Women’s World Cup: England finish on a high as Devine departs

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

This is the story of the One.

As head of maintenance at a concert.

Hall, he knows the show must always go on.

That's why he works behind the scenes.

Ensuring every light is working, the H Vac is humming and his facility shines.

With Grainger's supplies and solutions for every challenge he faces.

Plus 24. 7 customer support.

His venue number never misses a beat.

Call quickgranger.com or just stop by Granger.

For the ones who get it done.

AI agents are everywhere, automating tasks and making decisions at machine speed. But agents make mistakes. Just one rogue agent can do big damage before you even notice. Rubrik Agent Cloud is the only platform that helps you monitor agents, set up set guardrails and rewind mistakes so you can unleash agents, not risk. Accelerate your AI transformation@rubrik.com that's R U V R-I K.com.

You'Re listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 live. Here is Sophie Devine and Jones will smash the ball away through the offside. She finishes unbeaten on 86. England have won this game with time to spare by eight wickets and there ends a glorious career in ODI cricket. Sophie Devine shakes hands with the umpire at the far end. England's knocked out. Pair of Danny Wyatt Hodge on 2 and Amy Jones on 86 shake hands with their opponents who head home wondering what might have been. They've been rather a cruel hand with the weather. Well here in Visakhapatnam, England have won by eight wickets to conclude the group stages of their tournament and there is a very special scene taking place at the far end as players head towards the far end of the ground to form a guard of honor for one of the greats of world cricket. Sophie Devine with her New Zealand teammates and her England opponents standing with a guard of honor as an embrace. With England's Nat Siver Brunt, the England skipper then shaking hands with every single England player, one of the game's great characters and one of New Zealand's greatest servants bows out after 159 One Day Internationals, a career spanning almost to the day 19 years. An extraordinary legacy. She's fighting back the tears and this is some scene in a corner of India where it would have seemed like a pipe dream for Sophie Devine to be wrapping up a career where her side were playing in a tournament that had a prize pot of close to US$14 million. So much has changed in her career. So much has gone into that career as well and as she sees Charlotte Edwards, a long time opponent as well, she will know that she leaves the game in a far stronger place than the one that she found it in. And as England win this game by 8 wickets I'm joined by Alex Hartley, World cup winner. And this is a really special moment out there on the boundary.

It does, it give, leaves you with a little bit of a lump in your throat, doesn't it? But it shows the character she is. She's had the guard of honor, she's walked through that and then she's gone back to make sure that she shakes hand with every single England staff member and that just shows who she is. You know, she's done so much for women's cricket, she deserves that. She absolutely deserves the send off. She doesn't like the attention, she won't want the attention. But there's one thing that you can guarantee. It's going to be a pretty emotional post play press conference with Sophie Devine.

Well, we will be hearing from Sophie Devine in due course as as well as all the reaction here on Test Match special with England CH facing down a target of 169 set by New Zealand whose innings never really got going. And despite a few starts, Georgia Plimmer making 43, Melee Kerr 35 and Divine herself 23. 168 all out in the 39th over. Never enough the big news from England's point of view, other than the fact that Amy Jones was unbeaten on 86 in the run chase that England achieved inside of 30 over as well, it's the fitness of Sophie Eccleston only bowled four balls in the game having picked up an injury in the very first over of the innings. A left shoulder that she jarred trying to save a boundary. So what will it mean for England in the semi finals? We will be keeping a very close eye on any news from the England camp where Sophie Eccleston will no doubt be being very carefully assessed. But the headline news is that England finish the qualification stages having won five matches out of seven. One defeat, one no result. The loss against Australia, their only loss. And now South Africa in the semi final awaits in Gua Hari.

