It was India’s first Test match on home soil since 2014 but they settled in to their task after choosing to bat, with Satheeth Shubha (69), Jemima Rodrigues (68), Yastika Bhatia (66) and Deepti Sharma (60no) all making half-centuries.

Kaur thought she had also reached the landmark for the first time but was surprised to find herself given out for 49 after raising her bat to acknowledge the applause of her team-mates.

She had prodded a delivery to cover and scampered through for what she believed to be her fiftieth run after Danni Wyatt’s return throw hit the stumps and ricocheted away from wicketkeeper Amy Jones.

The TV umpire subsequently reviewed the replays and found Kaur, who had been in no pressure whatsoever to make her ground, had accidentally lodged her bat just in front of the crease line and was short by an inch as the bails were lifted.

It may not have been lost on England that the bowler at the time was Charlie Dean, victim of a controversial ‘Mankad’ run out at the non-striker’s end under Kaur’s captaincy at Lord’s in 2022.

England may already find victory a tough ask with India’s highest ever home total and healthy run rate of 4.36 carving out a strong position.

This summer’s women’s Ashes series included a five-day Test, allowing enough time for the game to reach its natural conclusion, but the reversion to the conventional, unloved four days means a draw may be the best realistic result for Heather Knight’s tourists.

England had started the day well, Lauren Bell bowling Smriti Mandhana via an inside edge and Kate Cross cleaning up Shafali Verma inside the first nine overs. Bell returned to dismiss Rodrigues’ impressive knock by attacking the stumps again and finished with figures of two for 64.

Sophie Ecclestone, the world’s number one white-ball spinner, struggled to assert herself as she mustered one for 85 in 22 overs and there was one wicket apiece for Dean and Nat Sciver-Brunt, who landed a late blow to remove Sneh Rana in the closing minutes.

An unbroken 115-run third-wicket partnership off 70 deliveries from Smriti Mandhana and Captain Harmanpreet Kaur helped India post 167-2 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and batting first.

The first wicket came in the final over of the first powerplay when wicket-keeper Rashada Williams took a sharp catch off the bowling of Karishma Ramharack to remove Yastika Bhatia for 18 with the score on 33.

Mandhana and Harleen Deol then came together and put on a further 14 runs before an eventful ninth over. A Deol boundary brought up India’s fifty before she was trapped in front for 12 by Shanika Bruce one ball later. This brought Kaur to the crease and the pair never looked back.

Mandhana brought up her 20^th T20I fifty with a boundary off Shabika Gajnabi in the 16^th over and smashed a six off Afy Fletcher in the 19^th over to bring up India’s 150.

In the final over, Kaur brought up her ninth 50 in T20Is.

In the end, Mandhana hit 10 fours and one six on her way to an unbeaten 74 off 51 deliveries while Kaur finished with 56 off 35 with eight fours.

Shanika Bruce took 1-25 from her four overs for the Windies.

Despite losing only four wickets in their chase, the West Indies fell well short of their target, finishing 112-4 from their 20 overs.

Shemaine Campbelle top-scored with 47 while captain Hayley Matthews got 34 not out for the Caribbean side.

In a change at the top of the order, Rashada Williams, who batted at three in the first game against South Africa, opened the innings alongside Britney Cooper.

The West Indies lost their first wicket in just the second over when Cooper was dismissed by off-spinner Deepti Sharma for a first ball duck. In another change, Campbelle joined Williams at the crease.

Williams was next to go as she became Sharma’s second victim for eight to leave the Windies 20-2 in just the fourth over. Shabika Gajnabi came in at four.

At the end of the first powerplay, the Windies only managed 25 runs. The second ball of the seventh over saw the demise of Gajnabi for three off the bowling of Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

Captain Matthews then joined Campbelle in the middle and the two batted as well as they could given the team’s awful first powerplay.

