turner from offie Shreyanka Patil, only for Ghosh to fluff an opportunity. Then in the fourth over, Shreyanka deceived her in flight to slice a drive to point where Arundhati Reddy put down a straightforward chance. In between that, Muneeba threw Kranti Gaud off her lengths by walking across to scoop. She was also quick to pick length and cut well as Pakistan raced to 37 for 0 in four overs.

Across the next six overs, Pakistan lost the cream of their middle order as India’s spinners tightened their grip, picking up 4 for 21. Deepti aside, Shree Charani, on T20 World Cup debut, gave an excellent account of herself, picking up 3 for 21 in the middle overs. Deepti then picked up three wickets in her fourth over to wrap up the game in the 17th, giving India a massive win and walking away with the Player of the Match award.

SCORES:
India Women  170 for 6 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 68, Harmanpreet Kaur 36, Richa Ghosh 34, Deepti Sharma 12*; Sadia Iqbal 2-41, Fatima Sana 2-33, Tasmia Rubab 1-41, Rameem Shamim 1-30) beat Pakistan Women  106 in 17 overs  (Muneeba Ali 41, Gull Feroza 12, Ayesha Zafar 12, Aliya Riyaz 18; Deepti Sharma 5-10, Shree Charani 3-21, Shafali Verma 1-22) by 64 runs

[Cricinfo]

Boualem Khoukhi scored an equalising goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and Qatar spoiled a dominant day by Switzerland in a 1-1 draw in Group B of the World Cup.

Several of the Qatari players fell to the ground on Saturday in celebration of the late goal, as others ran to each other to embrace.

Breel Embolo scored for Switzerland from the penalty spot in the first half just over a week after being cleared to enter the US following a visa delay, but the Swiss failed to capitalise on multiple other scoring chances.

In the 13th minute, Embolo was fouled by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, who received a yellow card on the play. Abunada lay face down and appeared motionless for a couple of minutes before he began to move his legs and was able to stand up again.

When Embolo calmly sent his penalty into the upper left corner in the 17th minute, it sent the red-clad Swiss fans into a dancing frenzy in the stands of San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.

The 29-year-old forward applied for an urgent visa at the United States embassy in Bern on June 3, one day after he was denied boarding the team’s flight to travel for his third World Cup because of a 2018 criminal conviction that was only finalised in April.

Switzerland dominated the possession game on an unseasonably warm June afternoon — with sprinklers running during a first-half break.

There were thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. Brazil and Colombia drew 70,971 two years ago in a group match at the Copa America. The stadium in Santa Clara staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.

(Aljazeera)

Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe have scored as Australia have spoiled Turkiye’s return to the World Cup for the first time in 24 years  with a 2-0 victory.

Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made eight saves for the Socceroos in their group opener on Saturday night as FIFA President Gianni Infantino looked on in Vancouver, Canada.

Australia coach Tony Popovic pulled off a huge shock in his starting lineup, dropping experienced captain and goalkeeper Maty Ryan in favour of Beach, winning only his third cap.

Vice captain Jackson Irvine was also dropped in favour of 21-year-old midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler in a starting XI that featured 10 World Cup debutants.

Both of those selections proved to be inspired as Beach pulled off a string of fine saves to deny Turkiye, who dominated possession and territory but could not find a way past the Australian goalkeeper.

Okon-Engstler, meanwhile, was instrumental in setting up the opening goal in the first half, unleashing a long ball that split the Turkish defence and sent Irankunda racing in on goal to score.

Turkiye – playing in the World Cup for the first time since finishing third at the 2002 tournament – arrived in North America dreaming of making a serious run in the knockout rounds.

But their talented team, made up largely of players who regularly compete in the European Champions League, were unable to get to grips with a well-organised Socceroos lineup.

One of Turkiye’s best chances came in the 27th minute when Real Madrid’s Arda Guler forced a smart save from Beach with a rasping shot.

Just seconds after that chance, though, Australia took the lead.

Beach picked out Okon-Engstler deep in the Australia half, and the midfielder pumped the ball upfield for Irankunda.

The Australia winger still had plenty to do, but a clever first touch took him clear of the covering defence before he tucked away a low finish.

Irankunda celebrated by sprinting to the edge of the pitch and pretending to box the corner flag, mimicking former Australia skipper Tim Cahill’s signature goal celebration.

Turkiye thought they had equalised three minutes later after Abdulkerim Bardakci’s pile-driver from outside the area hurtled towards goal.

But Beach got the slightest of fingertips on the ball to divert it onto the post, and Australia survived again.

Beach kept up his commanding form in the second half, turning a Guler free kick wide for a corner on 57 minutes.

With Beach continuing to make save after save, Australia made the game safe in the 75th minute when Metcalfe picked the ball up in midfield, advanced on goal and shot home from 23 metres (25 yards).

“Unreal. It is a dream come true. We have got the win now,” said Irankunda, the youngest men’s World Cup scorer for Australia and not a definite starter before kickoff.

“It feels amazing. You have got to thank the staff, thank the nation. They have got the belief in me.

Australia are playing in their sixth straight World Cup and seventh overall.

The Socceroos fell to France in the opener in Qatar four years ago, but then beat Tunisia and Denmark in their group before getting knocked out by eventual champions Argentina in the round of 16.

It is the third World Cup appearance for Turkiye, who reached the tournament for the first time in 1954.

The teams are in Group D with the United States and Paraguay. The Americans thrashed Paraguay 4-1 in their group opener on Friday in Los Angeles.

(Aljazeera)