White Ferns hold nerve to squeak past West Indies into final
New Zealand are into their first Women’s T20 World Cup final since 2010 after withstanding an all-round onslaught from Deandra Dottin to claim a tense eight-run win over the West Indies.
Dottin shone to dump out England in what was effectively a quarter-final this week and claimed four for 22 as New Zealand put up 128 for nine after deciding to bat first on another clammy evening in Sharjah.
After New Zealand spinner Eden Carson claimed the wickets of Qiana Joseph, Shemaine Campbelle and Stafanie Taylor, and captain Hayley Matthews holed out off Lea Tahuhu, the Windies were on 55 for four in the 11th over.
Dottin, though, muscled three sixes in an over off Tahuhu to bring the equation down to 34 off 24 balls, only to then top-edge a sweep off Amelia Kerr to depart for 33 off just 22 deliveries.
West Indies needed 11 off the last five balls but Suzie Bates, bowling her first over of the tournament, held her nerve, castling Zaida James to ultimately seal victory for the White Ferns. They will take on South Africa in Sunday’s final in Dubai after the Proteas scored a remarkable upset victory over defending champions and firm favourites Australia 24 hours earlier. Neither South Africa nor New Zealand have won the tournament before.
“I’m a bit emotional but really proud of the girls,” player of the match Carson said. “When Deandra Dottin was pumping us all over the place I thought: ‘Oh no’ … but we stuck together, knew we could get it done and we got over the line in the end.”
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews admitted their batters could have done better. “With the bat we probably just weren’t able to get going early on and that put us under pressure early on,” she said. “We felt that based on the wicket they were probably a few runs short. We wanted to stay positive but we never really got it going.” Agencies
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And that’s it from me. We’ll be back on Sunday, to crown the new Women’s T20 World Cup winners. Till then, goodbye!
Sophie Devine
A happy, happy Devine/“It has not sunk in at all, I’m still trying to get my brain back from being fried out there. Really privileged to be playing in a World Cup final. The last 2-3 overs saved our bacon. The way Izzie (Gaze) batted…we thought 130 would be a competitive total. We knew we were in with a great shout.
“With the ball, taking wickets regularly always helps. But when you have players like Hayley and Deandra (in the opposition), the game is never over. Dottin is a quality player. You can set the field for her but she can just hit it over the top. We put down a couple of chances and had we taken them, it might have been easier. Credit to West Indies. We always knew it was going to be a tough game and huge respect to them.
“Bates has been harping on us in training that she has been practicing for this. With just three fielders out, that is pretty clutch and to finish things off, it was cool for Suzie to do it.
“The thing that makes me proud is the character we have had for the last 12-18 months. Results have not gone our way, we have gotten a fair bit of stick from people on the outside. Really excited about this last match and we have nothing to lose, and that is a great space to be. We will celebrate this tonight, and we gotta win this (tournament) now.
“They (South Africa) are an incredible side. Laura leads them from the front, Kapp is one of the best players in the world. Bosch in the game against Australia (was superb)…but we have to focus on ourselves, and hope the cricketing gods are on our side as well!”
Hayley Matthews
“We bowled really well upfront and had them under a good run-rate. Got away a bit towards the end. At the beginning of the day, we would have taken that.
“ With the bat, we could not get going early on and that put pressure (on us). We felt they were a few short (on that wicket). We wanted to stay positive but obviously, we never got going. It never really got out of her hands or super out of control and that showed when Deandra smacked a few over mid-wicket.
“ Unfortunately, she got out after that but kudos to her [with the ball] and she gave us a chance with the bat as well. Disappointing to go out at this stage in the way we did but incredibly proud of the team.
“As a group, we have come together and exceeded expectations. Disappointed we are going home but we came in with not a lot of expectation of us going far but we proved a lot of people wrong.”
Bates, I now learn, hadn’t bowled in 14 internationals. Of course. When the chip pan is on fire, hand the tea-towel to the 37 year old.
Joy and relief etched over New Zealand faces – Devine and Bates with a (final?) chance for World Cup glory over the tournament’s Davids, South Africa. What a storming final in prospect – and not one that anyone predicted.
Not a faultless performance there by New Zealand – that catching was pretty ropey in places – another performance by that and South Africa will make merry – but Hypocaust points out that they’ve had a pretty testing run-in to the tournament
It is also worth noting, the only teams New Zealand have faced in the format this year are Australia, England and India, and that no side has ever played more women's T20Is against Australia & England combined in a calendar year than the White Ferns' 14 in 2024.