They brought up their 50-partnership in the 14^th over and looked set to bat through the remaider of the innigs before Campbelle’s 57-ball knock finally ended in the 18^th over when she was caught brilliantly on the boundary by Amanjot Kaur off the bowling of Radha Yadav.

Deepti Sharma took 2-29 from her four overs while Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav took 1-16 and 1-10 from four overs, respectively.

Scores: India Women 167-2 from 20 overs, West Indies Women 111-4 from 20 overs.

India now has two wins from as many games in the Tri-Series while the West Indies have now lost their first two games. The West Indies will next play South Africa on Wednesday. South Africa won the first clash between the two by 44 runs on Saturday.

The West Indies Women started with a seven-wicket win over Thailand before being blitzed by Pakistan and then England. Their final game against South Africa was abandoned on account of persistent showers.

But in those losses there were no individual performances of note, leaving the ICC selectors with the easy choice of leaving them out.

The selectors did have a tough time though, with five players from Australia’s victorious squad being named to the Team of the Tournament.

Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney did damage aplenty with the bat and the two reprise their roles as openers in the final XI.

They’re joined by fast bowler Megan Schutt, who took four wickets in the Final against India to finish as leading wicket-taker with 13, and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen.

There is also a spot for captain Meg Lanning, who led Australia from the front both with the bat and in the field to guide her country to a fifth Women’s T20 World Cup title.

The side was pulled together by a selection panel featuring commentators and former international players Ian Bishop, Anjum Chopra and Lisa Sthalekar, journalist Raf Nicholson and ICC representative Holly Colvin.

 The team of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 (in batting order) is:

1.     Alyssa Healy (wk) (Australia) – 236 runs at 39.33, seven dismissals
2.     Beth Mooney (Australia) – 259 runs at 64.75
3.     Nat Sciver (England) – 202 runs at 67.33
4.     Heather Knight (England) – 193 runs at 64.33
5.     Meg Lanning (c) (Australia) – 132 runs at 44
6.     Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) – 94 runs at strike rate of 149
7.     Jess Jonassen (Australia) – 10 wickets at 14.00
8.     Sophie Ecclestone (England) – eight wickets at 6.12
9.     Anya Shrubsole (England) – eight wickets at 10.62
10.     Megan Schutt (Australia) – 13 wickets at 10.30
11.     Poonam Yadav (India) – 10 wickets at 11.9
12.     Shafali Verma (India) – 163 runs at strike rate of 158.25

Healy and Mooney broke their own record set in 2018 with the most runs as a partnership in a Women’s T20 World Cup, with 352 at an average close to 60.

They also made their second century partnership in four innings while Healy lit up Melbourne to record the quickest 50 in a Final and the highest score in the showcase.

The latter was beaten by her partner a few overs later, with Mooney’s unbeaten 78 seeing her reach 259 runs - the most for one player at any edition of the tournament.

The Australian pair are followed in the team by another stellar duo, with nobody bettering the 169-run partnership made by Nat Sciver and Heather Knight against Thailand.

The middle-order batters were in inspired form throughout, Knight becoming the first England cricketer to register centuries in all three formats with her ton against the debutants.

Sciver’s consistency was remorseless in Australia, scoring half-centuries in three of England’s four completed matches to end her tournament with 202 runs and two wickets.

Ensconcing herself in the middle order is Lanning, who steered her country to a historic fifth Women’s T20 World Cup title and the first on home soil.

Her 49 in the semi-final against South Africa will be remembered as one of the most vital innings of the competition, while her tournament-defining captaincy sees her named skipper for this team.

Laura Wolvaardt only batted in two innings but certainly made her mark on the action.

The 20-year-old struck 53 not out to take South Africa beyond Pakistan, with a glorious array of straight and cover drives lighting up the Sydney Showground.

And she almost went one better in the semi-final against Australia, another eye-catching knock of 41 not out seeing her team finish just short of the Final.

As for the bowlers, few could match the feats of left-arm spinner Jonassen, who finished with ten scalps in her six matches.

