On 18 October 2024, the women of West Indies collided with New Zealand women to take a seat at the semifinals of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Sharjah. Follow is the minute-by-minute analysis of a match full of thril West Indies’ Chase Begins
First Over: West Indies started their chase with openers Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph. Matthews got off the mark with a single on the first ball of the innings, bowled by Rosemary Mair. A boundary by Joseph in the very first over helped West Indies reach 4/0 after one over.
Over: Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer started New Zealand’s spell of bowling. Plimmer was very tight, with singles only and no big boundaries, and made sure the Windies got off to a slow start.
New Zealand’s Slow-Bowling Showpiece
3rd to 5th Over: The New Zealand bowlers now took the game in their hands. Chinelle Henry bowled a neat third over, ensuring that the run flow was at minimal. In the second over, Zaida James was introduced, and how she proved to be very vital for the West Indies camp as she swung both ways, putting the West Indian batters under pressure while trying to score freely.
6th Over: Windies managed to finish the PowerPlay with a mere 23 runs on board. At this point, the New Zealand bowlers were pretty evident in not letting the boundary count go very high and mounting the pressure on the Windies batters.
New Zealand Stuns Early with Key Wickets
First Blow for WI: Carson’s brilliance with the ball came to the fore when she grabbed her first wicket in the form of Joseph. Here, the bowler came down the wicket and served a full-toss which Joseph dispatched for two boundaries in an over. Anybody’s game as the bowler would have last seen this coming when Carson had him for company out in the same over.
Campbelle Falls: West Indies lost another crucial wicket when Shemaine Campbelle was caught by Bates off Carson’s bowling. It was another further dent in the chances of WI, as they stumbled to 20/2 in 4 overs.
Matthews Fights, but NZ Dominates
Matthews’ Lone Resistance:Skipper Hayley Matthews, who is one of the best all-rounders, tried her best to anchor the innings for West Indies. She could hit just that crucial boundary off Amelia Kerr in the 10th over but that still wasn’t enough for easing pressure as runs remained a want and the requirement run rate increased hugely.
The biggest turning point occurred over an over when Matthews tried to loft a delivery from Tahuhu but was caught by Kerr at deep midwicket. Her dismissal for a modest score left the West Indies struggling at 52/4.
Collapsing West Indies
Pressure mounts: While the West Indies batting-lineup stuttered in an effort to mount a chase that was looking increasingly unlikely, pressure began to mount as required run rate crept towards 10 per over. Once at No. 6, Alleyne could manage only 4 off 11 balls and was dismissed.
In fact, while the bowling was tight enough at times, the fielding was not spotless. Mair missed the simplest of chances, off Dottin in the deep, and Carson spilled one later that might have clinched the Windies’ innings much sooner.
Clinical Bowling by New Zealand
Amelia Kerr’s Magic: Amelia Kerr was the pick of New Zealand, featuring in the middle overs to snuff out important wickets and keeping the run rate check. And she did well to get rid of Alleyne with a magnificent delivery and so invited her teammates’ celebration as they clutched their way to victory.
Tahuhu’s Story: New Zealand’s experienced pacer Lea Tahuhu and her team made the West Indies shiver with her bowling when she dismissed the dangerous Matthews to dent West Indies’ chances. Her disciplined bowling and delivering plans on the field made her a great standout.
Key Fielding Moments
Magnificent Catch by Green: Green made the best use of her fielding to grab one more crucial wicket. Taking a splendid catch in the deep helped New Zealand gain an upper hand and continue dominating the proceedings.
Missed Opportunities: Though the Kiwis fielded sharply at times, there were a couple of missed opportunities-especially in the deeper areas-but the bowlers made sure that did not cost them.
West Indies Struggle Continues
Lack of Boundaries: West Indies had an issue of not scoring sufficient boundaries at appropriate intervals. They were left to face 19 balls without scoring a boundary by the 13th over which completely pressurized them as the asking rate reached crippling speeds.
Wickets Falling in Quick Succession: West Indies’ most big hitter, Dottin, did not play well against New Zealand’s tight bowling. Her falling in the 16th over virtually sealed the match for New Zealand.
Conclusion: New Zealand is in control.
Final Overs: At the end of the 15th over, West Indies were batting at 64/5 and had lost five wickets. With the required run rate now nearing ten, they required a miracle to keep alive in the game.
Match Report: West Indies were at 61/4 after 14 overs, and the West Indies’ captain and the most Experienced player of that team was back in the pavilion. New Zealand bowling and fielding was kept steady as it was pretty clear that West Indies are in deep trouble.
Peering Ahead
This semifinal is one of the most exciting so far in this tournament, and it will tell a big story about New Zealand’s bowling unit being in top gear. From the disciplined pace attack of Mair and Tahuhu to the magical spells of Carson and Kerr, Kiwi bowlers controlled the game from very early on. While West Indies was having a tough time getting any momentum going in their chase, New Zealand was on course for a cruise into the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Both teams played out their hearts, but the clinical performance of New Zealand made the difference. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the final showdown when New Zealand can claim the coveted trophy.