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New Zealand Women clinch dramatic semifinal win over West Indies

tennis18 October 2024 17:35| © MWP
By:Patrick Compton
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A relieved New Zealand clinched a dramatic eight-run victory over the West Indies in the second semifinal of the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup at Sharjah on Friday night.

New Zealand, who gained revenge on the West Indies for a semifinal reverse in the 2016 World Cup, will now face South Africa in the final in Dubai on Sunday.

In truth, New Zealand should have wrapped this game up comfortably long before the tense climax in the final over when the West Indies had to score 15 to win.

They dropped five catches in the outfield, including Deandra Dottin (33 off 22 balls) twice.

Dottin was also caught behind off a ball that was called a wide, but TV footage established she got a thin edge.

The generous Kiwis were relieved to get the win in the end, despite Zaida James driving the first ball of the final over from Suzie Bates for four.

The opener and part-time off-spinner got it right with the rest of her deliveries as the West Indies fell eight runs short with their total on 120-8.

New Zealand’s bowlers held a vice-like grip on the West Indies batters for most of their innings.

They claimed two wickets in the powerplay in which they only conceded 25 while taking the wickets of pinch-hitter Qiana Joseph and Campbell.

Joseph briefly looked to bludgeon the bowling as she did against England, but fell to an ugly heave off spinner Eden Carson, who did particularly well to claim 3-29 in her four overs.

Skipper Hayley Matthews looked to anchor the innings, but, unable to build any momentum, lashed out desperately to seamer Lea Tahuhu to give Kerr a comfortable catch in the outfield.

West Indies' great victory opportunity came in the 16th over delivered by Tahuhu when Dottin, already reprieved three times, slog-swept three sixes with 23 coming off the over.

That left 34 needed in the final four overs but leg-spinner Kerr, New Zealand’s premier bowler, was brought back on in the next over and she immediately responded by having Dottin caught at short fine leg off a top-edged pull.

That was the key wicket and New Zealand eventually clinched victory, albeit with the kind of catching in the outfield that nearly let their opponents off the hook.

DOTTIN RESTRICTS NZ 

Earlier, all-rounder Dottin grabbed 4-22 to help restrict New Zealand to 128-9 in their innings after they had won the toss and chosen to bat first.

The New Zealand batters never really got into their stride despite a solid, albeit conservative, opening partnership of 48 between Bates and Georgia Plimmer.

The pair, who, remarkably, have only conceded one wicket in the powerplay in this World Cup, reached a moderate 32 in the powerplay and 48 in 8.2 overs before Bates missed a reverse sweep off off-spinner Karishma Ramharack and was bowled.

Kerr was then missed twice in succession at long-on by Chinelle Henry, with the second miss causing her to leave the field after the ball struck her on the forehead.

Kerr did not profit from this, driving Dottin straight to cover immediately afterwards. Henry took no further part in the match.

Plimmer was New Zealand’s top scorer (33 off 31 balls) before she waltzed down the pitch to leg-spinner Afy Fletcher, missed the ball and was easily stumped by wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle.

Reasonably well placed on 98 for three in the 15th over, New Zealand suffered the loss of four wickets in 13 balls as Dottin carried on her good work.

But the key wicket of the innings was that of skipper Sophie Devine, who spliced a delivery from Fletcher to backward point for just 12.

Isabella Gaze (20 not out in 14 balls) tried to up the run-rate for the Kiwis, but it was the West Indian bowlers who took charge in the final five overs as the Caribbean islanders looked well pleased with their efforts.

Sadly for them, it was not quite enough.

West Indies: Hayley Matthews (capt), Qiana Joseph, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Ashmini Munisar, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack

New Zealand: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (capt), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas

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