The England women’s national cricket team held off a late surge from India to secure a five-run victory in their final 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up match. The completed fixture took place Wednesday afternoon at the Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground in Cardiff, concluding with England successfully defending their first-innings total of 171/6. India was bowled out for 166 in 19.5 overs.
The tight finish provides a critical confidence boost for Charlotte Edwards’ squad, who recently suffered a five-wicket loss to Australia in their previous exhibition game. International tracking of the final scoreline confirms the narrow victory, giving the English side necessary momentum heading into the tournament group stage.
England’s batting order established the pace early in the afternoon. Amy Jones anchored the innings, top-scoring with a rapid 64 off 45 balls. She found strong support at the crease from Nat Sciver-Brunt, who added 57 runs off 45 deliveries. These dual half-centuries built the foundation for the team’s 171-run total. On the bowling side for India, Shreyanka Patil proved the most effective, taking two wickets for 29 runs.
The Indian response featured a highly aggressive counterattack led by wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh. She smashed 68 runs off just 36 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes for a strike rate of 188.89. The English defensive rotation ultimately contained the chase. Bowler Linsey Smith spearheaded the attack, claiming three wickets for 42 runs. Charlie Dean added two wickets for 16 runs, while Tilly Corteen-Coleman took two for 22, a performance highlighted by a crucial diving catch to disrupt the Indian middle order.