Righto, that’s enough from me. Thanks for your company, the OBO will return…

That was an impressive performance from Australia who were up against it with injuries. They withstood pressure with the bat to post a decent total and were suffocating with the ball and in the field. They go through to the semi-finals with an unbeaten run through the group stage. You didn’t expect anything else did you?

Sophie Molineux scoops Player of the Match for her 2-32:

It was a really good game. India came out hard and it went down the wire. We held our nerve. I think we just wanted to stay calm. All the senior players stepped up and we just went back to basics. It was very loud, the crowd were very one-sided towards India but it’s cool. A lot of our players have experienced this, any game against India, you mark it in your calendar, it’s going to be massive (the semi-final). It’s about momentum for us now.”

19.4 overs: Kaur can only get a single. That could be Goodnight Viennetta.

Annabel Sutherland is going to bowl the final over. Deep breaths.

19th over: India 138-5 (Harmanpreet 52, Vastrakar 9) Sophie Molineux to bowl the penultimate over. Vastrakar carves past point for four to put the pressure on the bowler. A full ball is luckily edged away fine by Kaur to take her to 49. She picks up two over cover to go to fifty and doesn’t even acknowledge it, she’s in the zone! A single off the last ball means that Harmanpreet Kaur will be on strike for the final over – India need 14 from six balls. Exactly what they’ve just scored off this one.

18th over: India 124-5 (Harmanpreet 45, Vastrakar 2) Now then! Harmanpreet hits back to back boundaries through the off side off Ash Gardner to keep India ticking. Just. 28 needed from 12!

17th over: India 112-5 (Harmanpreet 35, Vastrakar 0) Disastrous over for India, just a single and the wicket off it as Megan Schutt’s up shop for the Aussies.

(Sorry)

16th over: India 111-4 (Harmanpreet 34, Ghosh 1) Richa Ghosh is the new batter, she scampers a single to get off the mark from her first ball. India need 41 from 24 balls, they’ve still got Harmanpreet Kaur at the crease and she is well set. Loins girded for a tight finish?

15th over: India 99-3 (Harmanpreet 25, Sharma 27) Georgia Wareham gets it all wrong and flings down a waist high full toss. Called a No Ball, rightly so, Kaur can’t connect with the free hit and it’s just a single. Deepti Sharma sweeps the final ball of the over past fine leg for four. India clinging on. 53 from 30 needed and the fifty partnership up for Sharma and Kaur.

14th over: India 90-3 (Harmanpreet 25, Sharma 19) Ash Gardner back for her third over, singles off the first four deliveries, India need to find the fence! Ah, there we go. Sweet release as Kaur pulls a short ball to the square leg fence.

13th over: India 82-3 (Harmanpreet 19, Sharma 17) Australia are well and truly putting the squeeze on, India’s eyes bulging in the green and gold constrictor coils. Just three runs off Sutherland. 70 runs needed from 42 balls.

12th over: India 79-3 (Harmanpreet 17, Sharma 16) Wareham is picked off for four singles off the over which serves only to lump more pressure on India. Kaur has 17 off 21 balls and needs to put her foot down. Thelma. Louise. Harmanpreet.

11th over: India 75-3 (Harmanpreet 15, Sharma 14) Righto. India need 85 runs from the remaining 60 balls. Australia officially qualify for the semi finals as the over ticks past the halfway mark, no matter what the result. So India and New Zealand are vying for the final semi spot from Group A.

Darcie Brown is given the nod by McGrath, a short ball is swivelled away for four by Harmanpreet and four more singles are collected off the over, eight in total off it.

10th over: India 67-3 (Harmanpreet 9, Sharma 12) Molineux dusts herself down and comes back on for her second over. Harmanpreet tries to ramp but doesn’t connect, dots are deadly for India. Eeeesht! Shades of Sarah Taylor’s great catch down the leg side as Beth Mooney anticipates a lap sweep and heads off to try and haul it in with a dive. Sharp thinking and excellent effort but the ball just went too wide in the end. Just four runs off the over, not enough. Time for a drink, India need a splosh of rocket fuel in their squash.

Here is that Sarah Taylor masterpiece, enjoy.

9th over: India 63-3 (Harmanpreet 7, Sharma 9) Sutherland returns and keeps things tight for Australia, India can only work for singles. With the run rate rising Sharma swipes into the air on the leg side and narrowly evades the diving fielder, still only a single results. DROP! Sutherland sends down a looooopy slower ball that Sharma frying pans to backward point, Sophie Molineux dives to her weaker side but can’t cling on. Sharma survives. India need 89 runs from 66 balls.

8th over: India 57-3 (Harmanpreet 4, Sharma 7) Georgia Wareham into the attack, she gets away with a full bunger first ball, Sharma clubbing it to the fielder in the ring. A couple of singles worked down the ground are followed by a sweep for four by Sharma, a gossamer tickle off the glove is enough to divert the ball past Mooney behind the stumps.

