England overcame India to keep their World Cup aspirations alive
1 min read
With a four-wicket thrashing of India at Mount Maunganui, a rejuvenated England infused new life into their World Cup defence.
The holders were changed from the squad that had made so many mistakes in their previous three defeats, taking every catch and hitting two direct-hit run-outs to bowl India out for 134.
Charlie Dean collected 4-23 in only her second World Cup encounter, while Anya Shrubsole became only the sixth England woman to achieve 100 one-day international wickets with her 2-20.
England were reduced to 4-2 in a tense start to the chase, as Nat Sciver survived a ball striking her stumps without the bails falling off.
Sciver went on to score 45 runs, while skipper Heather Knight finished undefeated on 53 runs as the victory was achieved with more than 18 overs to spare.
England moves up to sixth in the rankings, just two points behind third-placed India, with the top four advancing for the semi-finals.
They cannot, however, afford another blunder and will face another must-win situation when they face hosts New Zealand in Auckland on Sunday (22:00 GMT, Saturday).