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) October 8, 2024
Brilliant bowling by Carson and Kerr when the pressure was on, and New Zealand will be very grateful to Gaze’s 20 with the tail to shift them up to 12o-plus.
West Indies power hitters couldn’t do the business this time, despite Dottin’s best efforts, and her superb 4-22 with the ball.
Player of the match: Eden CArson for her 3-29
“ I’m really proud of the girls. When Dottin I was pumping, I thought ‘oh no’ but we got over the line at the end. We really had to defend a below -par total but we knew we had to take early wickets against this West Indies side.”
Tears from Matthews, tears from James, tears from Devine, tears from Bates, handshakes all round. The women’s T20 World Cup will have a new champion on Sunday.
New Zealand win by 8 runs - New Zealand will meet South Africa in the T20 World Cup final!
20th over: West Indies 120-8 (Fletcher 17, Munisar 1) Bates pulls it off! James kept things alive with a four from the first ball of the final over, but after she’d gone – West Indies’ dreams went with her.
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WICKET! James b Bates 14 (West Indies 118-8)
Bates gets her girl! Flat, straight, and James – who has batted SO well – is too slow and loses her stumps.
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19th over: West Indies 114-7 Fletcher 16, James 10) Another catch falls through New Zealand’s finger tips, this time Plimmer at mid-off, as James undercuts – is that four? five? No matter, no boundaries from Carson’s over, but enough this and that to keep things alive into the final six. 15 needed off six balls – with a fielding penalty for New Zealand
18th over: West Indies 106-7 Fletcher 12, James 6) James keeps things alive with a last-gasp shovel to the square leg boundary off a friendly ball from Jonus 23 needed off 12
WICKET! Nation b Jonas 0 (West Indies 97-7)
A five ball duck for the concussion substitute, stumps a go-go as she flails haphazardly.
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17th over: West Indies 96-6 Fletcher 10, Nation 0) Dottin must go at last, after being dropped three times. New Zealand’s now – isn’t it? 33 needed off 18 balls
WICKET! Dottin c Jonas b Kerr 33 (West Indies 96-6)
Kerr called on to stop the flow – and makes the breakthrough! A distraught Dottin peels herself off the pitch after top-edging a sweep, taken by the hovering Jonas. Kerr is running on ecstasy.
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16th over: West Indies 95-5 (Dottin 33, Fletcher 9) A scorching forehand off Tahuhu sails over the rope for SIX. Another SIX follows four balls later, a back foot swivel and swipe. AND ANOTHER! Her 31st six in her T20 WC career. 34 needed from 24 balls
15th over: West Indies 72-5 (Dottin 14, Fletcher 6) Seven from Mair’s over, finished as Fletcher steps and smashes her back over her head. 57 needed from 30 balls
14th over: West Indies 65-5 (Dottin 12, Fletcher 1)
After the loss of Alleyne, more bad news for West Indies all ways round: Nation is a concussion replacement for Henry, after that head blow in the field. Henry brought added spice with the bat.
But it turns out Dottin has been lucky – in the previous over, the umpires didn’t pick up a tiny edge – that was given as wide, and here New Zealand drop another catch on the rope – this time Carson the guilty party. If Dottin goes onto win the match – New Zealand will be rueing their chances.
WICKET! Alleyne c Green b Kerr 4 (West Indies 63-5)
Alleyne tries to hit Kerr out of the stadium, but picks out Green on the rope who dives and holds on with musical alacrity. Kerr raises both arms and sprints towards her.
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13th over: West Indies 61-4 (Dottin 10, Alleyne 3) Dottin flies at Tahuhu’s first ball – West Indies seem to have decided she’s the one to target – just misses laying out the bowler, and taking out the umpire – hits the non-striker’s stumps instead. Woofs the next to deep mid wicket for a couple, and is dropped on the rope off the next by Mair – not one for the family scrapbook. 19 balls since the last boundary.
12th over: West Indies 54-4 (Dottin 5, Alleyne 2) Mair is immaculate once more. Just two from the over, as the run rate hits the vertical.
11th over: West Indies 52-4 (Dottin 4, Alleyne 1) Dottin courts danger by leaning back and lofting the headbanded Tahuhu. Bates runs backwards from cover but can’t quite reach the dropping ball in time. (I had no idea she’d also played basketball for New Zealand – thank you commentators). Then Matthews go big, and isn’t so lucky. The trumpets blare their tunes.
