England v India: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup – live! | Sport

33rd over:India 123-7 ( Richa 33, Goswami 16) Knight tries some his own homespun efforts and India turn down the heat with just three singles.

32nd over:India 120-7 ( Richa 32, Goswami 14) Have India decided that Cross is going to be their best source of runs? Goswami powers all her strength into those long limbs and batters the ball high and straight and for six. Richa’s thick edge for four adds to India’s relief as they take DRINKS with the partnership 34 in 45 balls. Do send your thoughts in, if there is anyone else out there in these early hours.

31st over:India 108-7 ( Richa 27, Goswami 7) Goswani plonks down her leg and shovels Dean, in her eighth over, over mid-on and away to the rope.

30th over:India 103-7 ( Richa 26, Goswami 3) Time for Kate Cross in all her head-girl perkiness. And what’s this? Heave-ho, over the covers we go, as Richa charges and has a swing.

29th over:India 98-7 ( Richa 21, Goswami 3) Dean now has figures of 7-1-17-3 as India attempt to… beat out the overs. Can they scrape another hundred from 20 overs, with Dean nearly bowled through?

28th over:India 96-7 ( Richa 20, Goswami 2) There is life on Mars…

Morning Ravi! Yes, Verma was dropped after struggling for runs in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand and then getting a duck in India’s opening game against Pakistan.

26th over:India 86-7 ( Richa 18, Goswami 1) Richa fires a consolation boundary off Ecclestone, cutting through point with aplomb.

25th over:India 86-7 ( Richa 13, Goswami 1) The old campaigner trudges in looking resigned. Dean takes her cap and stands with her hands on her hips with a bewildered grin.

Not this time though! Attempts another sweep – why not – and this time is absolutely plumb. Great bowling by Dean.

Saved by the impact, which was outside off. A very relieved Vastrakar is saved.

Given out on the field, huge shout by England..

24th over:India 86-6 ( Richa 12, Vastrakar 5) Feisty back foot cut from Richa off Ecclestone which flies into the empty outfield for four.

23rd over:India 81-6 ( Richa 8, Vastrakar 5) Amazing what desperation can do, with a bit of hustle, Richa and Vastrakar take nine off Dean’s over.

22nd over:India 72-6 ( Richa 3, Vastrakar 1) The static scoreboard did its worst, as Smriti felt the pressure. She’d already lifted Ecclestone’s first ball over mid-off for four and was going for broke again.

It’s out! The big one as Smriti has to go and India are left with the dregs of the batting and three figures still a long way away.

Given out on the field as Smriti goes for broke dropping down on one knee to sweep but missing the ball… looked out…

21st over:India 67-5 (Smriti 31; Richa 3) Terrific bowling by Dean, who has Richa all at sea, prodding and poking like a suspicious child at the dinner table.

20th over:India 66-5 (Smriti 30; Richa 3) Ecclestone: maiden.

19th over:India 66-5 (Smriti 30; Richa 3) England turn the screw with spinners from both ends and India manage just a couple of singles, the last boundary a scratch and a sniff away.

18th over:India 64-5 (Smriti 29; Richa 2) Eccleston is through her over before the woman twirling hula hoops on the boundary can sink into the splits. While wearing pads.

16th over:India 61-5 (Smriti 29; Richa 0) What an over for Charlie Dean in only her second World Cup match! It leaves Smriti to guide the tail, with 33 overs left in the game.

Two in three balls as Rana sups the elixir of temptation and throws the bat at a ball outside off stump and is well snaffled by Jones.

Kaur prods forward to Dean’s second ball, but she’s heavy-footed and the ball fizzes straight and into Jones’ gloves.

15th over:India 61-3 (Smriti 28; Harmanpreet Kaur 14) Ecclestone, in pink-rimmed sunglasses, long sleeves buttoned to the wrist, hair dutch braided again. Singles, dibs, dabs. Beaumont is brilliantly frisky in the field

14th over:India 55-3 (Smriti 27; Harmanpreet Kaur 12) Did I mention how glorious it is out there in New Zealand this morning? The warmth is baking off the pitch, the outfield chive green, the Indian players sitting under sun umbrellas, a gentle breeze ruffling their flag. Sciver sends down a wide and a leg bye but neither Smriti nor Kaur get get their teeth into her.

