England wound down its preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a thrilling five-run win over India in their final warm-up game in Cardiff on Wednesday. It was a game that went right down the wire with Richa Ghosh infusing life late in the Indian chase but in vain.
Half-centuries from Amy Jones and Nat Sciver-Brunt lifted England to 171/6 in 20 overs. Despite Richa’s late heroics, India was dismissed for 166 in 19.5 overs.
India won the toss and elected to field first in overcast conditions. Though England lost an early wicket, Jones and Sciver-Brunt steadied the innings with a 70-run partnership. Playing with caution and composure, they kept the scoreboard ticking without taking too many risks.
Opener Jones struck eight fours during her innings of 64. Sciver-Brunt, coming back in the team after some time on the bench courtesy a calf injury, anchored the innings with an unbeaten 57 off 45 balls.
ALSO READ | Pakistan women to play white-ball series in Sri Lanka after T20 World Cup
The breakthrough was provided by off-spinner Shafali Verma, who was curiously used as a new ball bowler for the second game in a row. Shafali dismissed Jones with a delivery that stayed low and skidded onto the stumps.
Even though the England innings was interrupted by rain in the 15 th over, Sciver-Brunt made sure they did not lose momentum. Danielle Gibson provided the acceleration right at the end, scoring 30 from 12, as England picked 19 in the last over.
Shreyanka Patil followed up her four-wicket haul against West Indies with 2/29 against England. Meanwhile, Shafali, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani and Radha Yadav claimed one wicket each.
Chasing a healthy total, India had a wobbly start, losing both openers inside the three overs. While Smriti Mandhana fell to a brilliant diving catch from Tilly Courteen-Coleman, Shafali swung at an Issy Wong delivery only to see it crash into the stumps.
All of India’s middle-order batters got off to starts but couldn’t capitalise. Richa’s knock gave the Indian innings a flush of urgency it was missing until that point.
She came into bat after India lost captain Harmanpreet Kaur and looked in a spot of bother at 63/4. However, the wicket-keeper batsman rallied the lower order, scoring 68 off 36, to take India within touching distance of an otherwise unlikely win.
Richa, whose poor returns with the bat were under the scanner, brought up her half-century with a heave over deep square leg fence and followed it up with a four. With India requiring 17 runs in the last over, she turned up the pressure, hitting a boundary and then dancing down the track for another six.
With the game to be won with a single six and three balls remaining, she tried to skip down the pitch on the next ball off Linsey Smith as well but was beaten in the air, and Alice Capsey completed the stumping.
With that England had stomped out the last ember of hope for India. Renuka Singh followed her back into the pavilion on the very next ball as India folded for 166.
Smith was the most successful English bowler with 3/42, while Charlie Dean, Corteen-Coleman and Gibson all claimed two wickets.
Published on June 10, 2026
