World Cup finalists England will play Tonga at Twickenham in a November Test series that includes fixtures against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.

It will be the first time England have played Tonga outside a Rugby World Cup.

England face New Zealand - who they beat in the World Cup semi-final - on 7 November, before hosting Argentina on 14 November.

The final game of the series is against England's World Cup quarter-final opponents Australia on 28 November.

England's autumn fixtures

England v New Zealand, Saturday, 7 November, 17:30 GMT

England v Argentina, Saturday, 14 November, 20:00 GMT

England v Tonga, Saturday, 21 November, 15:15 GMT

England v Australia, Saturday, 28 November, 15:15 GMT

A year ago, Rosie Galligan won her first cap for England. After a nightmare five months, she is yet to earn her second.

Galligan contracted meningitis in September 2019. She recovered and returned to play for club Saracens, only to sustain an injury seven weeks later that will keep her out for the rest of the season.

Now, she can only watch the Red Roses' charge to a second successive Six Nations Grand Slam from the sofa as she recovers.

After such a tumultuous time it would be easy for the 21-year-old to be angry at her run of bad luck but Galligan is facing this adversity with maturity, humour and positivity.

When asked to describe what her latest injury involves, the second row laughs and replies: "Everything."

After telling the terrifying tale of falling ill with meningitis, she breaks the tension by saying she has a "funny photo" of the first time she was let out of quarantine for some fresh air.

'I lost the ability to walk'

The night before reigning champions Saracens' second Premier 15s fixture against Richmond, Galligan started to feel strange.

Her body felt heavy, she vomited and then lost the ability to walk. The following morning she noticed a rash, called 111 and was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Galligan says she "had a little cry" when she was told she had meningitis, but the toughest part was the isolation.

Within a couple of days she had gone from frequently training with a team and being part of one of the best clubs in women's rugby to sitting alone in a room, quarantined for 10 days.

"I struggled not being able to see anyone," she adds. "It was more the social element and missing out on training and game days.

"I got lots of support through the girls and the club. [Fellow Saracens and England forward] Poppy Cleall sent an Oreo waffle with ice cream to my hospital room."

After leaving hospital, Galligan rested for another week at home before attempting exercise.

Eight months earlier she had been making her international rugby debut against Ireland, but on this day a short bike ride was all she could manage.

"My first bit of exercise was a six-minute really slow bike," she says.

"Although it was really slow and probably the easiest thing ever, I was puffing and sweating. It showed how long a process it was going to be."

The transition from being an elite athlete to someone who struggles to complete six minutes of exercise cannot have been easy.

But Galligan actually says she was "relieved" the day she went on the bike, it was a few weeks later when things got tough.

"I struggled a bit mentally," she says. "I still felt like I was having to pull out of training and I was getting demotivated and down about it.

"It was about knowing there were going to be hard days and there were so many people around me picking me up and talking to me to try and avoid those negative feelings."

A short-lived return

Galligan did manage to overcome those negative feelings and was back on the rugby pitch by the end of November.

She played three more games, then in January the unthinkable happened.

The forward had only been on the pitch a few minutes in a game against Worcester when she fell in a line-out, rupturing three ligaments, fracturing a bone in her leg and shattering her ankle bone.

Surgeons have told her it is a rare break and she now has four pins, a scaffold and a plate in her ankle.

Galligan still has another three weeks before she can start walking again, but with characteristic positivity she is already finding solace in the gym.

"From the moment I did it and the amount of pain I was in, I knew it was a bit of a write-off," she adds.

"Sometimes it can mentally affect me negatively. Because of the season I've had, it is just one of those things. Everyone has a bad season or two. I have taken it on the chin.

"As soon as I have been able to get in the gym, I've done it as much as I can. The gym is helping me stay a bit more sane."

After all Galligan has been through, she is not putting any pressure on herself to play again soon and even suggested the extra time out could be a good thing on the long road to recovery from meningitis.

