India will put ‘a target on our backs’ – Tammy Beaumont

That target has much to do with how the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 final went, with England snatching victory from India at the very last.

Their WT20 semi-final face-off n Antigua, Beaumont said, will certainly have elements of a re-match.

“India will definitely put a target on our back, and (want to) prove a bit of a point from last year,” she said. “But T20 is a very different game. It only takes one player to grab it by the horns and bring it home.”

Despite winning more often than not against India, Beaumont is taking nothing for granted, especially with India's key players seemingly in form. “Any World Cup semi-final is difficult,” she said. “India are a much-improved team, they’ve got quite a lot of threats. We can’t think, going into that on Thursday, that we can take them on, and go toe-to-toe, and come out on top.

“The performances of Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana are quite important. They will be key wickets. Also, their bowling attack is quite well-suited to the pitches out here. They seem quite well-drilled in what they’re doing. We’re working hard to counter that.”

England, meanwhile, have problems with their top order, which hasn’t really set the tournament alight, not the least in their last outing against the Windies, in which five of the top six batters scored in single digits.

Beaumont, however, isn’t too concerned. “No, I don’t think (there’s any pressure),” she said. “There are enough players of high-class in that top-order there. Someone’s got to score eventually, so let’s hope it’s Thursday.

“It’s just a case of putting some key things together. Our bowling attack has been exceptional every game, particularly Anya Shrubsole and Nat Sciver. So it’s just a case of getting a good score and chasing anything down with some confidence in that batting line-up.”