Indian women’s cricket team mauls Barbados by 100 runs

BIRMINGHAM: Medium pacer Renuka Singh ran through Barbados’ top order with a four-wicket haul as India beat its lowly opponent by 100 runs to qualify for the semifinals of the women’s T20 cricket at the Commonwealth Games here on Wednesday.

Invited to bat, India posted a competitive 162 for 4 on the back of a fine unbeaten half-century from Jemimah Rodrigues (56 not out off 46 balls) and a 26-ball 43 from opener Shafali Verma. The Indians then restricted Barbados to 62 for 8 in 20 overs with Renuka bamboozling the Barbados batters with an impressive spell.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh and Radha Yadav chipped in with a wicket apiece. Kyshona Knight was the top-scorer for Barbados with 16 while Shakera Selman made 12. Seven of its batters failed to reach double-digit figures.

Barbados was dismissed for 64 in its nine-wicket defeat against Australia in an earlier match.

With the win, India finished second behind Australia (6 points from 3 matches) in Group A with four points from two wins. It had beaten Pakistan and lost to Australia in its earlier matches.

The semifinals will be played on Saturday. Renuka struck in the third ball of the Barbados innings, removing opener Deandra Dottin for a duck. She then dismissed captain Hayley Matthews (9), Kycia Knight (3) and Aaliyah Alleyne (0) in quick succession to reduce Barbados to 19 for 4 in nine overs.

During the Indian innings, opener Smriti Mandhana (5), who hit a half century in India’s win over arch-rival Pakistan, fell cheaply but Verma and Rodrigues stitched a 71-run stand for the second wicket to prop up the innings.

India was, however, in a spot of bother as captain Harmanpreet (0) departed just three balls after Verma’s dismissal. But a 70-run partnership between Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma (34 not out) for the unbroken fifth wicket took India to a good total. For Barbados, Shanika Bruce, Hayley Matthews and Shakera Selman took a wicket each.

Brief scores: India 162/4 in 20 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 56*, Shafali Verma 43) bt Barbados 62/8 in 20 overs (Renuka Singh 4/10)