July 23 (CRICKETNMORE) - It was a case of 'so near and yet so far' for India as they suffered a spectacular middle and lower order batting collapse to lose by nine runs to England in a nail-biting final of the ICC Women's World Cup at Lords on Sunday.
Electing to bat first, England produced a competitive total of 228 for seven in their 50 overs. The Indian eves rode on half-centuries from opener Punam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur to almost overhauling the target.
Punam scored 86 runs off 115 balls while Harmanpreet scored 51 off 80. Punam and Harmanpreet added 95 runs between them in 128 balls and helped to steady the Indian innings following the loss of two early wickets.
However, the Indian eves seemed to los their wits towards the end, losing seven wickets for just 28 runs to be all out for 219 runs in 48.4 overs. Pacer Anya Shrubsole was the most successful among the England bowlers with figures of 6/46 in 9.4 overs.
IANS