Yeah, it does indeed in England. They'll take so much confidence from the group stages of this game. They had a little wobble against Pakistan but that game was rained out so they got away with that one. Australia were dominant in their previous game but England, they've, they've got better as the competition's gone on. They've got more and more clinical which is exactly what you want to see. You know, niver brunt with the ball has got better throughout and that's, you know, probably always going to happen. She's not bowled all that much recently, so she's getting back into the swing of bowling. The opening partnership have seemed to have got things ticking, seem to have got things flowing and things are looking good for England heading into that game against South Africa who they hold really good memories against.

Yeah, indeed. Here's Amy Jones.

Outstanding half century today. Player of the matches Amy Jones for her 86kn out. Stacy Ann King, a World cup winner with the West Indies will present her with her medal and her award, Emmy. Congratulations. We were all discussing about the surface today and how challenging or not it may have been. What were your thoughts about it?

Yeah, I found it quite challenging. It was a bit slow, a little bit frustrating, but yeah, happy to sort of get through that. I thought Tammy is brilliant at the start. Definitely took a lot of pressure off me when I was finding a bit.

Harder to be knocked out and to head into that semi final. Now that is pending with 2/2 centuries in this World cup. What does that mean to you?

Yeah, it's obviously hugely exciting to be in the semi final and to finish second.

I think.

Yeah, we're all very happy with that.

England's performance heading into that semi final. The confidence of the team now with this bounce back victory.

Yeah, definitely. I think, I guess we've done that twice in the tournament so far with, you know, poor performance and then bounced back really quickly which has been, yeah, really positive. So definitely give us confidence going into the semi.

Just the emotions out there as well. You've played against Sophie Devine for, for many years. You've also played under her in the wbbl. What were your emotions knowing this is the last odi?

Yeah, I think it was, you know, great for Sophie to get sort of, I guess this recognition. I think she's, she's obviously a legend of the game and I think, yeah, it's really clear to see how much she means to, to the Kiwis and yeah, everyone else in the women's game. Both sort of on the pitch but off the pitch as a, as a great person too. So, yeah, really happy she's had such a successful career.

Congratulations to her. Congratulations to you for your third World cup half century.

Thank you.

Thoughts there for Amy Jones who top scored for England with 86 not out and top scored in the game. Indeed the only half century in the match. So the table concludes for England in the top four like this Australia, England, South Africa, India. And we know now that England, South Africa and Guwahati, if it was to be rained off, which was the only real thing that we were seeing being played for today, well England by dint of having finished second in the table would have that advantage. Australia way out in front and they will take on India in the second semi final in Navi Mumbai alongside us as well. Phil Long, the erstwhile traveling scorer that has been accompanying us on our way around this World Cup. What have you made of today and the numbers around it? It's been a funny old day.

Funny old day. We said it from the start only day game of the, of the group stages. It felt a bit strange early on starting at 11 o' clock as the day panned out. In the end, England one by eight wickets, 124 balls remaining. It's the third time in the last four games that England have played New Zealand and ODI that they've won by with more than 120 balls to spare. One hundred and fifty three balls and 172 balls were those other two. Sophie Devine, she's the player we've been talking about a lot today. Made her debut back in 22nd of October 2006. Today was her 159th ODI. In the end she finished with 4279 runs. Puts her 16th on the all time list. 958 World cup runs which puts her 11th on the all time list. But we've hardly spoken about her bowling. She finished with 111 ODI wickets, second only to Leah to Whohu for ODI wickets for New Zealand. And across all rounders, 34 players have taken 100 wickets in women's ODIs. Only Stefani Taylor and Elise Perry have scored more runs with those hundred wickets.

She's been an exceptional all rounder and I think she'll be remembered as being one of the most destructive batters in the women's game. You know when she was at the peak of her career she was almost impossible to bowl at. And yeah, look, it's probably going to be an emotional evening for New Zealand and for her in particular, but she's got a career that she'll look back on and be incredibly proud of because you know she's been exceptional for New Zealand and she's one of those players that has been feared around the world. When you come on to ball it's like what do we do against Sophie Devine, especially when she's getting going, especially when she's hitting those sixes for fun. She was just impossible to bowl at. So she's going to be really missed by New Zealand.