7th over: India 48-3 (Harmanpreet 2, Sharma 1) Deepti Sharma joins her captain in the middle. At the very least India need to take this as close as they can in order to maximise their chances of progressing on NRR. A pounding will basically see them knocked out of the tournament. The required rate climbs to eight an over… the pressure cooker hisses in Sharjah.

6th over: India 41-1 (Rodrigues 11, Harmanpreet 1) Molineux is accurate, she gets out of the over for the cost of just two runs and pocketed the wicket of Mandhana, her RCB captain in the WPL. Harmanpreet arrives in the middle with plenty to do for her side.

5th over: India 39-1 (Mandhana 6, Rodrigues 10) Jemimah Rodrigues comes to the party! She advance down the wicket to Annabel Sutherland and turns a length ball into a half volley, driving down the ground for four. Next ball Rodrigues stays stock still and bunts Sutherland back over her head for four more! Ten runs off the over, don’t count India out just yet.

3rd over: India 25-0 (Mandhana 3, Verma 20) Beth Mooney is keeping wicket for Australia in Healy’s absence. She has front row seats for Shafali Verma smoking Schutt back over her head for four and then timing a full ball away over the off side for a sweetly struck SIX!

2nd over: India 13-0 (Mandhana 3, Verma 10) Ash Gardner from t’other end. Verma drives down the ground for a couple and then works a single. Mandhana returns the favour to give Verma the last ball… which she duly clobbers away over square leg for four!

1st over: India 5-0 (Mandhana 2, Verma 3) Megan Schutt to open the bowling for Australia. FYI – India need to get the runs inside 10.2 overs if they are to leapfrog Australia… I know I know but I have to tell you these things.

Australia work five runs off the first over as my toddler waddles in to tell me off for some perceived indiscretion. She’s in her eighth straight hour of pretending to be a teacher. Daniel Day Lewis eat your heart out.

19th over: Australia 139-6 (Litchfield 9, Sutherland 5) Annabel Sutherland is the new batter, she whips her very first ball from Sharma off her pads for four past fine leg. Sutherland takes a single off the final ball of the over to keep strike for the last. What can the Aussies post from here?

18th over: Australia 132-5 (Perry 31, Litchfield 8) Five singles rotated off Yadav’s second over but it is bad news for India as they’ve been too slow at bowling their overs and won’t be allowed to have all of their allotted players out outside the ring for the final two overs. This match slipping away from them…

17th over: Australia 127-5 (Perry 28, Litchfield 6) Another good over for Australia, twelve runs off it as Phoebe Litchfield clears her front leg and drives Deepti Sharma down the ground for four. Umpire Redfern then raises the finger to give Litchfield out lbw off an attempted reverse hit but Australia review and the decision comes back not out as the ball is still deemed to have pitched outside leg even though the batter was attempting a reverse-hit. There’s some confusion out there, I might have to dust off the law book too.

On we go, Perry clears the mind and pulls as Sharma short ball away for four more. Australia finishing strongly, they’ll be looking at a target of 150/160 from here.

16th over: Australia 115-5 (Perry 21, Litchfield 1) Shreyanka Patil drags down and Ellyse Perry punishes her, rocking back and hitting through the leg side for four. SIX! Perry then hits the first Aussie six of the evening, dancing down and hitting high and long over the midwicket rope. Fourteen runs in total off the over as Australia plunder precious runs.

15th over: Australia 101-5 (Perry 8, Litchfield) India keep taking wickets, Phoebe Litchfield is the new batter.

14th over: Australia 95-4 (Perry 7, Gardner 1) Ash Gardner arrives in the middle and nearly ploops a return catch straight back to Sharma off her first ball! The ball flew just wide of the bowler in her follow through and the batters scamper a single. Perry cuts away for two but the over belongs to India - just four runs and the wicket of Harris off it.

13th over: Australia 95-4 (Harris 40, Perry 4) Grace Harris gives the Aussie run rate a welcome shot in the arm with two boundaries off the over. A thump over mid-off is followed by a freebie on the leg stump from Arundhati Reddy that is clubbed behind square.

12th over: Australia 80-3 (Harris 32, Perry 1) Ellyse Perry arrives at the crease. She can sometimes be a slow starter but Australia can ill afford her to chew up too many deliveries. Off the mark first ball with a drive to deep cover.

11th over: Australia 71-2 (Harris 31, McGrath 25) Australia have recovered well from the early losses of Mooney and Wareham but will still want plenty more. Luckily for them they’ve got the impressive engine room of Perry, Gardner, Litchfield and Sutherland to come.

Renuka Singh returns for her final over, can she find another breakthrough… nearly – she scuds one into McGrath’s pads off her final delivery and impores umpire Sue Redfern to raise the finger. It looked a close one. The umpires says no and India go upstairs. Good decision from the umpire, the ball was just slipping past leg stump. Renuka Singh finishes with 2-24 from her four overs.

10th over: Australia 65-2 (Harris 27, McGrath 24) Deepti Sharma summoned by Harmanpreet and her first over is good one, nagging line on the stumps and only five runs off the over. We’re halfway through the Aussie innings and it’s time for a drink. Milk, no sugar. Ta.

