U-19 Women’s World Cup: England book semi-final berth

Kuching (Malaysia), Jan 27 (PTI) England joined defending champions India in the semifinals of the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup with a six-wicket victory over New Zealand here on Monday.

Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Prisha Thanawala starred with the ball, taking seven wickets between them as New Zealand went from 49 for no loss to 89 all out, leaving England with a modest target of 90.

Corteen-Coleman took 4/8 and Thanawala had 3/19 as the spin twins, in conjunction with impressive glovework from wicket-keeper Katie Jones, proved destructive in sparking a New Zealand collapse with 10 wickets falling for 40 runs.

England made steady work of their total, with openers Jemima Spence and Davina Perrin doing the heavy lifting with 29 and 21 runs respectively as their side required just 11.4 overs to reach their target.

The victory ensured England will finish in the top two of Super Six Group 2 alongside South Africa.

New Zealand started their innings brightly in Borneo, with openers Kate Irwin and Emma McLeod combining for their side’s best start of the tournament.

The pair raced to 44 without loss before a rain delay stymied their momentum with 7.3 overs bowled. That proved pivotal, as their progress slowed down after the restart and Trudy Johnson made the breakthrough for England in the next over as Irwin was caught at mid-on by Phoebe Brett.

Johnson struck again to dismiss Anika Todd for five and Brett then got a wicket of her own, McLeod stumped after looking to hit the England spinner down the ground.

New Zealand looked to settle down after the loss of three wickets for 11 runs, but Thanawala made a devastating impact with the ball to ensure the collapse continued. The spinner first had Eve Wolland out for two before Hannah Francis and Darcy-Rose Prasad fell in consecutive balls to leave New Zealand 79 for six.

Corteen-Coleman then finished off the innings for England, as New Zealand made just 10 more runs for the fall of their last four wickets.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 89 all out in 20 overs (Kate Irwin 35, Emma McLeod 18; Tilly Corteen-Coleman 4/8, Prisha Thanawala 3/19).

England 90/4 in 11.4 overs (Jemima Spence 29, Davina Perrin 21; Rishika Jaiswal 2/22, Francis 1/6) Result: England win by six wickets.