Rawal out of Women’s CWC semis

NEW DELHI, India:

India's hopes of winning a first Women's Cricket World Cup title have been dented with the injury-enforced withdrawal of opening batter Pratika Rawal for the semi-final against defending champions Australia.

The in-form Rawal was forced off the field after injuring her ankle attempting to save a boundary in India's last league-stage game on Sunday, which ended in a washout against Bangladesh.

"Tough to sit out due to injury, but my heart is with the team," Rawal said in a social media post. "Best of luck, India!"

She scored 308 runs in the league stage of the tournament -- including a century in a decisive win over New Zealand -- second only to teammate Smriti Mandhana's 365.

The International Cricket Council approved Shafali Verma as a late replacement in the squad for Rawal.

India placed fourth in the league stage, which included a high-scoring loss to Australia.

England and South Africa will meet on Wednesday in the first of the semi-finals, a day ahead of the Australia-India game.

-AP