Two days ago, it was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team whose chase against South Africa crumbled like a crisp cookie at Trent Bridge; on Thursday, it was Jhulan Goswami’s team who were suffering the same fate. The Indian women — playing in the lighter shade of blue that the country’s so used to seeing — were outclassed by New Zealand in their World Twenty20 championships semi-final, their campaign in this tournament ending with a 52-run defeat.

Of the impressive 145 runs that the Kiwi women piled up in their 20 overs, Player of the Match Aimee Watkins scored 89 off her own bat; India’s total score added up to just four more than that when their innings ended.

One of the biggest problems women’s cricket is facing right now is the quality of competition. England are clearly the dominant team, thanks mainly to their strong domestic structure, while New Zealand and Australia are close behind.

The Indian women slot in somewhere below the top three, but way above the rest of the countries. In effect, there aren’t that many close games, even though the standard of the game has improved considerably.

Some of the fielding on view at Trent Bridge on Thursday was top-drawer stuff. Harmanpreet Kaur’s catch to dismiss Suzie Bates was truly stunning — diving full length forward at mid-off, she held Bates’s powerful, flat drive inches off the ground. Amy Satherthwaite was run out by a direct hit from Mithali Raj, who picked up and threw in one motion after running in from mid-wicket.

... contd.