She will. And she had that glorious moment lifting the T20 World cup last year. So she has had that at least. I'm very pleased that she has as a career storied as hers deserves that landmark moment. Well, we'll hear from Sophie Devine and Natsiva Brunch shortly. But even with the ball today, Alex, it was a funny start. Lindsay Smith struggled early on and bowled a number of full tosses. The wicket to dismiss Susie Bates was one of the worst balls shots I think I've ever seen.

It was bad. It was a bad bit of cricket that, wasn't it? A full toss from Lindsay Smith. Susie Bates had faced two or three full tosses in the over previously and she whacked a full toss straight to Emma Lam at mid off. He was on for Sophie Eccleston. It wasn't a good bit of cricket but I think Lindsay Smith came back really well. You know, she struggled at the start. I don't know whether it was hot, it was humid, she couldn't quite hold the ball. I don't know what was going on there. But she came back and ended up taking three for 30. So that will give her confidence. You sort of ignore the first four overs of her spell and you look at the last six overs and she was brilliant.

It was rather remiss. I mean you've reminded me there, Al. Yeah. Sophie Devine six hitting. In terms of the women's ODIs, she's second only to Deandra Dotting. Sophie Divine finished with 75 ODI sixes. DD with 91. She could hit a six. But cross World Cups.in second in 20 with 22 sixes. Top of the pile. Sophie Devine, 23 World cup sixes.

That's pretty good going. And it was a day that was quite short of sixes actually. England's innings bringing two of them. And it was not necessarily a sort of free flowing game, I think it's fair to say, say with just 168 from New Zealand off their 38.2 overs and then England chasing down their target 172, two down from 29.2 overs. But we'll get into England's batting and a bit more on on the potential injury of Sophie Eccleston shortly. But I think it's time to hear from the two captains with Ishigur on.

A day when New Zealand's campaign comes to an end. I've got the losing Captain. Captain Sophie Devine alongside me. How would you sum up today's performance?

Oh, disappointing, to be honest. I thought not to make it about myself, but I really wanted to go out on a high and today's performance just wasn't one.

Wasn't.

Wasn't that today. So credit to England. They stuck at it and then did the job with the bat, so. But unfortunately it's not the way we wanted our tournament to go. But look, there's bigger things to go on in life, so. So we'll move on.

At the same time, what do you say to your team at the end of a campaign like this? What are the learnings that you take for the team to be able to take it forwards?

Oh, look, I think it's just that confidence and belief, and we probably spoke about it after the World cup win last year, is that we are good enough to be here and when we play our best cricket, we can beat any team in the world and we've just got to keep believing that. You know, I'm really excited about the talent that's starting to come through now, the youthful energy and the playfulness that's within the group. I mean, they're starting to bully me already, which is a bit of a concern, but, you know, I've got such a high ceiling to be able to move in and for me it is, it's just about that self belief and knowing that their best is good enough.

Well, you've very much played your part in nurturing them. 19 years of hard graft, mentally, physically, emotionally. I imagine it was very emotional out there for you today. So.

Yeah, I actually probably didn't cry as much as I thought I was going to. There's obviously a few tears in the anthem, but, you know, I think the, the great thing about probably announcing it so early was that I was able to process a lot of those emotions. And speaking with, I guess my support network back home, it was just a case of enjoying today about going back to the roots of why I played the game 19 years ago and that was to play alongside my mates. And yeah, look, the, the result didn't go our way but for me, honestly, it was never about the result today. It was just about finishing out here with my mates. I mean, it was nice to finish with Susie Bates bowling down the other end. I mean, I had to rig that a little bit but, you know, to be able to share that with her was really special. So for me, look, I'm sure we'll spend a bit of time in the changing room. Tonight and, and reflect and, and have a few laughs and a few drinks. But, yeah, look, I'm just so humbled and fortunate that I've got to do this as a career for, like, say, in 19 years.

