ICC Women's T20 World Cup warm-up, Cardiff

England 171-6 (20 overs): Sciver-Brunt 57 (45); Patil 2-29

India 166 (19.5 overs): Ghosh 68 (36); Smith 3-42

England won by five runs

Scorecard

Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scored with 57 as England wrapped up their preparations with a tense five-run victory against India.

India needed 172 but slipped to 87-5 before Richa Ghosh launched a fierce counter-attack, striking 21 from Issy Wong's over and adding further boundaries off Linsey Smith to leave six runs needed from the final three deliveries.

Smith responded by having Ghosh stumped for a rapid 68 off 36 balls and then dismissed Renuka Singh Thakur to seal the result and boost morale ahead of England's tournament opener versus Sri Lanka.

Sciver-Brunt enjoyed extended time at the crease alongside Amy Jones, who struck a fluent 64, while Dani Gibson contributed an explosive 30 from just 12 balls to help England reach 171-6.

The captain had managed only three runs in the earlier defeat to Australia but has now eased worries over limited match practice following her calf issue, which restricted her to one appearance this summer.

After Danni Wyatt-Hodge fell cheaply once more, Jones and Sciver-Brunt built a 70-run stand before India claimed three middle-order wickets, including Jones bowled by Shafali Verma and cheap dismissals for Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp.

Gibson's powerful late hitting, featuring four fours and a six with 19 runs from the final over, maintained England's momentum after Sciver-Brunt departed with seven balls remaining.

Gibson also claimed two wickets while England rotated their attack, resting Lauren Bell and giving opportunities to Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Wong and Lauren Filer, with Capsey standing in as wicketkeeper.

The loss to Australia served as a timely reminder of the challenges ahead, yet England delivered a strong display until Ghosh's late heroics.

The team can take comfort from Sciver-Brunt's innings, which appears to complete the batting lineup for coach Charlotte Edwards.

Despite a rain-affected slower outfield forcing Sciver-Brunt to run hard between wickets, she showed no signs of calf trouble and completed the match without issue.

Wyatt-Hodge remains a concern after modest scores across four innings, yet strong contributions from Jones, Capsey, Knight, Gibson and Sciver-Brunt leave most batters in good form heading into Friday.

England excelled in the field apart from one drop by Wong, highlighted by Corteen-Coleman's brilliant catch to remove Smriti Mandhana.

The 18-year-old also took the wickets of Harmanpreet Kaur and Radha Yadav to finish with 2-22, underlining her selection claims, while Smith and Charlie Dean claimed 3-42 and 2-16 respectively.