9th over: Australia 60-2 (Harris 25, McGrath 21) Drop! Deepti Sharma shells a low chance from Harris at backward point, the momentum beginning to change in this game. McGrath dances down and lofts Arundhati over mid off for four as the Aussie partnership grows.

8th over: Australia 52-2 (Harris 24, McGrath 14) Vastrakar returns and very nearly cleans up McGrath with one that nips back late. India decide against the review, it looked a little high, the replays show it was umpires call and the decision on field was not out. Prettay prettay close though. Shot! McGrath charges the next ball and drives on the up through point for four. Vastrakar responds with a bouncer that McGrath ducks. A single to cover brings Harris on strike for the final ball of the over. Nicely played! A pre-meditated dab from Harris is well executed and runs away fine for the second boundary of the over. Ten runs off it.

7th over: Australia 42-2 (Harris 19, McGrath 9) Arundhati Reddy given the nod and sends down another tight over, just five singles off it as Australia can’t break the shackles.

The Aussies have patted back 22 dots so far, that gives a decent indication of how well the Indian bowlers have bowled and fielded so far.

6th over: Australia 37-2 (Harris 16, McGrath 7) Shreyanka Patil to bowl the final over of the powerplay. Bosh! Harris greets her with a heave over midwicket that bounces once before hitting the boundary hoardings. Patil responds well though, darting the ball in at the stumps and not giving Harris the chance to get under it. Two leg byes and single the only further damage. Cat and mouse stuff.

5th over: Australia 30-2 (Harris 11, McGrath 7) Grace Harris lines up a smear into the leg side but misses it and the ball nearly cleans up her leg stump. Ghosh missed it too and the batters scrabble a single. Renuka Singh is looking for the lbw again but strays a bit too straight an is worked away into the leg side by both batters. Six runs off the over.

4th over: Australia 24-2 (Harris 10, McGrath 5) Pooja Vastrakar into the attack for India. Medium pace and shaping way from the right hander. McGrath punches through cover for a single to get off the mark and then finishers the over with clip of the pads fine for four. Australia have Ellyse Perry to come in next, they are in the middle of a re-build job here, India are buzzing about after the early breakthroughs, could this be their night…?

3rd over: Australia 18-2 (Harris 9, McGrath 0) Stand in captain Tahlia McGrath arrives at the crease with her team in srtrife. Can she survive the hat-trick ball from Renuka… just! The ball was arrowed in at the pads once more but was a bit too leg side, McGrath scampering a leg bye to get down the other end and keep strike for the next over. Two wickets for Renuka and India putting the Aussies under the pump in Sharjah.

Gah! Renuka slides one down the leg side and leaves Ghosh with no chance behind the stumps as the ball races away for five wides… but hang on a minute…

There’s been a late swap to the India XI: Radha Yadav has come in for Asha Sobhana. I only just saw this. Finger meet pulse.

2nd over: Australia 9-0 (Harris 7, Mooney 1) Shreyanka Patil from the other end with her wily off-breaks. She starts well, pinning Mooney on the pads with an arm-ball and getting plenty of drift and spin when she flights it. Just a single to each batter, the floodlights beat down in Sharjah and it looks very clammy out there.

1st over: Australia 7-0 (Harris 6, Mooney 0) India’s wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh is up to the stumps and there’s a slip in place too. Renuka is on the money first ball but strays short and wide with her second, Harris does not miss out, rocking back and spanking through point for four! A drop? Renuka spears one down the leg side and I think Harris got a tickle on it, Ghosh spills it and the umpire tellingly does not give a wide. They stick or they don’t… and that one didn’t. Harris clips for a couple off her pads to make it seven runs off the first.

Right then, the players are heading out for the anthems, Grace Harris and Beth Mooney are opening up for the Aussies. Renuka Singh is going to open the bowling for India. The actual fireworks go off and maybe we’re about to see some more metaphorical ones. Play!

Not looking good for Alyssa Healy and Tayla Vlaeminck’s tournament is over. You know it, I know it – sport is a cruel so and so sometimes.

Here’s one England prepared earlier:

Heather Knight’s side booked their place in the semi-finals with a ten wicket victory over Scotland and - whisper it – are seemingly peeking at the right time for a tilt at the trophy.

Teams:

Grace Harris and Darcie Brown are back in the side for Australia. Pooja Vastrakar is back in the XI for India. It’s a still sweltering 34 degrees in Sharjah with the temperature set to drop as evening sets in. Perhaps dew will play a part later on in proceedings…

India: 1 Shafali Verma, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Harmanpreet Kaur (C), 4 Jemimah Rodriguez, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Pooja Vastrakar, 8 Arundhati Reddy, 9 Shreyanka Patil, 10 Asha Sobhana, 11 Renuka Singh

Australia: 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Grace Harris , 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Ashleigh Gardner, 5 Phoebe Litchfield, 6 Tahlia McGrath (C), 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Annabel Sutherland, 9 Sophie Molineux, 10 Megan Schutt, 11 Darcie Brown