The Australian took at least one wicket in each, with no better haul than the three for 20 against India in the Final which clinched a fifth title.

She’s joined in the XI by two record-breaking England bowlers in spinner Sophie Ecclestone and pacer Anya Shrubsole.

No bowler has taken more than Shrubsole’s 41 Women’s T20 World Cup wickets, with eight coming in her four matches Down Under.

For Ecclestone, meanwhile, the sky is the limit for a 20-year-old who has taken a wicket in her last 18 T20I matches.

A tournament tally of eight for 49 combines both wicket-taking ability and a stunning economy rate for Ecclestone, who now sits top of the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Bowling Rankings.

Coming in at ten is Schutt, with no player bettering the 13 wickets she took at a single tournament.

That all came to the perfect conclusion at the MCG for Schutt, finishing with four for 18 against an India line-up she had feared to win the Final for Australia.

Rounding off the XI is leg-spinner Poonam Yadav, who had Australia in knots in a dramatic opening game of the tournament.

India’s leading T20I wicket-taker took four for 19 in the opener and didn’t look back, bagging three against Bangladesh before rounding off with wickets in each match.

Taking her place as 12th is teenage sensation Shafali Verma – who broke record after record at the top of India’s order.

Fearless cricket had the opposition running scared of the 16-year-old, with her devastating 163 runs coming at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 158.25.

The West Indies Women will play at least four matches, playing two matches each against hosts South Africa and India. The two leading teams will then play each other in the Tri-Series Final at Buffalo Park on 2 February. ​ West Indies will also play a warm-up match against South Africa ahead of the Tri-Series at Beacon Bay on 16 January.

Lead Selector Ann Browne-John said: “The selection panel has named a squad that we believe has the talent and experience to compete against India and South Africa. The squad sees the return of Stafanie Taylor who missed the recent series against England due to injury and Britney Cooper, the middle order batter who last played against South Africa Women in September 2021. 

Browne-John added: “Our batting in the most recent series was less than par against a very good England bowling attack. We believe that with the return of some experienced batters, they will the able to support captain Hayley Matthews at the top of the order. Shamilia Connell and Shakera Selman also return after injury and will fortify the pace attack with Chinelle Henry, Cherry Ann Fraser and Aaliyah Alleyne. The team had commendable performances in South Africa in early 2022 and we know that the entire team will be drawing on that experience as they take on the home team and India in this Tri-Series and then potentially again at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup also in South Africa.”

All matches in the Tri-Series will be played at the Buffalo Park in East London. 

Final squads for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa must be submitted by 2 February. The eighth edition of the marquee ICC Women’s Event will begin on 10 February with hosts South Africa taking on Sri Lanka. West Indies have been drawn in Group 2 alongside England, India, Pakistan and Ireland.

Newlands, Cape Town, Boland Park, Paarl and St. George’s Park, Gqeberha are the host venues for the tournament with both Semi-Finals and Final being played in Cape Town. The Final at Newlands will be held on 26 February. ​

FULL SQUAD

• Hayley Matthews ​ (Captain)
• Aaliyah Alleyne
• Shemaine Campbelle
• Shamilia Connell
• Britney Cooper
• Chedean Nation
• Cherry Ann Fraser
• Afy Fletcher
• Shabika Gajnabi
• Sheneta Grimmond
• Chinelle Henry
• Karishma Ramharack
• Kaysia Schultz
• Shakera Selman
• Stafanie Taylor
• Rashada Williams

Match Schedule

16 January: Warm up Match vs South Africa, Beacon Bay 

T20I Tri-Series West Indies Match Schedule – all matches to be played at Buffalo Park, East London

21 January: vs South Africa, 3pm local time (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

23 January: vs India, 7pm local time (1pm Eastern Caribbean/12noon Jamaica)

25 January: vs South Africa, 3pm local time (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

30 January: vs India, 3pm local time (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

2 February: ​ Tri-Series Final, 3pm local time (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Group 2 West Indies Match schedule

