Group stage endgame Five things we've learned

Spin to win?

- Raf Nicholson

Is the UAE the spinner's paradise we were all led to believe? Five of the top 10 leading wicket-takers in the tournament so far are seamers - including Australia's Megan Schutt (eight wickets) and Annabel Sutherland (seven). When Australia v India came down to the wire on Sunday, with India needing 14 runs from the final over, it was Sutherland who the stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath turned to. The all-rounder was the embodiment of composure, giving away only five runs (while taking two wickets) as Australia held firm.

England have thrown the kitchen sink at their four-pronged spinner strategy on the basis that "they all do something a bit different", but one thing they have not done (so far) is take many wickets. The one concern coming out of their 10-wicket thrashing of Scotland was their inability to take a single Scottish wicket in the powerplay.

A lack of penetration will make life tough in higher-stakes games.

Mind the gap to Australia