WICKET! Matthews c Kerr b Tahuhu 15 (New Zealand 51-4)
Matthews charges Tahuhu and drives to the heavens, one hand flying away from bat. But Kerr is waiting at deep midwicket, feet planted, and calmly takes the catch.
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10th over: West Indies 48-3 (Matthews 15, Dottin 2) Kerr licks her lips, keeps things tight until the fifth ball, when Matthews sweeps with abandon and beats the sprinting boundary fielder to pick up four. Half way stage – NZ were 54-1 at the same point.
9th over: West Indies 42-3 (Matthews 11, Dottin 1) Boundaries at last! Two in three balls, a cover drive by Taylor – and a lofted drive from Matthew, soaring over the top of mid-off . But then the wicket. West Indies need Dottin to do something big here.
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WICKET! Taylor b Carson 13 (West Indies 41-3)
The big fish! Caron snaffles a third as Taylor licks her lips for a third boundary for the over but instead flamboyantly misses and loses her stumps.
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8th over: West Indies 31-2 (Matthews 6, Taylor 8) Devine throws the ball to Kerr – the joint leading wicket taker in the tournament with ten in her pocket. Taylor repeatedly tries to force her away, finally manages with a backfoot musle to midwicket for a couple. The run rate stretches up to eight an over.
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7th over: West Indies 28-2 (Matthews 6, Taylor 5) Just three singles from the over as New Zealand tighten further the screw. In the crowd some happy little girls play with a cuddly kiwi. Who is going to press the accelerator?
6th over: West Indies 25-2 (Matthews 5, Taylor 7) Four dots, a single and a wide from Mair’s second over. Matthews has a swing and nearly brings in the diving Bates into play again, but it falls just short. The power play somewhat misnamed in this match.
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5th over: West Indies 22-2 (Matthews 4, Taylor 2) New Zealand squeezing, squeezing. NZ were 23-0 at this stage
WICKET! Campbelle c Bates b Carson 3 (West Indies 20-2)
Cracking diving catch from Bates, who swoops at extra cover after Campbelle toeends without effect. Bates points as her captain – this one’s yours skipper!
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4th over: West Indies 20-1 (Matthews 4, Campbelle 3) Three dot balls to start Jonas’ over, and West Indies can’t find the boundary in the last three balls.
3rd over: West Indies 16-1 (Matthews 3, Campbelle 0) This feels tense already. A key wicket for Carson – one o England’s destroyers from Tuesday, safely back in the dressing room.
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WICKET! Joseph b Carson 12 (West Indies 16-1)
Super from Carson: after conceding two huge boundaries she tempts Joseph to have another go and rolls the ball into off stump . Carson conducts a mini farewell, and Joseph must trot off.
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2nd over: West Indies 8-0 (Matthews 3, Joseph 4) Joseph goes to grandly sweep Jonas’s first ball but misses, and is left kneeling on the ground. Four from the over, including a wide.
West Indies innings
1st over: West Indies 4-0 (Matthews 1, Joseph 3) An immaculate looking Mair with the first over. And I think she’ll see that as a success, restricting West Indies to dibs and dabs.
They’re out already and the kettle hasn’t boiled!
"On this wicket, anything is defendable"
Suzie Bates: The wicket was holding a little bit so we did not get our timing right. That innings (by Gaze) to get us over the 120-mark is crucial and anything can happen with this West Indies side. We have to keep taking wickets. Good for us that there is enough in the wicket to bowl the West Indies out.
[Asked about Henry’s injury[ It is never nice, sometimes when that happens, cricket takes a back seat. Best wishes to her.
[Confident?]You have got to be. On this wicket, anything is defendable and in semi-final cricket, anything can happen.
New Zealand 128-9, West Indies need 129 to win
20th over: New Zealand 128-9 ( Gaze 20, Jonus 0) Alleyne with the final over. Gaze scoops her first ball down to the rope. A great bit of fielding off the third ball as Tahuhu charges at the ball but it is picked up by the bowler. In between the wickets, New Zealand manage six from the over. Very much not the total they will have been aiming for a couple of hours ago. But on the radio, Katherine Sciver Brunt says that they will think it is enough.
WICKET! Carson run out (Alleyne) ) (New Zealand 127-9)
Carson has a go but can only hit the ball back to Alleyne, who turns around and clops the bails off. Gaze, though, has made it down the other end.
