India v Australia: ICC Women’s World Cup – live!

17th over: India 76-2 (Yastika Bhatia 23, Mithali Raj 18)

Tahlia McGrath gets her first over now and she starts it very well, with four dot balls. Bhatia is eyeing her cautiously and is happy to block it out for a few balls before taking a single and handing the strike to Mithali. A good over from McGrath, just the one from it.

While we take a quick break for drinks, Kate Poole poses an interesting question via email.

Where in the world is Nasser Hussein?

I have theories on how he is managing to commentate for both women’s World Cup and Aus/Pakistan men’s tests

1) he has a prototype transporter
2) he has an identical twin and they’ve been fooling the whole world for decades, sneakily changing places when no one is watching.

Sure, the answer is likely that the commentary team is remote for one or both competitions, however I find this explanation somewhat dissatisfying.

If you’ve got a theory, drop it in a tweet or email – wrong answers only.

16th over: India 75-2 (Yastika Bhatia 22, Mithali Raj 18)

Gardner takes another over and starts it well, with four dots on the trot. She’s getting through the overs nice and quickly as well, which will please Lanning. Mithali plays a lovely shot on the fifth ball of the over, but she can’t get it past the field. It’s a maiden from Gardner.

15th over: India 75-2 (Yastika Bhatia 22, Mithali Raj 18)

Another over for Jonassen, coming over the wicket to start. Bhatia is rotating the strike nicely at the moment, but the Indians aren’t going too hard yet, just taking the opportunities when they arise, not pushing the strike rate too much. Mithali finds one of those opportunities from the fourth ball, finding another one of those weird pockets of the ground past a quick outfield for a boundary. She decides she quite likes the weird pocket and sends it straight back there, but this time it’s just three runs, well fielded by Tahlia McGrath.

14th over: India 67-2 (Yastika Bhatia 21, Mithali Raj 11)

Well we have our answer – Perry is going to take a break and Gardner takes over from her end. This serves the dual purposes of giving Perry some time to get her head back in the game and speeding up the over rate with spin from both ends. Some lovely touch from Mithali from the third ball races away past third for four. It’s a good over from Gardner aside from that, with no other scoring opportunities apart from the boundaries.

13th over: India 63-2 (Yastika Bhatia 21, Mithali Raj 7)

Jonassen returns for her second and Mithali pulls her nicely for a single from the second ball to get the more prolific Bhatia on strike. Perry’s over took nine minutes to bowl, so it’s lucky they’ve got spin from the other end to get it through a bit more speedily. This is a much tidier over, only the three from it.

12th over: India 60-2 (Yastika Bhatia 20, Mithali Raj 5)

Ellyse Perry comes into the attack for the first time today. She has been in great form with the ball lately, can she continue today? She doesn’t get her line quite right from the first ball, but it doesn’t cost her as Bhatia can’t get bat on it. Her second ball is a wide and then Bhatia puts one away very fine for four. Her next ball is another wide and this is really bringing back memories of the India series last year when she couldn’t seem to control her line. She drags it back in next ball and only gives away a single. But then another wide follows – it will be interesting to see if Lanning gives her another over after this or gives her a break to get her head back into it. A dot and a single show she’s got her line in better shape and she finishes the over by coming around the wicket and giving away five wides, so she’ll have to bowl it again. Lanning has a little word to her before she bowls it, but it’s yet another wide. Her radar just isn’t there right now. And there is another wide – she decides to come back over the wicket and finally she finishes the over.

11th over: India 44-2 (Yastika Bhatia 15, Mithali Raj 4)

We get our first look at some spin for today, with Jess Jonassen coming into the attack after the power play has ended. Bhatia glances it nicely to fine leg for two from Jonassen’s first ball and backs it up with a single. Mithali plays it patiently, but isn’t as cautious as she was with Brown and only lets one dot ball accumulate before she takes a quick single. Bhatia is tempted into a big shot from the last ball of the over and top edges the ball in Perry’s direction, but it falls just short and she’s safe.

10th over: India 39-2 (Yastika Bhatia 11, Mithali Raj 3)

An edge from Bhatia starts the over, but it falls safely wide of Lanning in slip to give Bhatia a single. Mithali continues in her unhurried manner, not wanting to be lured in by Brown to send a catch to the fielders as her two openers were. It’s a very tidy over from Brown, just the one from it.

9th over: India 38-2 (Yastika Bhatia 10, Mithali Raj 3)

A fifth over straight for Schutt, Lanning is clearly happy with what she’s getting from her opening bowlers. Bhatia again starts with two really nice looking shots, but they can’t penetrate the field. On the third ball she times one perfectly with her cut shot and gets the ball down to one of those weird pockets of the field and across the boundary for four. Schutt fights back with two dot balls and Bhatia hurries through for a single on the last to retain the strike.