"I probably still am not fully healthy," she admits.

"I know some people have taken years to get fully better. Now I have a long break with this injury it is a great time to have some TLC and hopefully come back fully fit and fully healthy as well.

"I don't want to set unreal expectations. I'm normally one to try and work hard to get back but with the year that I've had I want to focus on getting back to full fitness and not try to rush it so I cause more issues."

Watching England 'is not a nice feeling'

Although Galligan has stoically accepted her sideline fate this season, the wall of positivity comes closest to cracking when discussing England's Six Nations campaign.

The Red Roses won their first three games emphatically, most recently beating Ireland 27-0 in Doncaster.

Galligan could only watch from the sofa and says it was "not a nice feeling" but only allows herself to dwell for a moment before optimistically looking to the future.

"I would rather be out on the pitch playing but instead I'm sitting in front of the TV with a cup of tea and some Hobnobs," she says.

"I'm hoping I can come back from this a lot fitter and a lot stronger than I was before. Maybe this is going to help me in the long run.

"I'd love to be involved in the World Cup next year. My chances at the minute are on the lower side. You never know what can happen.

"It's all down to how hard I work, how much I want it. I have to keep trying, performing well and get my name known when I return."

Italy is the first European country to suffer an outbreak of COVID-19, the strain of coronavirus that originated in China and has caused more than 2,700 deaths to date. As of Wednesday morning, the number of suspected cases in Italy was 259 and thus far, there have been 12 deaths.

The government instituted precautionary measures Sunday to limit the spread of the virus.

Two areas in northern Italy have been "red-zoned" with travel in and out restricted, affecting some 42,000 people. In an effort to further limit contagion, the government has ordered the closure of schools, bars and cinemas in six northern Italian regions. Many employers have told workers to stay home, and many churches suspended weekly Mass on Sunday. And, most significantly for football, sporting events in those six northern regions -- Lombardia, Veneto, Piemonte, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria and Emilia Romagna -- will be held behind closed doors at least until March 1.

Q: What is the idea behind it?

A: It's purely precautionary; think of it like an initiative to limit large groups of people gathering together in close proximity. Even Milan Fashion Week has been running its catwalk shows in near-empty rooms.

Q: Which soccer games have been affected so far?

A: Four Serie A games were postponed last weekend, while Thursday's Europa League match between Inter and Ludogorets at the San Siro will take place behind closed doors.

This weekend, another six games in Serie A, including the top-of-the-table clash between Juventus and Inter on Sunday night, will be watched by just a few hundred people: mostly team officials and media. The other games affected as of Tuesday are Milan vs. Genoa, Udinese vs. Fiorentina, Parma vs. SPAL, Sassuolo vs. Brescia and Sampdoria vs. Verona.

There are no restrictions on fans traveling to matches in other parts of the country, while Serie A rights-holders in Italy are considering showing the games for free on television.

Q: Couldn't they just postpone the affected upcoming games?

A: They already did that with the games last weekend. They could postpone some games of teams not involved in Europe, but for the others there is simply no room in the fixture list, particularly with the season having to end slightly early because of this summer's European Championships. You just can't squeeze in any more games.

Thirty-five lower-division games have been postponed. So too have games in other sports, from rugby to volleyball.

Q. Tell us about the other sports for a moment. What has been impacted?

Italian boxer Daniele Scardina was set to defend his IBF International super middleweight title against France's Andrew Francillette in Milan on Friday, but organiser Matchroom said in a statement Monday the 'Milano Boxing Night' would be postponed as a result of the regional restrictions implemented in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Italy's men's and women's Six Nations rugby clashes with Ireland were postponed on Wednesday morning, while a women's match between Italy and Scotland in Milan on March 1 was also called off, with organisers looking to reschedule this fixture at a later date.

Other rugby games this weekend in the PRO14 were postponed, as well as matches in Italy's national Top 12 league and all domestic rugby activities below the championship.