You call yourself the, the grounds of the team you sue Leo, have there been any indications about their future in one day cricket?

No, they've absolutely shut up shop. So I don't know, they've just left me out to dry a little bit. But look, both of them could keep going for many, many years. I don't doubt that. And that's completely their decision. And when they make, that's up to them. But again, those two players in particular have played such an important role in my career and, you know, I feel so lucky to call them some of my best mates. So, yeah, whenever they do call time, I'll be right there on the sideline cheering them on.

It meant that you could take all.

The glory.

But in terms of what you've learned personally over, you know, the many years that you've given service to your country and how far that the game has grown, you know, what lessons have you taken? But also, what would you be saying to a young boy or girl that's been inspired by what they've seen this tournament to pick up a bat and a ball?

Jeez, it's a big question. Oh, look, it's so incredible to think of the growth of the women's game. I think, you know, playing alongside you all those years ago, a very long time ago, and to see where the game's got to now in terms of the investment, the resources, the opportunities, it's almost unrecognizable from when we started. So to see where the game can continue to go, like, I'm so excited about that and I'm going to be the biggest supporter of the women's game because I still think there's so far this game can go and I think it can be a real leader in the women's sports space around the world. So it's a hugely exciting time. Lessons learned. I think sport teaches you a lot. I think even today, for me, for example, like, yeah, absolutely, we're professional athletes and we're judged on our results, but it's so much bigger than that. And for me to get to play alongside my best mates, you know, in a country where, you know, it's just such an awesome opportunity and that's more valuable and more rewarding than some other thing. So, yeah, for me, it's just taught me so much perspective and that's probably taken a little bit of time as well. I think. I certainly it's probably what I'd say to the younger kids is, you know, if you're riding the highs and loads of cricket, it's going to be a bumpy old ride so, you know, enjoy it while it lasts, but also realize that cricket is just the game and keep going back to. That's, you know, why do you play? I think that's so important is what's your why and why do you keep turning up? So lots of lessons. I've probably talked too much as usual, but yeah, just again, thank you to everyone that's come out today, but also everyone you know, not just, I guess my teammates and support staff, but media opposition. You know, I feel so blessed to have played this incredible game for so many years but you know, I'm not fully done just yet so I'm still be annoying people around the grounds, I'm sure.

Amazing lesson, amazing perspective. You've been an incredible servant for the game in one day cricket for New Zealand and we appreciate everything that you've done over the course of your career. You continue to strive to improve and you've been so dominant so far. To be able to to dominate with the bat and with the ball, it's been very impressive. So enjoy this evening with your team.

Awesome. Thanks Ish.

Sophie Devine retires from one day cricket today. It was her final one day international and that's Siva Brunt. Well, a win after a loss against Australia. Back to winning ways. How important was it for you to get that win ahead of the semi?

Yeah, we really wanted to put in a really good performance today and sort of reaffirm and trust in the methods that we've gone about, the ways that we've gone about cricket during this tournament which has been largely successful. So yeah, really happy to put in that sort of performance today and take some confidence into the semi final.

What were the key things that you wanted to work on after the loss?

I think being proactive in the middle order with the bat. I suppose the, the conditions sort of played a part today and also with the ball, I think just reaffirming plans obviously making sure execution is high. But yeah, I think as a side the, the one thing that we can all do to I guess show everybody how much we care for each other is the fielding as well. So yeah, keeping that energy up whilst it was quite hot conditions, yeah, was really important.

Yeah, very energy sapping. It must be tough on you as a captain.

Yeah, definitely. So you don't get to go down to third battle or, you know, to the boundary to get a drink between overs. But, yeah, I'm just, I guess, really happy to, yeah, influence the girls a bit today, obviously.

Big news. Sophie Eccleston with the. The injury, just the four balls bowled today. Is it just precautionary that she didn't come back on? Do you have any further news?

