Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025: England reach the semi-finals with the most important win of the Charlotte Edwards era

England did not need to win this match to reach the semi-finals – they will play Australia next Wednesday, who look close to being unbeatable, followed by New Zealand where they will be heavy favourites.

But they needed to win to prove to themselves that they could win such matches.

After removing Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol early, England faced one of the strongest partnerships in Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur – and struggled.

Their 125-strong partnership was a masterclass, combining Harmanpreet’s power with Mandhana’s prowess.

England bowled too wide for the left-handed opener, who scored big offside, but the biggest difference between India and England’s other opponents so far is that they don’t fear Sophie Ecclestone.

Mandhana was exceptional at sitting deep at the crease and playing the ball late, while Harmanpreet and later Deepti Sharma brought the world number one to the ground.

India lost the match thanks to their errors, but England deserve credit for the way they finished the match, because until the hosts needed nine off the last ball, victory was far from certain.

But the noticeable difference from last year is that body language in England has not decreased. They maintained their standards – mistakes did not creep up the field, they worked as a unit and fought until the last ball.

Ecclestone won the battle with Dipti, who swept away Sofia Dunkley. The ball hung high in the air for what seemed like an age, the crowd behind Dunkley roaring to put it down.

It was an obvious chance, but we’ve seen England drop a number of similar catches under pressure recently. Alice Capsey and Emma Lamb also saved high-risk chances earlier to dismiss Mandhana and Harmanpreet.

The basics, yes – but implementing them wasn’t always the case for this aspect. This win is an important hurdle to overcome, and one that will serve them well as the pressure cooker rises from here on out.