England romped into the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup with a 38-run win over West Indies as Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s innings of 65 from 42 balls preceded a fine team bowling display at a sweltering Lord’s.
England’s fourth victory from four, which ended West Indies’ own 100 per cent record, was underpinned by Wyatt-Hodge’s 22nd T20I fifty and her second knock of note in this tournament after her sublime century against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on opening night.
Wyatt-Hodge’s stands of 66 from 50 balls with Alice Capsey (28 off 23) and 40 off 24 with Heather Knight (43 off 26) helped England post 186-7 after losing the toss and being put in to bat by a West Indies side playing their first game at Lord’s.
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Take a look at some of the best bits from Wyatt-Hodge’s knock of 65 from 42 balls against West Indies
West Indies’ failed chase featured an eventful powerplay with captain Hayley Matthews (14) furious when she was given out caught behind off Linsey Smith – there was a spike on UltraEdge but a gap between bat and ball – and Deandra Dottin (19 off 11) going four, four, six off Charlie Dean (3-31) before holing out three balls later.
England then squeezed the run-rate – Sophie Ecclestone taking 1-22 and Lauren Bell 1-20 – although some late-innings dropped catches helped Chinelle Henry (51no off 30) and Jahzara Claxton (21 off 34) put on 63 from 53 balls for the fifth wicket as West Indies carded 148-5 having been reduced to 69-4 in 10.1 overs.
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West Indies captain Hayley Matthews was left fuming after being given out caught behind in the run chase
The hosts will guarantee top spot in Group 2, and likely swerve six-time champions Australia in the semi-finals, if they win their final pool game against New Zealand on Saturday, across London at The Kia Oval (6.30pm first ball).
However, that position could already be rubberstamped before then if West Indies slip up against Ireland in Bristol earlier that afternoon – a win for the Caribbean outfit in that game would secure their own progression to the last four.
West Indies punished for poor fielding as England march on
West Indies will want to improve their fielding against Ireland as blunders in that aspect versus England cost them dear, with Knight a chief beneficiary and Matthews one of the principal culprits.
Knight, who played pleasing drives and sweeps before being run out in the penultimate over, could have been run out by Matthews early in her innings, while she was inexplicably dropped by the Bajan at cover when on 14.
Dottin was also unable to cling on a to a leaping half-chance at point when Wyatt-Hodge, in the teens at the time, carved away one of her eight boundaries.
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Matthews was involved in both a failed run out and a dropped catch as England posted 186-7 after losing the toss
That opportunity came in the final over of a powerplay England ended on 57-2, having lost Amy Jones (8) in the first over – caught on the drive immediately after back-to-back pulled boundaries – and then Sophia Dunkley (14) lbw on the sweep.
Dunkley remained in the XI with regular captain Nat Sciver-Brunt still nursing a calf injury that she sustained in the four-wicket win over Ireland last Tuesday and also ruled her out of Saturday’s victory over Scotland.
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Amy Jones went four, four and out in the first over of the match
England dominate – but sloppy towards the end
England fielded sharply to start with, exorcising some of the demons from their defeat to to the same opponents in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the UAE that led to them being dumped out in the group stage after a host of shelled catches.
Dani Gibson saved a boundary with some athletic work in the deep the first over of the run chase, bowled by Lauren Bell while Capsey’s catch at long-on to get rid of the dynamic Dottin was slick.
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Deandra Dottin’s boundary burst was cut off by this sharp catch from Alice Capsey at long-on
However, a clutch of late blemishes put a littler dampener on things, with Smith and Jones grassing chances in the 14th over, Claxton profiting on both occasions, before Gibson shelled Henry in the 17th.
Smith then downed a sharp caught-and-bowled in a final over which featured two booming Henry sixes.
Those blunders did not cost England, though, and with a semi-final spot now sewn up, they may opt not to risk Sciver-Brunt against New Zealand this weekend.
Sciver-Brunt’s wife, Katherine, said on Tuesday that she was “99 per cent” sure Nat would play in the semi-finals if England got that far.
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