No, I don't know anything further, but, yeah, it was definitely precautionary. Obviously, we've got a huge match coming up against South Africa, so, yeah, we wouldn't want to risk anything now and, yeah, we'll know more in a few days.

At the same time, others stepped up, was Sophia Dunkley the clear choice?

Yeah, yeah, I think so. Danny Whitehorse did put a hand up, but, yeah, Duncan has been bowling a little bit more in the net, so, yeah, I mean, also that gave Alice Capse a few more overs as well, which she's been brilliant to chuck the ball to, to be honest, and has, yeah, really been executing very well.

At the same time. When you set about a run chase, you want to be clinical. How good was Amy Jones today?

Yeah, she was brilliant, obviously started off with a brilliant partnership with her and Tammy and sort of during our fielding innings, it felt like, you know, when the ball was hard still it was a little bit easier to play. But they navigated that really well and obviously Amy being there at the end is massively important and hopefully they can both take some confidence into the next game.

Congratulations, Nat, and all the best in the semi final. Thank you.

The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 live.

AI agents are everywhere, automating tasks and making decisions at machine speed. But agents make mistakes. Just one rogue agent can do big damage before you even notice. Rubrik Agent Cloud is the only platform that helps you monitor agents, set guardrails and rewind mistakes so you can unleash agents, not risk. Accelerate your AI transformation@rubrik.com that's R U B R I K.com this is the story of the One. As a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility, he knows keeping the line up and running is a top priority. That's why he chooses Grainger. Because when a drive belt gets damaged, Grainger makes it easy to find the exact specs for the replacement product he needs. And next day delivery helps ensure he'll have everything in place and running like clockwork. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

At the BBC, we go Further so you see clearer. Through frontline reporting, global stories and local insights, we bring you closer to the world's news as it happens. And it starts with a subscription to BBC.com giving you unlimited articles and videos, ad free podcasts and the BBC News channel streaming live 24. 7. Subscribe to trusted independent journalism from the BBC. Find out more@BBC.com Join.

What a thoughts there, rather of the two captains. Ishigur chatting to Sophie Devine and just a moment ago, Nat Siva Brunt will be hearing from Heather Knight shortly, but alongside me, Daniel Norcross and Alex Hartley. Daniel it's a funny old day, this, where everything felt a bit upside down. The first early start that we've had with the ball. England were a little bit loose and a bit ragged, but the message seems to be, from what we're hearing from that Silver Brunt is one of of immense positivity. There's not really that element that's been explored.

Well, when you win a game with 20.4 overs to spare and buy eight wickets, you're going to be feeling positive. But at the same time, what we watched for the first sort of hour and a quarter, hour and a half, was nobody seemed to be playing cricket awfully well against another side on another day. You kind of felt England could have conceded 90 runs in the power play. I mean, the bowling was just so wayward. It was Lindsay Smith who's been fantastic in this tournament and it's been her control of line and length which has been really excellent. And she kind of lost it for four overs, but then she came back and had a really good spell. I mean, I think she had one over the went for 17, but she took two for 30 odd in nine. So it was utterly perplexing in that way. New Zealanders were finding ways of getting out. You know, Susie Bates got out to an absolute pie, but England held it together in the field with. There'd been that early snuff, ooh, kerfuffle. When Sophie Eccleston sort of mistimed a dive and then hurt herself and had to go off. Nat Silverbrunt had to juggle her resources. New Zealand batted very poorly. They'll be very disappointed with the way that they played today. They should have setting them to much higher target. But as Phil will tell you, every game that's been played here has been won by the side batting second. So maybe at the toss it wasn't a good idea to bat first and maybe everybody's just bio rhythms were all out of shape because we were all here at the wrong time and we've all got used to being here at another time. I don't know what it was.

Did feel like that didn't. Even for us this morning, I didn't feel like I was here. It was very weird.

It was a strange, wasn't it strange? First two hours, but then.

