ICC Women's World Cup 2017: Road to the finals for England

One of the most formidable sides in the history of women's cricket and tournament hosts England lock horns with a resurgent Indian team in the summit clash of the ICC Women's World Cup at the Mecca of Cricket, Lord's.

In the bid for their fourth World Cup title, England will have their task cut out against this new look Indian team who have taken the world of cricket by storm with their superlative exploits in the mega event.

While England stumbled in the opening match of the tournament, they have been the most dominant team coming into the business end of the competition, finishing on top of the points table.

Let us now relive England's journey from Derby to Lord's.

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England vs India

The opening day of this showpiece event provided plenty of excitement for the crowd as England were up against India in Derby.

Heather Knight won the toss and opted to field first, giving her bowlers the first use of the fresh wicket on offer.

However, the move seemed to have backfired as the Indian opening combination of Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut laid a firm foundation, providing a solid 144 run partnership for the first wicket.

The duo along with skipper, Mithali Raj registered fluent half centuries to propel India to a massive score of 281 runs in the first innings.

In reply, the top order of the hosts failed to convert their starts and faltered in the run chase. Lack of partnerships in the middle overs also led to their downfall and they eventually fell short by 35 runs.

This was the first and the only loss for the England team in their World Cup campaign thus far.

England vs Pakistan

The two centurions for the England team

After a shock defeat in the opening match of the competition, England faced Pakistan in their second league game. Brushing aside the jitters of the first match, the English outfit put on a complete performance to register a comfortable win over their counterparts.

Sana Mir, the skipper of the Pakistan team, won the toss and elected to field first. Little did she know her bowling unit would be put under such immense pressure against the aggressive England batting unit.

Despite reducing the hosts to 42 for the loss of two wickets, the Pakistan outfit failed to dent the middle order of the opposition. Some poor bowling combined with below par fielding efforts ensured that Heather Knight along with Natalie Sciver settled in the middle without much pressure.

The duo put on 213 runs for the third wicket which also included attacking centuries from both. Riding on their splendid batting display, England posted a mammoth score of 377 runs in their allotted quota of 50 overs.

The total proved to be a daunting task for the inexperienced batting unit of Pakistan as they failed to stitch any partnerships. And, with relentless showers forcing the players to go off the field, the hosts accounted for a comprehensive 107 run victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method.

England vs Sri Lanka

The skipper along with wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor led England to a comfortable win

In the bid to keep their semi final hopes alive, England locked horns against another sub continent team, Sri Lanka at the County Ground in Taunton.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first on a flat surface. Despite the conditions being conducive for batting, the Lankans were unable to inject any momentum into their innings.

Lack of runs from their premier batter, Chamari Athapaththu also haunted them in their bid for a decent first innings total. They eventually crawled their way to 204 runs for the loss of eight wickets.

After a massive score against Pakistan in the previous fixture, the top order of the England team was in sublime form. And, riding on half centuries from skipper Heather Knight and Sarah Taylor, England made a mockery of the target and registered a comfortable seven wicket win with 20 overs to spare.

England vs South Africa

Tammy Beaumont and Sarah Taylor shine for England

South Africa, one of the most improved teams in the international circuit, was the next challenge awaiting the England team at Bristol.

The performance of the English batting unit in the tournament had been simply outstanding and hence, Heather Knight did not have any hesitation in batting first.

The move proved to be a masterstroke as opening batter Tammy Beaumont and wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor scored scintillating hundreds to propel their side to 373 runs in the first innings.

While most of the crowd at the stadium and back home anticipated an easy victory for the host nation, South Africa had other ideas and launched a strong counter attack in reply.

However, wickets at regular interval stalled their bid and they eventually managed to score 305 runs in their quota of overs, giving England a 68 run win.

England vs Australia

Katherine Brunt's all-round efforts help England register a famous World Cup victory

Two of the biggest names in the history of women's cricket, Australia and England locked horns in the most awaited clash of the ICC Women's World Cup.

The match lived up to its expectations as Heather Knight won the toss and elected to bat first at Bristol. A couple of England batters got starts, but none of them managed to score big in the high voltage clash.

After being reduced to 174 runs for the loss of six wickets, the lower order veterans of the side, Katherine Brunt and the ever reliable Jenny Gunn, forged a crucial 85 run stand for the seventh wicket. This late onslaught by the duo helped the home team post 259 runs in the first innings.

In such a closely fought contest, the momentum kept swaying from one side to another. The run chase was never going to be easy for the mighty Aussies and courtesy a tight bowling spell from Alex Hartley, the visitors fell agonisingly short by three runs.

England vs New Zealand

The Natmeg short by Natalie Sciver en route to her century

The County Ground in Derby was all set to host another blockbuster involving hosts England and the White Ferns from New Zealand.

After electing to bat first, a top order collapse jolted the home team as they were reduced to 52 for the loss of three wickets. A vital 170 run stand between Tammy Beaumont and Natalie Sciver helped the England outfit recover from the early jitters, guiding them to 284 runs in their 50 overs.

The hard-hitting all-rounder Sciver notched up her second hundred of the tournament and top scored for the side with an attacking 129.

The White Ferns in reply failed to get going at the top of the order and were bundled out for 209 runs, handing the hosts an emphatic 75 run win.

England vs West Indies

Natalie Sciver was the pick of the England bowlers

England sealed their spot in the semi finals of the tournament even before the final league match they were scheduled to play, against the unpredictable West Indies.

The ladies from the Carribean won the toss and elected to field first at Bristol. The decision seemed to have reaped massive rewards as the batting unit of the home team struggled throughout the first innings.

Barring a well crafted half century from Heather Knight, none of the batters could manage any substantial score resulting in England managing a below par total of 220 runs in the first innings.

With the power hitters in the West Indies line up, a score of 220 would have been a touch difficult to defend but the England bowlers had other plans. Led by a splendid performance from Natalie Sciver, who picked up three crucial wickets, the hosts managed to dismantle the Windies by 92 runs.

Semi Finals: England vs South Africa

Jenny Gunn guided the England team into the finals of the tournament

Victory in the final league match against the Windies propelled the home team to the top of the table and they were all geared up to face the Proteas in the semi finals. The match lived up to all the hype and the attention it received as it went down to the final over.

It is always said that in a knockout game, runs on the board matter the most and South Africa attempted to get exactly that as they won the toss and opted to bat first. Half centuries from Laura Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez ensured that the visitors reached 218 runs in their first innings.

The total, despite not being a massive one, was something to defend for the top bowling side in the tournament.

In reply, the home team were dealt some severe blows by the formidable bowling unit. After a crucial half century from Sarah Taylor was negated by a mini collapse in the middle order, England's hopes rested on the shoulders of Jenny Gunn, the most experienced player in this current England set up.

And the all-rounder did not disappoint as, exhibiting nerves of steel, she soaked up all the pressure and scored an unbeaten 27 to book a place for the England team at the Home of Cricket.