Sharjah Oct 18 New Zealand defeated West Indies by eight runs to reach the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup final at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Despite Deandre Dottin’s fiery spell which left New Zealand struggling with the bat but the Sophie Devine-led side fought back valiantly to secure a trip to the final in a low-scoring thriller on the backs of impressive bowling performances by Eden Carson and Amelia Kerr.
Batting first, Suzie Bates (26) and Georgia Plimmer (33), who scored the side's only six, got New Zealand off to a decent start with a 48-run opening stand which was broken by Karishma Ramharack as she cleaned the wicket of Bates. Amelia Kerr failed to convert the start and gain the advantage as she was caught off Dottins' delivery in the 12th over.
West Indies gained control over the game five deliveries later when Plimmer was caught off Afy Fletcher's delivery.
Brooke Halliday's (18) attempts to get going, in an innings in which she scored two boundaries, were stopped dead in their tracks as the left-handed batter's wickets were castled by Dottin.
West Indies went on to reduce the Kiwis to 98/5 three deliveries later as Fletcher got the important scalp of captain Sophie Devine (12) in the 15th over. Dottin continued her impressive spell as she removed the wickets of Maddy Green (3) and Rosemary Mair (2) in the 17th over.
A quickfire innings of 20 not out by wicket-keeper Isabella Gaze took New Zealand past the 100-run mark before the wickets of Lea Tahuhu (6) and Eden Carson (0) fell on the penultimate delivery of the match. With A single on the last ball, Gaze helped New Zealand post 128/9.
Despite the low score, New Zealand took the fight to the West Indies batters from the first ball and with wickets at regular intervals, the side from the Caribbean never found their footing.
Qiana Joseph (12) was the first to depart in the third over the game when her wicket was castled by Carson.
The right-handed bowler continued her onslaught and removed Shemaine Campbelle (3) to put the pressure on their opponents. Carson then picked up her third scalp of the night with Stafanie Taylor’s wicket.
With captain Hayley Matthews (15) and Aaliyah Alleyne’s (4) departure, Dottin continued her star performance and scored a valiant 33 off 22 balls, in an innings with three sixes, and gave her side a fighting chance.
Afy Fletcher’s 17 not out and Zaida James’s 14 run contribution took the side to within 15 runs in the final over.
Suzie took on the pressure and bowled the ultimate over, her first time bowling in a T20I game since March, conceding only six runs off it to lead the side to the final due to be played against South Africa on Sunday.
Carson was named the player of the match and gave an emotional post game interview in tears.
“As you can see, I'm really emotional but really proud of the girls. When Deandra Dottin was pumping us, the girls just believed and stuck it out and we got over the line. We really had to defend another low total, below-par, had to get early wickets against West Indies, they are a dangerous side. We saw how the West Indies bowled, they bowled a bit more back-of-a-length and it worked, we bowled a bit full, it's alright,” she said.
Brief Scores: New Zealand-W 128/9 ( 26 (28), 33 (31); Deandra Dottin 4/22) defeated West Indies-W 120/8 (Deandra Dottin 33 (22); Eden Zarson 3/29) by eight runs.
--IANS
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