Do you know what I think it is for us? Our body clock changes and the players will be the same because you end up going to bed at midnight, 2am and getting up a little bit later and then you go, oh, we've got a day game tomorrow best. So I'm in bed at 11 o' clock last night, wide awake.

Yeah, yeah, it's a bit of that. And it must be hard for the players, actually, because you get so used to that and you need to be fit and ready for a three o' clock start. So you can't actually afford to be going to bed early because otherwise you're exhausted when you need to be really on it at nine o', clock, ten o' clock in the evening. So there'll be a little bit of that. It's the only day game I'm pleased it's done. It's been a lovely venue, lovely place to watch cricket and to be around, but it just had an air of surreality today. And also there were other things, weren't there? Like, we heard so much from Sophie Devine and a lot of our thoughts were about her. The fact that England knew they were going to be playing South Africa and Guwahati, everybody knew that India were going to be playing Australia in Navi Mumbai, so the intensity wasn't there as well. But it's still fun watching cricket, isn't it? And it's still fun watching people hit sixes and take wickets. So, you know, no complaints. But it just different from every other game we've had.

Let's get some reaction from the England camp. Heather Knight scored 33 or 40 balls and after play spoke to Daniel Norcross.

You must be delighted with that performance.

Yeah, really pleased. I thought it was a really clinical performance. Probably didn't start best with the ball, but I thought the way we call it back, it was a pitch where it was a little bit slow. You kept it quite simple. Bowl straight, hold your line of length. It was quite hard to score. So, yeah, really pleased with our performance today and really nice for Amy as well to finish off a game and I know she's been disappointed. She's got a few starts and hasn't gone on. So for her to hit the winning runs and obviously take us into the semis with a little bit of momentum is really nice.

Can you just touch a little bit about the outfield? Because it looked like some of you were struggling a little bit with your footing both sides actually during the fielding, was it fine? I mean, we just saw some dives are a little mistimed and just a sort of. Little bit of uncertainty. Or is it okay?

It looks like grass to me, Dan. I'm not entirely sure. Maybe. Yeah. I don't know. The first I've heard of it, to be honest. That field seemed pretty fine to me. But, yeah, not sure.

Lindsay Smith coming back that second spell had a torrid time in the beginning. 11:00 clock start, totally different, so it's of circumstances, but her second spell was superb, wasn't it? That was part of knocking out five wickets for 15 runs and basically winning the game.

Yeah, it was. It was brilliant. I think she struggled a little bit with the sweat in that first spell. Obviously really sweaty new ball as well can be really hard for the spinners to grip. So, yeah, I thought the way she came back was brilliant. Struggling with a little bit of cramp, I think as well. Yeah, she's. She's had a remarkable tournament for us so far. She just seems to come on and bow those really tough favors with, which is nice. Nice to see she's quite a cool customer. Keeps things pretty simple and really going under pressure. So, yeah, another brilliant game for her today. She's racking up quite a tournament.

You guys must be delighted that you've bowled out New Zealand so cheaply, but only actually had four balls from Sophie Eccleston. It does hint at a good depth in the bowling resources.

Yeah, it does. I'm hoping Sophie's obviously all right. She's a really key player for us, but I think it's one of those. If it was a knockout game, she probably would have tried to bowl through, but she's in a little bit of pain and obviously being a semi. Well, with the semi final coming up and obviously already qualified for that, it was, yeah, sensible for her to go off and it's obviously ice, that shoulder and hopefully she'll be fine for the next one. But yeah, I think Charlie Dean bought really nicely as well. I think that's best she's bowled this tournament. Found her length really quickly. Threatened sort of those pads a lot. Kept the stumps in the game and yeah, obviously Alice is doing a really.

Nice job for us.

Really balances our side quite nicely having her Bowler off spinning overs. So, yeah, things are clicking quite nicely. Obviously feel of confidence going into that semi.

