Australia move into Women’s T20 World Cup final after beating West Indies

Australia moved a step closer to a record seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title after defeating the West Indies by eight wickets in the first semi-final at The Oval on 30 June.

The six-time champions produced another impressive all-round performance, restricting the West Indies to 125/7 and keeping their unbeaten streak in the tournament alive by reaching the target in just 13 overs.

The West Indies started well with an opening partnership of 47 runs but Australia could not get going as they continued to take wickets at regular intervals. Captain Hayley Matthews was the top scorer with 30 runs, while Deandra Dottin’s quick 26 off 16 balls gave the innings a late boost.

Ash Gardner was Australia’s best bowler with figures of 2/13. Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molyneux also took two wickets each.

Beth Mooney and Gardner power Australia to comfortable chase

A target of 126 was set for victory, but Australia came out aggressively and Beth Mooney and Georgia Wall added 29 runs off just 18 balls before Wall was dismissed in the second over. Phoebe Litchfield followed up shortly afterwards to take Australia to 43/2.

From there, Beth Mooney led Australia in the chase with an unbeaten 61 off 36 balls, including eight fours.

Gardner contributed as an excellent all-rounder, scoring an unbeaten 35 off just 18 balls and taking two wickets, earning her the Player of the Match award. Her performance saw Australia win with seven overs to spare.

West Indies collapse after bright start

Earlier, West Indies got off to a good start after being asked to bat first. Captain Hayley Mathews scored 30 runs off 28 balls and shared an opening partnership of 47 runs with Kiana Joseph.
However, after Mathews’ dismissal, the innings quickly lost direction as West Indies slipped to 83/6 for no loss on 47 runs. Deandra Dottin and Genelia Glasgow added some late runs, but their efforts helped them reach only 125/7 in 20 overs, which was never enough against the tournament favourites.

The result also left Australia’s unbeaten record intact, with the defending champions having won all five of their group-stage matches leading up to this semi-final to top Group A.
Australia will now face the winners of the other semi-final between hosts England and South Africa in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.

But with another impressive all-round performance, Australia remained unbeaten and moved one step closer to a record seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title.

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