West Indies Women bowed out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup when they lost by eight runs to New Zealand in the second semifinal at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
While the West Indies produced an excellent bowling effort to limit New Zealand to 128 for nine in 20 overs, with Deandra Dottin grabbing 4-22 from her four overs, they lost wickets at regular intervals in their chase. They could only muster 120 for eight from their 20 overs.
Dottin once again starred, top-scoring with 33 runs from 22 balls, which included three massive sixes.
With West Indies having to score just over six runs an over, New Zealand’s trio of Rosemary Mair, Fran Jonas, and Player-of-the-Match Eden Carson stifled them from the beginning of the chase.
Qiana Joseph hit Carson for two fours in the fourth over but then lost her off stump, then Carson had Shemaine Campbelle caught for three as the West Indies limped to 20 for two at the start of the fifth over.
Carson then grabbed her third wicket when she clean bowled the experienced Stafanie Taylor for 13 runs from 20 balls, leaving West Indies stumbling on 41 for three in the ninth over.
Shortly after, captain Hayley Matthews skied a delivery from Lea Tahuhu, where Amelia Kerr took the catch at midwicket to be out for 15. Maddy Green took a brilliant catch to account for Aaliyah Alleyne for four, with the team reaching 63 for five in the 14th over.
Dottin and Afy Fletcher then came together in a 33-run partnership for the sixth wicket that could have swung the game in West Indies’ favor.
Dottin smacked Tahuhu for three sixes in the 16th over that cost 23 runs, and West Indies required 34 runs from 24 balls.
But soon after, Amelia Kerr got Dottin to top edge where Jonas took an easy catch.
Zaida James and Fletcher did their best, and with one over remaining, the West Indies needed 15 runs.
James smacked off-spinner Suzie Bates’ first ball for four, but after failing to make contact with the second ball, she was bowled off the third ball for 14, and the West Indies still required 11 runs.
New batter Ashmini Munisar could only make one run off the fourth ball, and when Fletcher failed to connect with the penultimate ball, it gave New Zealand their first-ever T20 World Cup final.
Earlier, openers Bates and Georgia Plimmer added 48 runs for the first wicket in nine overs.
Spinner Karishma Ramharack made the breakthrough when she bowled Bates for 26 from 28 balls before Dottin removed Amelia Kerr for seven to leave the score 65 for two in the 12th over.
Dottin then bowled Brooke Halliday for 19, had Maddy Green caught behind for three, and trapped Rosemary Mair LBW for two as New Zealand staggered to 104 for seven in the 17th over.
But Isabella Gaze scored an unbeaten 20 from 14 balls as New Zealand gathered 24 valuable runs from the last three overs, taking them to their successive total.
