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Skipper Hayley Matthews and opener Qiana Josepth slammed half-centuries apiece to help West Indies thrash England by 6 wickets in their final group stage match and become the 4th team to qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals.
West Indies beat England by 6 wickets to qualify for the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
New Delhi: West Indies thrashed England by six wickets in their final group stage match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai to become the 4th team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. Skipper Hayley Mathews and opener Qiana Joseph played terrific knocks to help West Indies comfortably chase down the target of 142 runs in 18 overs to wrap up a crucial victory.
A place in the semi-finals was at stake for both West Indies and England heading into the clash with South Africa already securing their entry in the top four from Group B. West Indies produced a clinical performance with the bat to join the Proteas in the semi-finals from their group. It was a heartbreak for England, who were at the top of the Group B table at the start of the game but dropped to no.3 by the end of it to crash out of the tournament.
Batting first in the must-win game, England rode on senior all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 57 and a quickfire came of 13-ball 21 from skipper Heather Knight to post a fighting total of 141 runs on the board. However, the bowlers filed to defend the total as Mathews and Joseph combined to take them to the cleaners from the word go.
The West Indies openers looked in destructive mode as they dealt in boundaries right from the start of the innings to give their team a strong start in the chase. Matthews smashed 50 off 38 balls laced with 7 fours and a six while Joseph hit 52 off 38 balls with the help of 6 fours and two sixes as the duo shared a match-winning opening partnership of 102 runs.
After the duo set the tone with their big partnership, power-hitter Deandra Dottin played a fiery cameo of 19-ball 27 laced with 2 sixes and 2 fours to help West Indies gun down the target with two overs to spare. West Indies knocked out England to secure their entry into the semi-finals and will now take on New Zealand in the knockout stage.
Who are the 4 semi-finalists of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024?
England were the favourites to qualify from Group B having played some good cricket in the group stage but their 6-wicket defeat against West Indies proved costly as they failed to qualify on the final day of the league phase of the tournament. West Indies finished on top of the Group B points table with their dominant win against England and joined South Africa in progressing to the semi-finals.
All three of West Indies, South Africa and England finished with six points each, but England had to miss out due to an inferior net run rate. On the other hand, Australia and New Zealand qualified from Group A after ousting India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Australia finished on top of the Group A points table after winning all 4 of their matches in the league stage
The defending champions defeated Sri Lanka in their opener before thrashing New Zealand by 60 runs and Pakistan by 9 wickets in their next two matches. Aussies beat India by 9 runs in their final league game on Sunday to finish on top and move to the semi-finals. New Zealand beat Pakistan in their least league match on Monday to become the 2nd team to qualify from Group A.
Semi-finalists of Women’s T20 World Cup 2024:
Australia
New Zealand
West Indies
South Africa
Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals schedule:
Group A toppers Australia will be up against Laura Wolvaardt-led South Africa in the first semi-final of the tournament in Dubai on Thursday, October 17. West Indies will face New Zealand in the second semi-final in Sharjah on Friday, October 18. The winners of the two semi-finals will meet in the blockbuster final in Dubai on Sunday, October 20.
Semi-final 1 – Australia vs South Africa – October 17, Dubai
Semi-final 2 – West Indies vs New Zealand – October 18, Sharjah
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