Australia captain Sophie Molineux praised the "clinical" performances of batters Beth Mooney and Ash Gardner after her side cruised to an eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the women's T20 World Cup semi-final at the Oval. The win secured Australia's place in the final, where they will face either England or South Africa on Sunday.
Molineux Dismisses Perry Injury Concerns
Molineux also downplayed fears over star allrounder Ellyse Perry, who left the field with quad tightness while batting. Perry is expected to be fit for the final at Lord's. "Just some quad awareness but it sounds like she'll be more than OK to go on Sunday," Molineux said.
Dominant Batting Display
Mooney hit an unbeaten 61, and Gardner made 35 not out, as Australia chased down West Indies' total of 7-125 in just 13 overs. Mooney brought up her fifty in 29 balls, her third fastest half-century in international T20s. Gardner, named player of the match, earlier took two wickets in an over to help dismantle the West Indies batting lineup.
Bowling Effort Restricts West Indies
Georgia Wareham (2-17) and Molineux (2-30) also contributed to restricting West Indies to 7-125 after they were put in to bat. Molineux said: "We've stopped ourselves thinking too far ahead, but now we can think about the final which is pretty cool. I thought we bowled really well. We held our nerve and then we wanted to get it done as quickly as possible, and Moons and Ash were clinical."
Dottin's Scare and Fightback
West Indies suffered a scare before the match even began when star allrounder Deandra Dottin was carried from the boundary edge between the anthems and the first ball. She left the medical room in a wheelchair but recovered to contribute late in the innings, scoring 26 off 16 balls to give West Indies faint hope. Captain Hayley Matthews said: "It was a bit scary. She's a massive fighter and someone you never see go down. To see her almost passing out like that after the anthem was a bit scary. A bit of a medical emergency, but it shows how much of a fighter she is that she came back out and threw a few punches at the Aussies."
West Indies Innings Falters
West Indies made slow progress after being put in to bat, surviving until the ninth over before Wareham broke through, taking the prized wicket of Matthews for 30. Stefanie Taylor departed for a duck after a tame leading edge went straight to Kim Garth. Gardner then took her second wicket in the same over, dismissing Jahzara Claxton for a duck. Dottin's late fireworks were not enough to lift West Indies to a competitive total.
Australia's Clinical Chase
Despite losing Georgia Voll (16), bowled by Chinelle Henry, and Phoebe Litchfield (4), trapped lbw by Matthews, Australia's chase was never in doubt. Perry retired hurt at the end of the eighth over, but Gardner replaced her and immediately drove Aaliyah Alleyne through the covers. Mooney and Gardner then completed the job with ease, ensuring Australia's place in the final.