13 February: vs England, Boland Park, Paarl, 3pm (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

15 February: vs India, Newlands, Cape Town, 3pm (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

17 February: vs Ireland, Newlands, Cape Town,7pm (1pm Eastern Caribbean/12noon Jamaica)

19 February: vs Pakistan, Boland Park, Paarl, 3pm (9am Eastern Caribbean/8am Jamaica)

In previous ICC tournaments England have come out on top, beating India in both the 2017 50-over final and the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final - but this time their opponents are in inspired form as the only side to win all their group matches.

One of them has the tournament’s top wicket-taker and the other the top run-scorer — but who else could be crucial in deciding their side’s final fate?

Shafali Verma v Anya Shrubsole

There’s no doubt England know who they need to remove early for their strongest chance of beating India on Thursday.

Teenager Shafali Verma has taken world cricket by storm in Australia for her fearless brand of batting has helped her become the top-ranked batter in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings.

The 16-year-old prodigy is India’s highest run-scorer in the competition with 161 and her team will be relying heavily on their opener for another good start in Sydney.

England will take comfort in the fact that Verma’s lack of fear could make her liable to an early exit - something her more experienced opponents have cottoned onto.

Against Australia and Bangladesh, Ellyse Perry and Panna Ghosh took her crucial wicket and England will have been studying her performances in detail in order to do the same.

While England aren’t short of talented bowlers, one who just might be able to suss out Verma best is the experienced Anya Shrubsole.

Only India’s Poonam Yadav has more wickets than Shrubsole at this edition and she became the first England bowler to 100 T20I wickets when hitting the milestone against Pakistan.

With 41 scalps, Shrubsole also the most wickets in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup and if any team are aware of her threat, it’s India.

Shrubsole’s match-winning six for 46 helped England down India to win the 50-over title at Lord’s in 2017 by nine runs - this time she’ll be keen to stop them getting anywhere near the title.

Harmanpreet Kaur v Sophie Ecclestone

While stopping Verma is the first task, the key for England will be preventing India’s batters from stepping up collectively in Sydney.

A lack of firepower in the middle order is still a concern for India and that’s exactly where their opponents will need to target.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is one to have underwhelmed thus far, hitting double figures in just one of their four group wins, and India will need their star players to step up now more than ever if they want to make it to Sunday’s Final at the MCG.

But England may just have the perfect weapon to keep her away.

The skipper has struggled with spin in Australia with Jess Jonassen, Leigh Kasperek and Shashikala Siriwardena all taking her wicket throughout the group stages.

And England are certainly not lacking in the spin department themselves.

England’s young triumvirate of Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn and Mady Villiers have stolen the headlines Down Under, with Ecclestone now the top-ranked bowler in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings.

Ecclestone has taken wickets in her last 18 T20I matches and has confidence in abundance in this tournament, trusted enough to take the ball in the Powerplay.

Aged 20, she already has 50 T20I wickets to her name – eight of those coming in this Women’s T20 World Cup at the cost of just 49 runs.

Nat Sciver v Poonam Yadav

Nat Sciver has been in the form of her life in Australia.

The 27-year-old all-rounder has had an outstanding tournament so far, scoring three half-centuries to top the run-scoring charts and steer England to the knockout stages.

Judging by her past record, she’s more than capable of taking that up to four against India.

Sciver scored a half-century against Thursday’s opponents in the 2018 semi-final in the West Indies to pip them to a spot in the final showdown.

But there’s a certain India bowler who has no problems with dismantling the greats.

Poonam Yadav finished as the highest wicket-taker of the pool stages with nine after ripping through Australia’s batting unit on the opening night of the tournament.

If the tournament’s highest wicket-taker comes up against her batting equivalent on Thursday, expect to see fireworks - they’ll both be determined to come out as top dog.