You must be pretty pleased with your own form as well, because you come back from an injury, you didn't play at all really, in England summer. And yeah, you're really starting to put some form together.

Yeah, I think so. I Feeling really good.

Good.

Nick obviously frustrated getting out at the end. I never enjoy getting out, especially when there's only 10 to win. But, yeah, I feel. I feel really good. Obviously, we've. We've played so many different conditions and I think my biggest strength is just adapting to what's in front of me and, and trying to find a method and trying to find a way to, to manage those middle overs in particular. That's my job in the team. So, yeah, we have to go to a venue we've played at before, but a venue that can be quite tough. So, yeah, obviously had success there before and I'm just trying to trust my instincts, trust my game. Listen to the little man on the shoulder. If he tells me to run down the pitch and whack it, I've got that experience. It's probably the right thing to do. So, yeah, just trying to really manage that middle period and manage the risk and obviously find ways to score and really try and go big when I do get the opportunity.

And lastly, semi finals, World cup, semi finals and finals knockout games, they're what you live for, aren't they? You must all be really relishing Wednesday's game.

Yeah, of course. Like 58 World Cups comes around every four years and it's always big occasion. It's been a really good tournament so far. I think it's really tested us and obviously changing venues all the time and different teams. It's the toughest tournament to win because you do play all the teams. So, yeah, delighted that we're in the semis and obviously we had a brilliant game against South Africa and they're going to be looking to, to come back really hard and, and put that right, that first game in the tournament that we had against them. So, yeah, we know they're a very competitive side and we're going to have to bring that fight and competitiveness and, yeah, hopefully bring our best cricket and. And we've got a good chance.

Well played today. All the rest on Wednesday.

Thanks then. See you then.

That's Heather Knight speaking to Daniel on the boundary edge. She made 33 or 40, 40 balls today. Sophie Eccleston then could have bowled, would have bowled, had it been a knockout.

Match.

Alex, as a, as a left arm spin bowler yourself, what do you read in terms of all that?

Not much. She's the world's best, isn't she? You know she, they need her, they need her for the semi final. Had she have bowled today and done a little bit more damage to that shoulder, you know, then she can't play the knockout games on or the knockout game on Wednesday, that semi final. So they've, they've absolutely done the right thing to protect her knowing that I guess there were a few wickets down she got that wicket with, you know, she only bought four balls doing what she always does, you know, but she, you could see she was physically bowling slower. She was bowling 44 miles an hour. She, she's a bowler that bowls so much quicker than that. Her stock delivery is so much quicker than that. So you could see that she was in a little bit of discomfort. So England absolutely did the right thing of protecting her.

Would you have had injuries like that? I mean when it's basically what happened was she dived for the ball and just seems to have banged her bowling shoulder and if so what, what's the treatment and what's the likely prognosis? For three days times it's not.

Well, you just jar it so you can like pinch your AC joint or you can like just, just knock the ligaments a little bit, makes it a bit stiff and sore and you know it's. No, they are never nice. They hurt so much and they can be, you know, career or ending ones like your Chris Woakes when he did, when he did his. Or you can just have a little knock and you've got to find. They'll obviously figure out what is wrong with her. She's been assessed and like Heather said she, you know, she should be okay. So hopefully it's just a little knock but it's just ice rest and also trying to keep it moving to make sure it doesn't stiffen up as well.

She probably would have been grateful for not having a three and a half hour flight tomorrow up to Guwahati. So that is where England are heading before we say goodbye. South Africa in the semi final aside that they bowled out for 68 in the first game of the tournament at that venue.

No, I feel so confident. Yeah, I do. I've just watched South Africa the bang average in too many games in this World cup and I also think in other games they've been really good but I think when pressures on them they, they just haven't performed. Yesterday against Australia they were well below par against England. They were well below par. And I might end up eating my words. But in the back of my mind, I have absolutely no doubt that England will make the final having playing South Africa in the semi.

