Dubai: The West Indians are born to play Twenty20, be it the men’s or the women’s teams. The 2016 champions made a mockery of the England bowling, racing to a six-wicket win to secure a place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
After a blazing start, aided by poor catching from England, the West Indies surged to 102 for no loss, chasing a challenging target of 142 on a pitch that offered good assistance to the bowlers.
However, when Qiana Joseph and skipper Hayley Matthews batted, it seemed like they were playing on a different pitch, each scoring half-centuries. But when both departed within six deliveries, England saw a glimmer of hope. Yet, it wasn’t to be, as the West Indies cruised home with two overs to spare.
Joseph’s aggression sets the tone
“Matthews told me to just back myself and go through with the line of the ball. I was real aggressive at the start and that followed me through my innings,” Joseph told the broadcasters after receiving the Player of the Match award. “It was a bit challenging at first, but I backed myself and played through the line.”
It was a contest between two former champions — a make-or-break situation for the West Indies. A loss would have ended the 2016 champions’ run in this World Cup, but instead, they shattered England’s dream, leaving the Three Lions disappointed after a near-perfect run in the tournament.
Key breakthroughs
Another twin strike added more drama towards the end, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome of this fairytale victory. The first win for the West Indies against England in 14 games could not have come at a better time. The last time the West Indies defeated England in a Twenty20 match was in St. Lucia in 2018.
Despite missing top batter Stafanie Taylor, the West Indians produced an outstanding opening partnership, with Joseph scoring her maiden half-century. This is the third time West Indies have successfully chased a target in this World Cup.
“I don’t think many people had us as semi-finalists. Up against the odds tonight, but to put up a performance like that with the bat — Joseph scoring her first T20I fifty — what a time to do that. For the first six or so overs of our innings, it did slide on a bit better. We have been chasing (before in this tournament) and we back ourselves to knock off whatever runs are put on the board,” said Matthews, who will be playing her 100th Twenty20 International in the semi-finals against New Zealand on Friday.
“We have not won the World Cup yet. It will be a big game against New Zealand, and we are up for the challenge. Everyone knows their roles, what they want to do, and on the day, we want to execute. I feel we are peaking at the right time, and, hopefully, we can see something even better in the semi-final,” she added.
England didn’t get the start they wanted and were 61 for three at the halfway mark. An untimely injury to England skipper Heather Knight further hampered their momentum in the final stages. Nat Sciver-Brunt, however, battled through, scoring an unbeaten 57 to give England’s bowlers a fighting chance.
While Sciver-Brunt was fortunate to survive a leg-before decision — replays showed that the ball would have hit the stumps — West Indies had only themselves to blame for exhausting both their reviews. Sciver-Brunt eventually bore the brunt while bowling, watching Joseph dropped three times off her deliveries before finally breaking through in the 13th over.
By then, the West Indian openers had already inflicted significant damage, leaving England with a tough task midway through their innings. Talented England batter Maia Bouchier dropped Joseph thrice, including one difficult chance, while Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey also let opportunities slip away. These costly mistakes contributed to England’s downfall.
“It’s really frustrating and bad timing for me and tough to watch. Credit to them, they came at us hard, played the conditions well, and put us under the pump,” Knight said. “I don’t think we were far off. There was a bit of turn in the surface, and it was tough at times. We bowled too short and they played it well. That partnership was top-quality. In a tournament like this, you slip up once and it can be costly.”
Brief scores:
West Indies beat England by 6 wickets. England 141/7 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 57 not out, Heather Knight 21 rtd hurt; Afy Fletcher 3/21, Hayley Matthews 2/35). West Indies 144/4 in 18 overs (Hayley Matthews 50, Qiana Joseph 52, Deandra Dottin 27).