14th over:India 55-3 (Smriti 26; Harmanpreet Kaur 12) Ecclestone, says Lydia Greenway on comms, prefers bowling against right-handers. And here she is, wheeling and darting through her first over, with just a watchful single to show for it. And thats DRINKS and time for me to run and put the kettle on.

13th over:India 54-3 (Smriti 25; Harmanpreet Kaur 12) I find my glasses, just in time to see Kaur off drive four with smoking jacket elegance. Some great fielding down at fine leg two balls in a row by Tammy Beaumont, preventing fours.

12th over:India 44-3 (Smriti 24; Harmanpreet Kaur 6) This is Shrubsole’s sixth and I’d have thought Knight would want to hold her back for the last flurry. Kaur is watchful, picking off four just wide of the diving captain at slip.

11th over:India 39-3 (Smriti 24; Harmanpreet Kaur 2) Some hula-hooping little girls are in their element on the grass as Sciver hurries through another over.

10th over:India 37-3 (Smriti 23; Harmanpreet Kaur 1) These two put on 184 glorious runs against West Indies, and Smriti gives a pinch of what that must have been like to watch with a checked drive off Shrubsole to the rope, and a cheeky flick behind . That’s the end of the power play – just two short of the average for the tournament, but three important wickets down.

9th over:India 30-3 (Smriti 17; Harmanpreet Kaur 1) Knight throws the ball to Sciver, who keeps on the pressure, with India eeking just a couple of singles from the over.

8th over:India 28-3 (Smriti 16) Another wicket of spells for Shrubsole – there had been just a wide off the over, with Deepti have a wild swing at the ball before. Scoreboard pressure makes a loud mental noise.

Oh India! Deepti drives to short mid-off, where Kate Cross has time to line up the ball, smoke a pipe, make an origami elephant and then aim and fire to throw the stumps down.

7th over:India 27-2 (Smriti 16, Sharma 0) Just a couple through the covers to Mandhana, as Brunt too looks altogether in better zizz than she did on Monday. What can India do from here with two early wickets down.

6th over:India 25-2 (Smriti 14, Sharma 0) A wicket maiden for Shrubsole who is bowling fuller than she did against South Africa, to great effect! She roars with delight.

Mithali drives elegantly but uppishly and Dunkley swoops at cover-point and grabs the bal, just a layer of icing from the ground. The soft signal is out and third umpires confirms it. That’s more like it! A confidence injecting take.

5th over: India 25-1 (Smriti 14, Mithali 1) Huge apologies for the tardy OBO start to this match , I somehow managed to sleep through my alarm. Brunt, who bowled too short against South Africa, drops her length again and Mandhana tucks in, sending her spinning for four..

4th over: India 23-1 (Smriti 13, Mithali 0) The breakthrough! A hundredth ODI wicket for Shrubsole as Yastika Bhatia edges behind.

India, who thrashed West Indies and Pakistan but lost to New Zealand, currently lie in third. Centuries from Smriti Mandhana (123 off 119) and Harmanpreet Kaur (109 off 107) against West Indies will put the wind up England, as will India’s wily spinners: Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Sneh Rana.

Meanwhile England’s Amy Jones was in bullish mood: ““Our backs are up against the wall and we have all the motivation we need,” Jones told BBC Sport.

“We all know we can perform at this level. It’s more about mindset and still believing.

“We have an opportunity to do something incredible.”

Time for me to have a very quick forty winks, back in twenty minutes.

Good morning from a cold and lonely Manchester living room. The action is far away, in gorgeous Mount Maunganui, where England’s task is a tricky one. On their arses after three games without a win (v Australia, West Indies and, more recently, South Africa – as well as a disastrous Ashes campaign) they need to win this game – and the rest of the qualifiers. Then, if the results go their way, they’re in with a chance of making the semi-finals. High risk stakes, especially with their fielding having gone to pot and a couple of the seamers not quite in top form

There is some good news for England.

But Sophie Ecclestone can’t do it on her own.