England secure Women's Cricket World Cup semis with tight win over India

England secured a spot in the semifinals of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 with a narrow four-run victory over hosts India, marking their fourth win in five games. Heather Knight's commanding century of 109 runs anchored England's competitive total of 288-8, while key bowling performances from Nat Sciver-Brunt and Linsey Smith helped restrict India despite strong partnerships by Smriti Mandhana (88) and Harmanpreet Kaur (70). India, chasing 289, looked poised for victory with a 125-run stand between Mandhana and Kaur but lost crucial wickets late in the innings, falling just short at 284-5. This loss was India's third consecutive defeat, putting their semifinal qualification hopes under threat and making their upcoming matches against New Zealand and Bangladesh critical. Both teams are in a tight contest for the remaining semifinal places, with Australia, England, and South Africa already qualified. The match highlighted England's resilience and tactical bowling in the final overs, while India struggled to close out the chase despite solid batting contributions.