Q: How long is this going to last?

A: It's impossible to tell right now. Vincenzo Spadafora, Italy's Minister for Sport, said they would evaluate whether to lift the restrictions in the coming days. It would take another emergency government decree to extend them past March 1.

- Watch live Serie A football on ESPN+

Q: Back to soccer: Could teams play in neutral venues in areas not affected by the restrictions?

A: It's something that has been discussed. Nobody enjoys playing behind closed doors and, of course, you lose out on box-office income that can, for smaller clubs, be significant. Several clubs have already begun the process of refunding fans, with Atalanta, Juventus and Inter all in the restricted regions.

There has been talk of Juventus playing their return leg against Olympique Lyonnais somewhere other than Turin, and it remains a possibility for Inter in the Europa League and Atalanta to host teams at neutral sites in the Champions League should they advance to the next round. But right now, it's just talk and it might not even be viable. The situation would have to persist for another couple of weeks, and if that happens, it's not clear that areas elsewhere would be thrilled at the prospect of thousands of fans traveling from infected cities.

Q: What are the implications for teams playing away to Italian clubs?

A: Barcelona were given fever tests when they arrived in Naples ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Napoli. This drew a lot of attention, but in fact such tests have been routine for anyone arriving in Italian airports for the past three weeks. Barcelona coach Quique Setien played things down, saying, "I'm not at all worried for my team. I'm worried for all those infected ... for us it was only a test for a fever, nothing more." That's how most are treating it right now.

Q: Looking further ahead, Italy is a Euro 2020 venue; any word on that possibly being affected?

UEFA issued a statement on Wednesday, saying "there is no need to change anything in the planned timetable" while also adding that "the issue will be kept under constant scrutiny."

With additional information from Alex Pattle.

The pitch in Christchurch for the second New Zealand-India Test looks as green as the one that was rolled out for the first Test in Wellington, but India might be expecting life to be a little easier for their batsmen. While there might be a similar amount of seam and swing, especially on the first two days, there are suggestions that the ball might come onto the bat better here than in Wellington, where the surface offered spongy bounce.

"The India A guys played here (an unofficial Test last month) and Hanuma [Vihari, who scored 51 and 100* in that game] was telling us that the wicket was much better," India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said in a press conference on Thursday, two days out from the Test. "There is good pace and bounce on this wicket. We will have to see and assess the conditions very quickly on the first day of the game and play accordingly."

Virat Kohli had said after the Wellington Test that the batsmen had found it difficult to adjust to the lack of pace on the surface, and Rahane concurred here.

"There was swing and seam in Wellington and I thought the Wellington wicket was a bit soft and driving on it was a bit tough," he said. "But here I think the wicket is a bit harder and offers good pace and batsmen can play the shots. You have to trust your ability no matter what happens, whether the ball swings or seams.

"You cannot keep thinking about conditions; yes, the conditions matter till a point and after that what matters is how you tackle the conditions and play accordingly."

At one point, Rahane mentioned the need for India to "forget" what happened in Wellington, where they lost by 10 wickets.

"See, you've got to think what mistake you did and then try to rectify that mistake," he said, when asked to clarify what he meant. "Staying in the present really matters as a batsman. I am saying forgetting because every Test matters a lot because the Test championship is going on.

"It is not all about winning the series because even if we win one Test here, this is a two-match series, and getting those 60 points and we will be far ahead [on the Test Championship table]. That's why I said forget that Test but learn from that Test as a bowling unit and batting unit and looking forward to the second Test."

ALSO READ: Risk v reward, and a rare Virat Kohli rut

One of the selection dilemmas facing India going into Christchurch is over their spinner, with R Ashwin bowling fairly well in Wellington but failing to get past single figures with the bat in both innings. The runs Ravindra Jadeja potentially offers at No. 8 could tilt the selection his way, but Rahane said India haven't deliberated over the issue yet.

