ICC Women's World Twenty20: England women out to settle scores with Aussies

New Delhi: Unbeaten England will be hoping to get the better of history and finally get past Australia in the first semifinal of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 at the Kotla in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The two sides are old hands at meeting in the finals of International Cricket Council tournaments where England have lost twice in the past. But with the all-conquering Aussies having lost to New Zealand this time, England go into the crucial game with a greater sense of purpose.

“We have been in the finals the last two times. Lets hope its third time lucky for us,” said England skipper Charlotte Edwards. “The good thing is that we have not put too much pressure on ourselves this time. It’s a great rivalry, both teams know a lot about each other so there will be no secrets out there tomorrow.”

Added counterpart Meg Lanning, “I am not sure about if we are favourites. England were unbeaten and we finished second in our group. It is always close in the World Cups. We usually play each other in the final but this time we are meeting in the semis. The rivalry has been built up for a long time and I am pretty it will be a close game.”

England have lost to Australia in the last two World T20 finals. They won the inaugural tournament in 2009 — beating the Aussies in the semis — before Australia stamped their authority in the format with a hat-trick of titles from 2010.
What could give the defending champions an edge is that this will be their third game in a row at the Kotla, but will have to contend with a rampaging batting line-up in which Edwards leads the tournament list with an impressive 171 runs.
Lanning felt the top order could be crucial for both teams. “Top order runs will be key for both sides. The pitches have been indifferent around the country. No doubt we are going to aggressive. There is a fair bit of banter that goes on with the players. The Women’s Big Bash has added another dimension to the rivalry. We are really looking forward to taking England on,” she added.