WICKET! Tahuhu c Joseph b Alleyne 6 (New Zealand 127-8_
After Tahuhu goes high, Joseph nearly performs the drop of the tournament at extra cover, but rescues herself with a one-handed catch off the rebound – and holds on as she lands on the hard Sharjah ground with a thump.
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19th over: New Zealand 122-7 ( Gaze 14, Tahuhu 6) Matthews throws her arms about in frustration as New Zealand take an overthrow off a fumble from Dottin at the bowler’s end. Nice work by these two, who pick nine from the penultimate over, after nine from the 18th as well.
18th over: New Zealand 113-7 ( Gaze 9, Tahuhu 2) Excellent farming by Gaze who picks up a boundary shifting one past fine leg – nine from the over.
17th over: New Zealand 104-7 ( Gaze 2, Tahuhu 0) Can New Zealand squeeze up to 120? Dottin (4-13) still has an over left.
WICKET Mair lbw Dottin 2 (New Zealand 104-7)
Dottin fancies it… the umpire says no… they go upstairs. When it’s your day, it’s your day: the review shows Mair done by a slower ball.
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WICKET! Green c Campbelle b Dottin 3 (New Zealand 102-6)
Oh dear, springs now joining wheels as the whole jalopy hits the rocks. A third wicket for Dottin and a neat catch behind the stumps.
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16th over: New Zealand 102-5 (Green 3, Gaze 2) This is slipping away from New Zealand now – no Devine to guide them home.
WICKET! Devine c Ramharack b Fletcher 12 (New Zealand 98-5)
At this stage of the innings Devine can’t resist a fat wide one that says hit me – but gets no reward as the ball loops to short third.
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15th over: New Zealand 98-4 (Devine 12,Green 1) A catalogue of incident and injury at Sharjah today as Halliday gets biffed on the boot by a throw as she sprints to complete a second run. They pause, and as for Kerr before her, the break appears to have added to her downfall – fabulous ball as it was from Dottin.
WICKET! Halliday b Dottin 18 (New Zealand 96-4)
A peach-perfect yorker from Dottin slips under Halliday’s stump and tips it hat at off stump.
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14th over: New Zealand 93-3 (Devine 10, Halliday 16) Now New Zealand are starting to motor: 12 off the 12th over is followed by 12 off the 13th…and the first extra of the innings comes with a no-ball. Devines helps herself to her first boundary courtesy of a half volley from Alleyne.
Hello Ruth Purdue!
“Is Bosch counted as nominative determinism? I saw she was being celebrated after yesterday’s performance in a package in this game.”
Very good! I’m trying to think of some other ones, but my Friday brain is not playing ball. Does the hive mind have any more up their sleeve?
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13th over: New Zealand 81-3 (Devine 4, Halliday 7) Inky black skies, big full moon. Halliday makes her mark immediately with two fours from Fletcher’s over, one over midwicket, one to deep square leg where Taylor, dispatched to the rope despite her knee injury, makes a absolute dogs breakfast/dinner of stopping the ball.
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WICKET! Plimmer c Campbelle b Fletcher 33 (New Zealand 69-3)
And even more so now! Plimmer, who had just started to find her mojo, is stumped by the width of the M25 as she goes on the charge and misses. Matthews jigs for joy.
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12th over: New Zealand 69-2 (Plimmer 33, Devine 3) West Indies have the upper hand here.
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WICKET! Kerr c Ramharack b Dottin 7 (New Zealand 65-2)
Kerr can’t make the most of her lifeline the previous ball and slots the next straight to mid off where Ramharack does the business.
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Injury for Henry
11.1 overs: New Zealand 65-1 (Plimmer 32, Kerr 7 ) Oooof – Henry is in some trouble on the ground after misjudging a catch in the deep. I think she lost sight of the ball in the lights and it smacks her on the full on the forehead. She manages to walk off with some help but I suspect that might be it for her for the game. She gets a round of applause as she limps away.
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11th over: New Zealand 63-1 (Plimmer 32, Kerr 5 ) Campbell is persuaded by Ranharack that the lbw shout that the umpire turned down against Kerr was actually very out. They review -and to no-one’s great surprise, it was pitching outside the line. Then SIX! As Plimmer gets one down the ground at last, and it flies over the head of a leaping Henry. Had Henry stayed put, heels a breath from the rope, the ball would have dropped nicely into her hands.
10th over: New Zealand 54-1 (Plimmer 25, Kerr 3 ) Alleyne’s beguiling first over leaks just four runs. Drinks and a light show to help New Zealand on their way – you’d think they’d need to get a hurry on in the second half of the innings.
