Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 30 : A historic century from opener Phoebe Litchfield and half-centuries from all-rounders Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry took Australia to a massive 338 in 49.5 overs during their ICC Women's World Cup semifinal clash against India on Thursday.
A historic century from Litchfield, making her the youngest to score a Women's World Cup knockout century, her 155-run stand with Ellyse Perry gave Australia a solid platform at 180/2. But India bounced back, reducing the Aussies to 265/6. Later on, Gardner and Kim Garth's seventh-wicket 66-run stand took the Aussies to 338 in 49.5 overs. This is the second-highest score in a women's WC knockout match, next to Australia's 356/5 against England in the 2022 edition final.
After Australia elected to bat first at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium, Litchfield, along with an experienced Ellyse Perry, helped the Aussies overcome the early loss of captain Alyssa Healy, smashing 119 in 93 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes. Her runs came at a strike rate of 127.95.
She continued her golden run against India, having scored 627 runs against them in nine innings at an average of 69.66, with two centuries, four fifties and a best score of 119. She has never been dismissed for below 25 by India in women's ODIs.
She has joined the company of skipper Healy (170 against England in the 2022 WC final and 129 against WI in the 2022 semifinal) and Karen Rolton (107* against India in the 2005 edition final) as the third Aussie to score a century in a 50-over World Cup knockout match.
At the age of 22 years and 195 days, she is the second-youngest Aussie to have a century in women's WC.
Litchfield had 155-run stand with Perry (77 in 88 balls, with six fours and two sixes), which laid down a solid platform for the Aussies at 180/2 when Amanjot Kaur (1/51) rattled the centurion's stumps. Shree Charani (2/49) and Radha Yadav (1/66) reduced Australia to 265/6, despite Perry's half-century, in 41.4 overs.
However, a stand of 66 runs between Gardner (63 in 45 balls, with fours boundaries and four sixes) and Kim Garth (17) took Aussies past 300-run mark.
In final few overs, Aussies went from 331/7 to 338 all out, setting India a mammoth 339 runs to win.