Heather Knight century anchors England to 288/8, Deepti Sharma’s 4/51 sparks India’s late fightback

Heather Knight marked her 300th international appearance with a sparkling century, but India’s disciplined bowling effort led by Deepti Sharma’s 4/51 restricted England to 288/8 in their Women’s World Cup group match, here on Sunday.

Knight anchored the innings with a fluent 109 off 91 balls, laced with 15 fours and a six, her third hundred in ODIs, while opener Amy Jones made 56 off 68 balls with eight boundaries.

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England, who elected to bat, looked poised for a bigger total at 249/3 inside 45 overs but lost five wickets in the final five overs as the Indian bowlers tightened the screws at the death overs.

Senior spinner Deepti Sharma was brilliant in the closing spell, while rookie spinner Shree Charani supported well with 2/68 as India restricted the four-time champions under 300.

Brief Scores:

England: 288 for 8 in 50 overs (Heather Knight 109, Amy Jones 56; Deepti Sharma 4/51, Shree Charani 2/68).