9th over: New Zealand 50-1 (Plimmer 23, Kerr 1 ) Just four boundaries in the first nine overs for New Zealand, scoreboard and pressure could start to bring its own problems in the second half of the game. But Amelia Kerr …
WICKET! Bates b Ramharack 22 (New Zealand 48-1)
A reverse sweep proves Bates’ downfall – she throws her bat in the air in disappointment after watching the ball ricochet slowly into the stumps.
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8th over: New Zealand 48-0 (Bates 26; Plimmer 22) Seven from Fletcher’s first over – New Zealand successfully farming for runs.
7th over: New Zealand 41-0 (Bates 19; Plimmer 22) Nine from the over when a boundary from the final ball, a swipe by Plimmer which is misjudged by James near the rope, is added to a clutch of twos. Tash Farrant says how well West Indies are bowling to Plimmer, preventing her from accessing her favourite spot – straight down the ground.
6th over: New Zealand 32-0 (Bates 19; Plimmer 13) The end of the power play – with the spoils shared. Plimmer, who has struggled a little for touch, shimmies down to Taylor and sends her over midwicket for four.
5th over: New Zealand 23-0 (Bates 15; Plimmer 8) BAtes is now visibly frustrated: steps across her stumps and flays at the first ball, shovels at the second, swings and misses at the third. Makes mores significant contact with the fourth – up – but still only picks up two. Plimmer gets one delivery, and is beaten by a cracker from Henry.
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4th over: New Zealand 16-0 (Bates 8 ; Plimmer 8) A full toss from James plinked over square leg for four by Bates, as the sun sets in fiery fashion over Sharjah.
3rd over: New Zealand 10-0 (Bates ; Plimmer 7) New Zealand are lucky that Staphanie Taylor is fielding at mid-0ff, perhaps someone less constricted by injury would have thrown the stumps down at the bowler’s end, as Bates and Plimmer gamble on an unwise single.
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2nd over: New Zealand 7-0 (Bates 2; Plimmer 5) James takes the new ball the other end, keeping New Zealand caged with her loopy slow left arm.
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1st over: New Zealand 5-0 (Bates 1; Plimmer 4). Chinelle Henry with the first over, tall and strong. New Zealand have only lost one wicket in the power play all tournament – and so it continues in the first over, with one boundary, an off driven four by Plimmer.
West Indies huddle, high five, and take the field. Plimmer and Bates swing their bats and march out after them.
Anthem time: New Zealand, arms round each other, are relatively restrained with their singing. West Indies, arms also wrapped around each other, are slightly more animated alongside Rally round the West Indies.
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The Manchester sun is now shining so brightly through my window that I’m going to have to draw the curtains.
This game is a repeat of the 2016 semi-final, when West Indies squeezed past New Zealand by six runs, and went on to win the trophy. Sophie Devine has unfinished business to attend to, in what may well be her last/second last New Zealand game as captain.
Just something else to throw into this extraordinary cricket week: today in Bangalore, Tim Southee (65) was the first No. 9 to outscore the opposition (46) in the first innings of any Test ….
West Indies XI
Stafanie Taylor returns, replacing Nation.
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 XI
New Zealand are unchanged.
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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They will be playing, Lydia Greenway tells us , on pitch five – which was used in the first game of the tournament. Anjum Chopra takes a closer look – and reports that it is a nice green colour and has been well rested.
New Zealand win the toss and will bat!
Sophie Devine has plumped to bat first because she wants the runs in the bag – not too surprising as four out of six night games at Sharjah have been won by the side batting first.
This was Megan Maurice’s excellent considered take on Australia’s defeat – don’t get cock-a-hoop world, from the ashes of defeat will come an even scarier phoenix ….
Preamble
Hello! In a cricketing week that has defied convention, six-times winners Australia being knocked out of the T20 World Cup is the biggest forearm pincher of them all. But shove that mental confusion behind the sofa cushion for now while we sit back to watch the battle to join surprise finalists South Africa in Dubai on Sunday (3pm BST).
West Indies, who earned their slot by knocking out England earlier this week, and New Zealand, on a roll, are our teams. The last five matches between the two sides – all in 2022 – resulted in three wins for New Zealand, a tie and a solitary West Indies victory. New Zealand’s main task will be to somehow contain Deandra Dottin, while Georgia Plimmer is New Zealand’s top scorer.
Should New Zealand win, we are guaranteed a new T20 World Cup Champion on Sunday. Play starts at 3pm BST, toss at 2.3o.