"See, we have not taken any such decisions," he said. "Ashwin had bowled really well in Wellington and he is a quality bowler; Jadeja is also a quality bowler. Yes, it gets a bit tough when we travel as to play whom - Jaddu or Ashwin.

"But I think it is a good sign for the team when we travel outside India because both are quality spinners. But the decision will depend on the condition of the wicket tomorrow and we have to see the thought process of captain and coach and what combination they have in mind for the team. But no decision on them yet."

After Wellington, Kohli had spoken of the need for the batsmen to be more proactive against New Zealand's disciplined bowling. Rahane pointed out a few ways in which they could do this.

"You need self-belief as a player and a batsman," he said. "Even if the pitch is or isn't doing much you need to showcase to the bowler that I've come to counterattack. That doesn't mean you need to play lots of shots, it may be subtle changes like stepping out or walking down the pitch. If the batsman can show that intent then it puts the doubt in the bowlers' mind, he has to think how he can adjust.

"On pitches that are damp or seam around, it is important to use the angles. I believe cricket is a game of angles, the better you can use the angles as a bowler or a batsman the greater chance of success. But to change or adjust those angles there are times you need to be instinctive while you are batting.

"It can mean standing on off stump, or standing outside the crease, or staying deep inside the crease - like if it is a pitch for the cut shot then you can stand deeper in the crease. This is the mental side of the game that the batsman and bowlers need to play. For me as a batsman, it is important you show your intent to the bowler; if you stand in one spot then the bowler doesn't need to change anything. These are small things we have been working on in practice and how to use the crease and the angles. Doesn't matter how much you practice, you must trust or have the belief to be able to do it in the middle."

New South Wales 373 (Hughes 103, Mennie 6-103) and 2 for 236 dec (Hughes 136) beat South Australia 207 (Copeland 5-63) and 269 (Ferguson 82, Cooper 62, Copeland 4-60) by 133 runs

Scorecard

New South Wales surged to victory in the final session to consolidate their position at the top of the table as South Australia lost their last six wickets for 25 runs having put themselves in a position to salvage a draw. Trent Copeland completed a magnificent match as he burst through the lower order to add to the earlier key scalp of Travis Head to finish with match figures of 9 for 123.

After losing two early wickets to be 3 for 46, a stand of 95 between Head and Callum Ferguson steadied South Australia before Head was caught at long leg after a juggle by Liam Hatcher. Then Ferguson and Tom Cooper added 103 for the fifth wicket only for the innings to unravel when both players fell to the short ball from round the wicket by Hatcher. Copeland then got back into the act before Nathan Lyon wrapped up the victory by trapping last-man Lloyd Pope lbw.

Tasmania 390 (Webster 187, Paris 5-90) and 5 for 235 (Doran 63, McDermott 54) beat Western Australia 371 (Green 158*, Rainbird 5-77) and 253 (Paris 93, Ellis 6-86) by five wickets

Scorecard

Tim Paine was in the middle to guide Tasmania to victory as they chased down 235 to overcame Western Australia after Joel Paris had fallen seven runs short of a dramatic maiden first-class hundred. Paris had never passed fifty before, but added 64 for the last wicket with Simon Mackin to lift Western Australia towards what could have been a defendable total. He was eventually bowled by Nathan Ellis who finished with 6 for 86 on his first-class debut.

Tasmania's chase got off to a poor start as they lost Jordan Silk for a third-ball duck and at 3 for 60 Western Australia had a good chance. However, three steady stands (75, 51 and 49*) from Jake Doran, Ben McDemott and Paine steered Tasmania towards their target before Beau Webster capping a fine match, where he made 187 in the first innings, with 29 off 18 balls to seal the win.