8th over: India 33-2 (Yastika Bhatia 5, Mithali Raj 3)

Brown comes on for her fourth over, bowling to Mithali, who is 20 years her senior. Brown was born four years after Mithali made her ODI debut, so this is quite a match up. Brown gives away another wide on the fourth ball of the over and Mithali sees her opportunity after that with a beautiful shot through covers for two. Brown finishes the over with two very good balls.

7th over: India 30-2 (Yastika Bhatia 5, Mithali Raj 1)

Mithali Raj hasn’t been in top form with her batting, so it will be interesting to see what she can do today. Bhatia gets her on strike after three balls and Mithali doesn’t look in too much of a hurry, just taking a single from the final ball of the over.

6th over: India 28-2 (Yastika Bhatia 4, Mithali Raj 0)

Another over for Brown and Bhatia plays some very nice looking shots to start, but she can’t quite get them past the field. On the third ball of the over, she finally finds a gap, but doesn’t quite time it perfectly and it’s just a single. Brown looks to intimidate Verma with a short ball immediately when she comes on strike after Verma finished the previous over so dominantly. It pays off when she takes Verma’s wicket on the final ball of the over

Once again, just as a batter was getting into their stride, they play a loose shot and exit early. Verma was looking destructive, but Brown bowled perfectly to her, forcing Verma into a late cut outside off that goes to Mooney for an excellent catch at gully.

5th over: India 27-1 (Yastika Bhatia 3, Shafali Verma 12)

Schutt back for her third over and she starts with a good, tight line. Verma takes a single from the second ball to get Bhatia back on strike and she immediately guides one through the field for another single. Verma gets sick of the singles and brings out a powerful shot back over Schutt’s head for six and is looking much more like the Verma we know and love. Off the next ball she steers the ball through a gap in the field, timed perfectly to get it to the boundary for four. She’s really coming into her own now.

4th over: India 15-1 (Yastika Bhatia 2, Shafali Verma 1)

Brown looks to make up for her ordinary first over and she does immediately, with the big wicket of Mandhana, bringing Yastika Bhatia to the crease. Bhatia uses the first ball to get her eye in, before a well run two off the next ball to get off the mark quickly. Brown gives away the first extra of the match with a wide, followed by a dot ball and then another wide. This has shades of Australia’s series against India late last year when they just couldn’t stop bowling wides. Hopefully Brown has got that out of her system now.

Well that’s not what India want to see – Mandhana looked the much better of the two openers and they will have been depending on a big score from her. Brown sends down a length ball that sits just outside off stump and Mandhana edges it to second slip.

3rd over: India 11-0 (Smriti Mandhana 10, Shafali Verma 1)

Schutt returns and starts with a good length ball that Mandhana can’t quite get away, but she picks up a single from the second ball. Eden Park is a very interesting shaped field and the batters seem to be struggling to decide when they can take two runs – they may settle a bit throughout the game as they get a feel for it. Verma sees out four dots from Schutt – she hasn’t quite got into her groove yet and she’s remaining cautious while she finds her way.

2nd over: India 10-0 (Smriti Mandhana 9, Shafali Verma 1)

Darcie Brown gets us started from the southern end after taking a break last game, so she should be rested and and refreshed. Mandhana picks up a run immediately off the hip, but the field cuts it off well to stop her taking more runs. Verma gets off the mark next ball with a little inside edge that is fielded by Perry at deep square leg. Mandhana then snaffles the first boundary of the match, with a lovely back foot glance past fine leg.

1st over: India 3-0 (Smriti Mandhana 3, Shafali Verma 0)

Schutt takes the new ball for Australia, a familiar role for her – although Lanning did mix it up and bring her in later in the innings a couple of matches ago. Mandhana goes immediately on the attack, guiding the first ball past the fielders and picking up a quick two to get off the mark. Schutt draws it back with two dot balls to follow and Mandhana then picks up a single on the drive to give Verma her first look at Schutt for the match. Verma can’t get off the mark and Schutt takes two more dots to finish the over.

One change to each of the teams for this game, with Darcie Brown in for Australia and Shafali Verma returning for India after sitting out their last few matches. Australia will of course be looking to erase the memories of the 2017 World Cup, when Harmanpreet Kaur scored 171 in the semi-final against Australia to propel India to victory and send Australia to a shock early exit from the tournament. As much as the team claim this game doesn’t play on their minds and they are a new team now, it’s likely still sitting in the backs of the minds of the senior players and coaching staff who were involved with that game.

What a surprise, Meg Lanning won the toss and decided to chase! Who would have ever seen this coming? Lanning sees India as dangerous for them, with plenty of world class batters, so they are hoping to get off to a good start with the ball. Meanwhile Mithali Raj has been working on building her team’s confidence, knowing they are capable of beating anyone on their day.