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ISLAMABAD: England held their nerve to beat India by four runs and secure a place in the semifinals of the ICC Women&rsquo;s Cricket World Cup 2025 on Sunday. Chasing 289, India looked set for victory for much of their innings. Smriti Mandhana scored 88, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur added 70 runs off 70 balls. England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt took 2-47 in eight overs, and left-arm spinner Linsey Smith bowled tightly, taking Mandhana&rsquo;s key wicket and helping England restrict India to 284-6 in 50 overs. India finished with 284-6 in 50 overs, its third straight loss in the tournament in front of a home crowd at Holkar Stadium. Earlier, England batted first and scored 288-8, thanks to Heather Knight&rsquo;s brilliant 109 off 91 balls. The win gives England four victories in five games, keeping them unbeaten and sending them to the semifinals alongside defending champions Australia and South Africa.&nbsp; England will face Australia on Wednesday at Holkar Stadium. India must bounce back against New Zealand on Thursday and Bangladesh on Sunday in Navi Mumbai to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

Cricket

England held their nerve to defeat India by four runs at Holkar Stadium, with Heather Knight’s 109 and key wickets from Nat Sciver-Brunt and Linsey Smith helping secure a semifinal spot in the tournament

England edge India by four runs, secure Women’s World Cup semifinal

Reuters

The opening game of New Zealand&#39;s three-match Twenty20 series with England was abandoned due to heavy rain in Christchurch on Saturday, with the hosts denied the opportunity to chase down a modest total for victory.&nbsp;Play was called off following a long delay after England&#39;s innings, in which the tourists scored 153-6 in 20 overs on a difficult wicket, with Sam Curran (49 not out) finishing well after Jos Buttler (29) failed to build on a good start. The second match takes place at the same venue on Monday before the finale in Auckland on Thursday,&nbsp;as both teams step up their preparations for next year&#39;s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, likely to be held in February-March.&nbsp;New Zealand fast bowlers Matt Henry (1-26) and Jacob Duffy (1-45) made full use of early swing and bounce at Hagley Oval to restrict England to only 44-2 in the opening six powerplay overs before Harry Brook (20) looked to cut loose.&nbsp;Jimmy Neesham (1-20) conceded a couple of huge sixes to the England skipper in the eighth over but gained revenge by getting through his defense, and the tourists&#39; momentum ground to a halt again when Mitch Santner (1-20) removed Tom Banton for nine.&nbsp;The dangerous Buttler also fell to spin shortly afterwards, holing out in the deep while looking to attack Michael Bracewell (1-10),&nbsp;before rain halted play in the 17th over with England on 110-5 and seeking a late charge to boost their total.&nbsp;Kyle Jamieson (1-27) removed Jordan Cox for 16 after the break, but Curran persevered, benefiting from a dropped catch and surviving a loud appeal for lbw to take England to a respectable total with 19 runs in the final over.

The second match takes place at the same venue on Monday before the finale in Auckland on Thursday, as both teams step up their preparations for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

New Zealand v England T20 series opener abandoned due to rain

MADRID: England&#39;s Marco Penge held his nerve to seal his third European Tour title of the season with a playoff victory over Daniel Brown at the Spanish Open in Madrid on Sunday.&nbsp;Penge sealed victory on the first sudden-death hole, after his fellow countryman Brown had come back from five shots behind heading into the last round.&nbsp;&quot;It felt like I was really up against it, but I feel like I managed myself really well and managed to stay solid,&quot; said world number 55 Penge.&nbsp;&quot;I felt good. I was just trying to stick to the same stuff I&#39;ve been doing for the last six months.&quot;&nbsp;Penge also won the Hainan Classic and the Danish Golf Championship earlier this year in a breakthrough campaign.&nbsp;The 27-year-old struggled to a two-over front nine to give playing partners Brown and Joel Girrbach hope after starting the day four strokes clear at the top of the leaderboard, but a birdie on the 12th helped him stay in front.&nbsp;Brown, ranked 102nd, forced added holes with a birdie on the 18th, a short par four.&nbsp;But Penge turned the tables when they played the closing hole again a few minutes later in the playoff to take the spoils.&nbsp;Switzerland&#39;s Girrbach finished alone in third place on 14-under for the tournament, one shot outside the playoff.&nbsp;Three-time champion and home favourite Jon Rahm delighted the crowds with a final-round 65 to finish in a tie for ninth.

Athletics

England’s Marco Penge won his third European Tour title of the year at the Spanish Open in Madrid, defeating Daniel Brown in a playoff. Penge held his nerve despite a challenging round, securing a breakthrough season.


Articles tagged with "england"

England edge India by four runs, secure Women’s World Cup semifinal

New Zealand v England T20 series opener abandoned due to rain

England's Penge wins third title of year at Spanish Open