Victoria 9 for 330 dec (Gotch 102, Short 98, Bartlett 5-85) and 8 for 208 dec (Dean 96, Gannon 4-40) beat Queensland 184 (Pfeffer 50, Sutherland 5-42) and 310 (Burns 135, Boland 4-62) by 44 runs

Scorecard

Peter Siddle and Scott Boland took seven wickets between them as Victoria overcame a Joe Burns century and rain to secure a 44-run win at the Gabba. Burns and Lachlan Pfeffer had taken Queensland to 1 for 206 chasing 355 when Will Sutherland made the breakthrough with a brute of a delivery which climbed to take Pfeffer's edge. Three overs later Burns was adjudged lbw to Siddle to end a superb century and he did not look thrilled with the decision.

Victoria took charge as Sam Heazlett and Max Bryant fell cheaply then Siddle pinned Nathan McSweeney lbw shortly before a lengthy rain break. When play resumed, Jimmy Peirson and Cameron Gannon kept Queensland's hopes alive until Peirson was lbw to Matthew Short's off spin. Boland claimed Gannon and Brendan Doggett in the same over before removing Xavier Bartlett to clinch victory.

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball has appointed its first African American umpire crew chief, promoting Kerwin Danley to the position this week, The Associated Press has learned.

A person familiar with the move spoke to the AP on Wednesday night on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.

MLB often shuffles its roster of umpires in the offseason to account for retirements, promotions and new hires.

Danley, 58, has worked two World Series and been on the field for 10 other postseason rounds, including the AL Championship Series last year. He's also been chosen to call two All-Star Games.

Danley called his first game in the majors in 1992 as a minor league fill-in and was hired to the MLB staff in 1998.

Danley played college ball at San Diego State and was a first-team All-America outfielder in 1983 when he batted .399. His teammates with the Aztecs included future Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn -- Danley's roommate -- and current Colorado manager Bud Black.

In a neat coincidence, Danley was the first base umpire when Gwynn got his 3,000th hit during a 1999 game in Montreal and gave his former teammate a hug by the bag.

Danley began his umpiring career in 1985 in the Northwest League, and kept working his way up through the minors. He is known for having an even temperament, always an attractive quality when MLB picks its crew chiefs. He has totaled just four ejections in the past five seasons, according to retrosheet.org.

Danley also was an instructor at the first umpire camp at MLB's Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California.

There have been about 10 full-time African American umpires in the majors since Emmett Ashford ascended to become the first in 1966. There have been several blacks in MLB umpire leadership positions, including Peter Woodfork, senior vice president of baseball operations, supervisor Cris Jones and the late Chuck Meriwether, a longtime big league umpire who became a supervisor.

Measure what matters with the breath of fresh air in performance monitoring

In a crowded market of fitness monitoring devices, they all tend to measure WHAT you are doing. The Frontier X focuses on measuring HOW you are doing.

This clever device measures breathing rate and cardiac strain for an in-depth look at performance and health.

Former women’s marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe has been using the device for several months.

“You can see how breathing rate is actually a very accurate reflection of how you’re working,” Radcliffe said. “As a runner you have to run according to feel and what your body is capable of.

“That’s why Frontier X really resonated with me, because it looks after your health and it gives you that ability to tune in to your body, but it doesn’t take over your run. You don’t have to listen to it other than a buzz if you’re working too hard.”

“Frontier X is by far the most advanced of any wearable technology available today” – Paula Radcliffe

The Frontier X is a chest strap, worn like a heart rate monitor, yet it records much more. Rather than just beats per minute, the chest-mounted computer measures and records the functioning of the heart and lungs and generates a continuous ECG graph.

By recording this information ‘on the chest’ and within the device itself it can offer a deeper insight into the data when connected to your smartphone after a training session.

The makers of the device have created algorithms that have been tested and validated in laboratory trials, with patents filed on the technology and design.

Whereas heart rate can be affected by various factors such as sleep, stress, caffeine consumption or simply the weather, breathing rate has been shown by recent studies to present a more accurate measure of effort, regardless of conditions.

