Australia is in their third Women’s World Cup final and will look to go one up against England, which they have not beaten in a World Cup fixture.
Australia has beaten West Indies by 8 wickets.
Alyssa Healy scored a brilliant 129, adding 216 with opening partner Rachel Haynes, who scored 85. Faced with what could have been International Women’s Day’s most successful chase, the West Indies were instantly hit. Fire Rashada Williams. From there, the Windies showed no intent, crawling up to 148, albeit with two missing due to injuries.
Australia will face England or South Africa in the final in Christchurch on Sunday. The reigning England champions will take on the Proteas in their second semi-final at the Hagley Oval at 02:00 BST. Australia gave way to India at this stage five years ago, but it has dominated the women’s game ever since. It created another shock, especially when West Indies won the draw and asked Australia to bat in potentially dangerous conditions. Instead, Australia’s stunning performance warned any team they faced in the final.
They were helped by a sloppy play by the West Indies, who lost a new ball and four tricks. Anisa Mohammed collapsed with a hamstring injury while chasing the ball down the rim and only threw two overs. The competition was effectively over when Australia scored its highest-ever knockout match at the Women’s World Cup. They shed light on the absence of Ellis Perry, the all-around star who was out due to a back injury. When they play like that, Australia doesn’t need it.
Individual brilliance propels Australia.
The Healy-Haynes partnership was the fifth largest of any couple at the Women’s World Cup. As Haynes slid through the blankets and came out of his thighs, Healy’s attack was impressive, with reverse sweeps and ballet footwork. She scored 62 of her last 33 runs before being sent off. Healy survived a tight chance caught and thrown into Henry’s Overcoat with five, while Haynes was knocked down with 58 and 61 by an off-spin by Karisma Ramharaka.
The second catch, for Hayley Matthews in the middle, was straightforward. When the West Indies kept their catch, the damage was done. A continuous 69 stand between Mooney and captain Meg Lanning added more than 300 to Australia’s points. The second half didn’t go well, except for Mooney’s effort, which arguably produced the tournament’s best result. Spinning on a short square leg, Mooney lunged to the right to grab Williams’ Megan Schutt, holding on to one arm as the ball almost went past her.
The West Indies approach was curious, and their failure to entertain the chase killed the show. Ultimately, with Mohammed and Henry failing to win, Australia recorded the most significant points lead in this year’s competition and in all World Cup knockout matches.
‘The job isn’t done yet.’
Australia captain Meg Lanning: “Before, I had to participate in very intense semi-finals! And we expected a tough match.
“Our first attempts set us up today. The West Indies played very well forward, putting pressure on us, but we had a good plan to deal with this pressure and build a platform around it.” We felt that the first hour was critical. Because we know how this field plays in the beginning. They played with great discipline, expected a bad ball, and prepared us very well.
“Today was close to a perfect match; we can certainly be very pleased to play in such an important match. We will enjoy the victory, you have to do it from the semi-finals, but we came here to win, so the work is not done yet.” West Indies captain Stephanie Taylor: “I think if you look at it, a partnership like that can put the whole team out of action. That’s what Australia does, they took all of our pressure, and we couldn’t handle it.” “.