They're a baffling team because they probably lost worse than any side has lost in this tournament and done it twice to England and Australia.

But.

And also I don't think they've quite got the makeup for Guahati. You know, they quite seem heavy. Their spinners don't return it a great deal. And England will think that going back to that venue which did assist slower bowlers will definitely be to their advantage. They'll be incredibly confident England. But Wolfhardt, Brits, we know Brit scores 100 or she gets a duck, she's probably due 100. So they will not take them lightly at all. And also there's a kind of karma to it, isn't there? You know, if you lose really badly in the first game, it's almost like it's written in the stars. There's destiny. I don't particularly believe in destiny, but those that do well, and that's what the South Africans will be saying to themselves. They'll be saying, this is exactly set up for us to get revenge.

South Africa, when you look at them, they can be a destructive team. They've got destructive players. They've got Wolfhart, they've got Brits. They've also got Marazan cap, Marizan cap with the ball England will be wary of. She's one of those bowlers if she bowls 10 overs, none for 30, it's a real win for England. And I know you've got people, oh, could they have played a better. Could they have rotated the strike more? I think that there are too many boundary options from too many other bowlers to even take a risk against somebody like Marisankap who hasn't bowled her allotted overs in this World cup either. So I don't know if she's carrying something, carrying a little niggle.

One of the other ones to look out for will be Iabonga Kaka because we talk a lot about in swing and she will bring that ball back into the right handers pads. And England's openers today did a good job and they have done sporadically in this World cup. But their middle order, when it has been tested, has been found wanting. So a couple of early wickets and it could all look very different.

Just briefly, England go through the group stage with one defeat against Australia. They get the five wins, the one though result in a game they probably would have lost against Pakistan. Briefly, how report card for the group stages.

I think they've got better throughout. You know, I think they, they played some games against lesser teams in this World cup and struggled in moments. Heather Knight, brilliant against Bangladesh getting England over the line, but I think they've got a little bit more consistent that the questions on the top order will still be there, but they've sort of put them to bed over the last few games. So yeah, I think they've got better.

For me, the mission is semi accomplished. You get to the semi final and that is, that was really what they had to do. If they come up against Australia, if they beat South Africa, come up against Australia, what they have to do is be braver. They've got to be much more attacking. They've got to take the fight to Australia because otherwise they'll be steamrolled again. And that was my one concern, that they didn't go hard at Australia when they had basically a free hit. So next time, if there is a next time, they need not to make that mistake.

Oh, well, my thanks to Daniel Norcross and to Alex Hartley and to you for listening during the group stages as well. That's it for this episode of the Test Match Special podcast. Make sure that you're subscribed so you never miss an episode throughout the World cup here in India and Sri Lanka. England then plays South Africa in the first semi final on Wednesday. We'll be live in Guwahati with play getting underway 9:30 on Wednesday morning UK time. You can hear that on BBC Sounds 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport app and website. Then on Thursday, India take on Australia in the second semi. That's at Navi Mumbai, the venue for the final on Sunday. And don't forget you can hear every ball of that across the BBC. Also look out for Australia skipper Alyssa Healey. Talk talking to Alex and also Kate Cross on no Balls, the cricket podcast that'll be live on your test match special streams from Monday. Thank you so much for listening. We'll speak to you next time. The ICC Women's Cricket World cup featuring the stars of women's cricket smash straight.

Back down the ground.

This girl eight teams takes the camp.

One winner Australia to lift the World.

Cup trophy, the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.

She does not fear a thing.

Hear the action with Radio 5 Sports Extra and keep up to date with the TMS podcast on BBC Sounds.

At the BBC. We go further so you see clearer with a subscription to BBC.com you get unlimited articles and videos, hundreds of ad free podcasts and the BBC News Channel streaming live 24. 7 from less than a dollar a week for your first year. Read, watch and listen to trusted independent journalism and storytelling. It all starts with a subscription to BBC.com find out more@BBC.com unlimited.