Frontier X measures breathing rate and uses this to help you find the perfect training intensity.

Frontier X also measures the strain on the heart. While this is helpful for performance it can also serve as a great insight for newcomers to running, perhaps advised to ‘lose weight and get fit’.

It can serve as a reminder to those who might otherwise strain their hearts.

After setting thresholds on the device via the app, it will provide tactile feedback in the form of a buzz should you exceed the limits, allowing you to adjust your pace for best performance.

The Frontier X can be used alone and operate independently of a watch or phone, with the device taking care of all the computing and processing power.

Downloading this data after training provides a visual presentation with ECG graphs as well as information such as breathing rate, strain, cadence, heart rate and training load.

Recommendations are presented given your accumulated training load, breathing rate and cardiac strain.

These are insights which have never been available before and provide the most comprehensive data on your performance and health outside of a laboratory setting.

FRONTIER X IS AVAILABLE AT AN INTRODUCTORY PRICE OF £299.00 AT FOURTHFRONTIER.COM
Offer valid until March 31

New Jersey forward John Hayden was fined $2,016.13, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for cross-checking Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi during the Devils' 4-1 win on Tuesday night in Detroit.

The incident occurred at 19:14 of the third period after Bertuzzi checked Hayden's teammate, rookie forward Jack Hughes, into the boards. Hayden was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking. The money will be sent to the NHL Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Hayden is in his first season with the Devils after being traded from the Blackhawks in the offseason. With New Jersey having traded away several assets up front, Hayden expects to see time on the team's fourth line in the final month of the season. He has two goals, three points and 75 penalty minutes in 37 games this season.

The Devils, who dealt forwards Taylor Hall (Arizona) and Blake Coleman (Tampa Bay) earlier this season, also sent winger Wayne Simmonds to Buffalo at the trading deadline Monday. New Jersey has won three in a row and four of five since trading Coleman on Feb. 16.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have announced David Warner as their captain for the upcoming IPL that starts on March 29. Warner takes over from Kane Williamson , who led the side in 2018 and 2019. Williamson was named captain in 2018 after Warner had been barred from participating in that season of the tournament in the aftermath of Australia's ball-tampering controversy, which occurred before the start of the league that year.

Williamson led the Sunrisers to the final in 2018, where they lost to the Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai, and was the tournament's leading scorer with a tally of 735. Last year, the Sunrisers lost to the Delhi Capitals in the eliminator, after finishing fourth on the points table.

View this post on Instagram

Announcement #OrangeArmy, our captain for #IPL2020 is @davidwarner31. #SRH #IPL

A post shared by SunRisers Hyderabad (@sunrisershyd) on Feb 26, 2020 at 9:34pm PST

Warner had earlier captained the side between 2015 and 2017, and had led them to the title win in 2016. Warner has led the Sunrisers in 45 matches overall, with 26 wins and a win-loss ratio of 1.368. Williamson, in comparison, led the side to 14 wins in 26 games with a win-loss ratio of 1.272.

With Williamson not the captain anymore and Warner a sure starter, the Sunrisers have the option of rotating their overseas players for the other three slots in the XI. They already have match-winners Jonny Bairstow, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan in their squad and Mitchell Marsh, Fabian Allen and Billy Stanlake among the other non-Indian names. When Williamson was captain, they were forced to pick Warner and Williamson in the top order, leaving only two overseas slots open.

India 8 for 133 (Verma 46, Kerr 2-21, Mair 2-27) beat New Zealand 6 for 129 (Kerr 34*) by four runs

India squeezed past an error-prone New Zealand into the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals and probable tournament favouritism, after Shafali Verma added to her tournament highlight reel and and then Harmanpreet Kaur marshalled her bowlers to suffocating effect at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.