Yadav was the latest Indian spinner to shine as her four-wicket haul proved pivotal in restricting Sri Lanka to 113 for nine in Melbourne while Verma’s knock of 47 put them in cruise control in the chase,

They eventually hit the target with 32 balls to spare, bringing up India’s fourth successive victory in the tournament.

The win means India, who had already qualified for the semi-finals, will top the Group A table with eight points while Sri Lanka will aim to clinch their first win against Bangladesh on Monday.

Deepti Sharma got India going by removing Umesha Thimeshani for two when Rajeshwari Gayakwad caught her slice at point.

And Gayakwad was the architect of the next to fall, bowling Harshitha Madhavi to leave Chamari Athapaththu holding the fort in the eighth over.

The Sri Lanka captain is no stranger to coping with pressure but this time the skipper holed out to Shikha Pandey when she ambitiously went for her second six off Yadav in two balls.

From there Sri Lanka struggled to regain momentum as Hasini Perera was caught behind by Tanya Bhatia for seven off Yadav.

And it didn’t take Yadav long to stake her claim as India’s spinner of the afternoon, but she had to thank Veda Krishnamurthy for her third wicket as she kept her balance to catch Hansima Karunaratne at the long-on boundary.

The wickets kept on falling in the middle overs and Gayakwad took her second when Krishnamurthy was again alert at long-on to catch Shashikala Siriwardena for 13.

Yadav finished her spell with four for 23 after trapping Anushka Sanjeewani lbw in the 16th over but a late cameo from Kavisha Dilhari (25 not out) helped lift Sri Lanka to 113.

Verma set the tone for India’s successful chase by belting a boundary off the first ball but was lucky she lasted beyond the second over when Dilhari spilled a catch at extra cover.

It proved costly as the 16-year-old sensation produced yet another impressive opening display, hitting five boundaries and a six in the Powerplay to take India to 49 for one.

Dilhari made up for dropping Verma by catching her opening partner Smriti Mandhana at mid-on off Udeshika Prabodani for 16.

It was a brighter outing for Harmanpreet Kaur, the India skipper hitting two fours and a six in the eighth over to reach double figures for the first time in the tournament, but was halted at 15 when Karunaratne caught her off Siriwardena.

Verma led the charge and sent the India fans in Melbourne wild when she crashed one to the boundary through square leg from behind the stumps.

But she fell three short of her maiden World Cup half-century when she was run out by Dilhari.

With Verma having laid the foundations, Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues, both 15 not out, had no trouble polishing off the win with 32 balls to spare.

Scores in brief

India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets, Junction Oval, Melbourne

Sri Lanka 113-9, 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 33; Radha Yadav 4-23, Rajeshwari Gayakwad 2-18)

India 116-3, 14.4 overs (Shafali Verma 47, Smriti Mandhana 17; Udeshika Prabodani 1-13)

India won the toss and decided to bat first, getting to 258 all out from their 50 overs with Smriti Madhana top-scoring, with 66 off 67 balls, and Deepti Sharma getting 51 from 64 deliveries.

Cherry Ann-Fraser (2-24 off 5 overs), Karishma Ramharack (2-50 off 10 overs), and Hayley Matthews (2-47 off 8 overs) were the best bowlers for the Windies.

Despite a top score of 63 from Shemaine Campbelle and 44 from Hayley Matthews, the West Indies chase never got out of first gear and they were eventually restricted to 177-9 off their 50 overs.

Pooja Vastrakar was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3-21 off seven overs while Meghna Smith, Deepti Sharma, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad all took two wickets each.

The West Indies will kick off their World Cup campaign on Thursday against hosts New Zealand at Mount Maunganui.

West Indies Women will have to play catch up in their three-match T20 International series against India as they fell to a 49-run defeat in the first encounter at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai, on Sunday.

The match, which featured a record aggregate of 341 runs between the two teams, saw the visitors unable to chase down India’s imposing total of 195-4, as they only mustered 146-7 in their 20 overs.