ICC Women's World Cricket Cup 2013 India vs England Live Score

Live cricket score and commentary for ICC Women's World Cup 2013, 6th Match, Group A: India Women vs England Women at Mumbai (BS), Feb 3, 2013

The Group A face-off in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2013 between India and England at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday (February 3) can now be termed a clash among equals, in light of England’s shock loss against Sri Lanka on Friday. Though England hold a slight edge, being a higher-ranked team, India’s all-round show against the West Indies would add to their confidence against the defending champions.

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Poonam Raut and Thirush Kamini, the Indian openers, have been in phenomenal form ever since the warm-up matches. Their 175-run opening stand laid the foundation for India’s victory against West Indies in the opening fixture of the tournament on January 31.

Raut, a Mumbai girl, admitted that the crowd support at home has egged her on to give it her best. “I’m very glad to be playing the World Cup at home. It obviously adds to my confidence and helps me perform better. I will continue to make them all proud with my performance against better teams like England,” said Raut.

Kamini, the left-hand batswoman, has been in ominous form in both the domestic season gone by and the World Cup warm-up games and will look to extend her purple patch after returning from a three-year lay-off.

With the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, the form batter, Mithali Raj, the captain who forms the pivot around which the team’s batting revolves, and Jhulan Goswami, who played the role of pinch-hitter against West Indies, India’s batting definitely wears a formidable look.

Pitches at the Brabourne Stadium have helped teams batting first amass totals in excess of 200, and chasing can get tricky owing to pressure and tactical errors. If India do get the chance to bat first, they will look for a repeat of their show against the West Indies, when they posted a record total of 284.

England, on the other hand, would look to start afresh after the upset loss to Sri Lanka. Their batters have had a decent run and can rise to the occasion when the situation demands. When the England top order failed against Sri Lanka, the lower middle-order came to the rescue to post 238 runs on board. The return of Sarah Taylor, England’s batting mainstay who sat out of the game against Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury, would boost the batting line-up. “Sarah should be back for tomorrow’s game and that will help our side a lot,” said Charlotte Edwards, the England captain. “I know we can beat India, I don’t want to put my girls under pressure.”

The poor run of the bowlers, however, has been a major concern for the team. England’s bowling revolves around Katherine Brunt, the pace bowler who was the lone bright spot against Sri Lanka. Her miserly spell and crucial wickets gave England some hope of a comeback during the game.

The Indian bowlers, however, have backed their batters’ efforts both in the warm-up matches and the clash against West Indies. Niranjana Nagarajan, Jhulan and Gouher Sultana would hold the key against England.

When India toured England in July 2012, they lost the ODI leg of the tournament 2-3 after having taken a 2-0 lead. England, then, had proved why they were the superior side but if India wish to cement their chances of advancing to the Super Sixes, they will have to look beyond the series defeat and elevate their game. England, on the other hand, would take this as an opportunity to bounce back and keep their tournament hopes alive.