Sent in to bat by Sophie Devine, India benefited from another whip-crack start thanks to Verma, who cashed in on two dropped chances on her way to 46 off 34, after scores of 29 and 39 against Australia and Bangladesh. While the innings faded at its back end, the bowlers had been given more than enough to defend on a sluggish surface that rewarded canny slow bowling against a New Zealand side eager to get to grips with the turning ball.

After Shikha Pandey struck first, Suzie Bates and Devine perished to deliveries they needed to wait just a fraction longer before hitting, and from that early loss of three wickets it was always going to be a game of catch-up. Amelia Kerr threatened when she took 18 off Poonam Yadav in the 19th over, but Pandey kept her nerve to send India through as New Zealand scored 29 off the last two overs when they needed 34.

Hurricane Verma blows into Junction Oval

There was absolutely nothing dull about Verma's latest appearance, although it was at times on the scrappier side as both sides adjusted from the pace of Perth to the slower Junction Oval surface. A few early plays and misses gave way to boundaries, and then the sign that Verma was really in when she deposited successive deliveries from Anna Peterson over the straight boundary for sixes, when an obliging half volley was followed by an even more generous full toss. All was not well at the other end, however, after Smriti Mandhana dragged Lea Tahuhu onto the stumps and then Taniya Bhatia's sound supporting innings was ended with a square cut off Rosemary Mair that arrowed straight to Kerr.

Verma's innings was also to grow more ragged, as she was twice put down by New Zealand at long-on and then midwicket. Further wickets, as Jemimah Rodrigues front edged a full toss and then Kaur offered the tamest of return catches to Leigh Kasperek, contributed to a sense of claustrophobia, and Verma's stay was to end with a catch to long-off. Spectacular as some of her shots had been, the innings was petering out.

Kerr restricts India

Despite a greenish tinge on the pitch, New Zealand loaded up on spin after the early overs, as Devine called upon no fewer than seven bowlers in her efforts to slow down India. Best of the bunch was Kerr, not surprisingly, who twirled her legbreaks and variations with typical skill and was rewarded with the wickets of Verma and Veda Krishnamurthy lbw on the sweep after New Zealand opted for the recourse of the DRS.

Having been 1 for 68, India declined as far as 7 for 111 before Pandey and Radha Yadav scrounged some vital runs at the death, including the only six of the innings not fired off by Verma. New Zealand were left feeling mixed about proceedings: they would probably have taken a target as low as 134 at the start of the match, but their profligacy in missing numerous chances - a trend for several teams in the tournament so far - left a sour sense of opportunity spurned.

Slow bowling, fast exits

Patience is a virtue when facing India's spinners, not only in terms of waiting for the bad ball but also in terms of waiting for each individual ball to actually arrive. For New Zealand's top order, this wait proved too much under World Cup pressure, as Bates and Devine played too presumptuously and too soon at balls whirring slowly down at them. Pandey's mediums gained the first breakthrough as Priest, having already found the boundary, aimed for midwicket and could only offer a skier to be caught inside the fielding circle after it swirled tantalisingly in the breeze.

Bates, spoiling to go on the attack herself, made a pre-movement across her stumps that gave Deepti Sharma a split second in which to slow her pace further, and have the New Zealand No. 3 rushing through her shot and bowled behind her pads. Devine, having dominated against all comers recently while churning out six consecutive half-centuries, waited and waited for Poonam's full toss to reach her, only to mistime it for another simple catch.

New Zealand suffocated

Despite a salvaging stand between Maddy Green and Katey Martin, the required rate drifted up and up over six, seven, eight, nine and 10, as an expectant Indian-centric crowd anticipated a victory.

Fifty-seven runs were still required off 35 balls when Green finally decided that attack was her only available path and ran down the pitch to Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who had artfully held one back just enough to gain the drop and turn required to spin past the bat and offer Bhatia a simple stumping. From there only a brilliant rearguard from Kerr, who scooped 18 from Poonam's final over, gave the Indians some jitters, before Pandey delivered an exceptional final over to close it out.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.