West Indies Women vs Australia Women 1st Semi-Final Full Commentary

We are back for Australia's reply with the bat. Dottin made batting look simple out there, but West Indies will know deep down that they have left themselves short of a fighting total. Hayley Matthews leads her troops out to the middle as the players of West Indies take their fielding spots. Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll are the two Aussie openers making their way to the crease. Chinelle Henry will bowl the first over of the chase. Voll to take the strike. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Easy chase? With the innings in danger of completely folding, the powerhouse Deandra Dottin stepped up. Teaming up with Jannillea Glasgow, the duo injected some much-needed urgency into the death overs. They stitched together a vital 42-run partnership, taking the attack back to the Aussies. Dottin finished unbeaten on a fighting 26, and though Glasgow fell on the very last ball of the innings for 15, they dragged the final score up to 125. It gives the Windies bowlers something to defend, but the Aussies will fancy getting the job done without much fuss. If West Indies are to defend this, they will have need to execute a mighty, collective bowling effort, and the Powerplay is where the game will perhaps be decided. Back in a bit with the chase.

Coach's word - The head coach of West Indies Women, Shane Deitz, is up for a chat. He says that they started slow but ended well. They have got a half-decent score, and they will try to defend it. Adds that Dottin had some medical issues, but she is fine now. He reckons that she was excellent, and he says that the wicket is not an 180 wicket. Mentions that his side has some quality spinners, and he ends by saying that they will try to put pressure on the middle order and try to sneak a win.

No pace, no escape - West Indies searched constantly for something to build on, but Australia never let them settle, with not a single batter putting together an innings of real substance. The bowlers read the surface superbly, seamers and spinners alike, and the bigger trick was taking pace off the ball, forcing the Windies batters to manufacture their own power rather than feeding off any from the bowlers. Just when the West Indies needed a steady partnership, Ashleigh Gardner turned the game completely on its head, finishing with the best figures of the lot, reading 2/13 in 4 overs.

Completely choked - Cloud cover and a tinge of green gave the seamers everything they wanted with the new ball, and the Windies openers found themselves boxed in early against swing and bounce. Matthews looked the more assured of the two, surviving a tough chance en route, while Joseph also rode her luck, put down on 6, and never quite found her rhythm through the Powerplay, beaten for timing more than once before the pressure eventually told on Matthews too. Once she fell, it triggered a collapse for West Indies, who kept shedding wickets in a heap, sliding from 47/0 to 83/6.

The Aussies boss it up - A bit of a flourish in the end for West Indies, thanks to Dottin and Glasgow, but still, 125 is well below par on a good batting track. But take away that late rescue act of 41 runs in the last 4 overs, and West Indies might not have even reached three figures. Australia were disciplined with the ball and just kept picking up wickets at regular intervals, and they might surely be confident of having one step into the grand finale.

31 runs from the last 3 overs for West Indies with two back-to-back overs in double digits. Can they finish off strongly here? Say, 130-135-ish? Let's find out. Annabel Sutherland (2-0-17-0) will bowl the final over.

West Indies have got a bit of a momentum in the last 2 overs, adding 20 runs. Can they get past 120? That still won't be enough, but will be something to fight for. Sophie Molineux (3-0-19-2) will bowl the penultimate.

Ashleigh Gardner ends her spell with figures of (4-0-13-2). Kim Garth returns.

That's a wrap - Australia go six from six and now stand just one step away from reclaiming the Women's T20 World Cup crown. This was a rather lopsided semifinal, but here's hoping the second semifinal between England and South Africa serves up a much closer contest. That clash will take place on Thursday, July 2, here at the Oval, with the first ball scheduled for 5.30 pm GMT. Until then, it's goodbye from us.

The skipper of Australia Women - Sophie Molineux says the biggest lesson over the last couple of weeks has been learning to ride the momentum swings that come with a T20 World Cup. She admits she has enjoyed the experience thoroughly, and so has the group, calling that the standout takeaway from the campaign. She adds the team made a conscious effort not to get ahead of themselves, and now they can finally turn their attention to the final, which she says is a pretty special feeling. Sophie Molineux says she actually had no idea about Dottin's situation before play, revealing she didn't find out until five or six overs into the innings, since Dottin wasn't even expected to bat at that stage. She notes that once Dottin did come out, she made a real impact on the game. On the decision to stick with seamers a little longer through the Powerplay, Molineux credits Kim Garth for shaping the ball nicely both ways and bowling well in that phase, adding that Lucy also did a good job. She felt it was simply the best matchup against Matthews and Joseph, and is pleased with how well the side bowled overall. She acknowledges both batters tried to take the attack to Australia, but is happy the team held its nerve through that period. On any change of plans heading into the chase, Molineux shares that there wasn't one, with the side simply looking to get the job done as quickly as possible. She credits Beth Mooney and Gardner for being clinical with the bat, while detailing that Voll played a handy innings to get them off to a good start and ease the nerves back in the change room. On Ellyse Perry being retired hurt, Molineux puts it down to precaution, explaining it was simply quad awareness, and adds the signs are that Perry should be more than fine to take the field on Sunday. When asked about plans for the five-day break before the final, Molineux jokes that sleep is top of the list, and admits she is looking forward to a proper night's rest tonight. She says the group will take time to celebrate what has been a pretty special couple of weeks, before shifting focus to resting and recovering without overthinking what lies ahead.

The captain of West Indies Women - Hayley Matthews says that they didn't have their best game and didn't play to their full potential. She adds that if they had given their full team performance, things could have panned out differently. She reckons that Dottin going out after the national anthem was a bit scary, but she came back in and played like a warrior. Mentions that it was a difficult game and she should have played a bit better with the bat. On being asked how things went so far, she says that their team is really good and that getting to the semis is a good achievement.

Time to hear from the captains....

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Ashleigh Gardner has been given the award for her all-round display. She finished with exceptional bowling figures, reading 2/13 in 4 overs and stayed unbeaten in the chase on 35 (20). Gardner notes that carrying a bit of momentum always helps a side, and admits India were the toughest opponents Australia came up against in the tournament. She adds that it helped that the team could stay put in London with just a short trip to get to this game. She also reflects on her own tournament with the ball, noting she hadn't contributed as much as she'd have liked until now, and is glad to have saved her best for this stage. Gardner explains the wicket was actually a touch inconsistent with its bounce despite expectations of a true surface. She notes the opposition has batters who thrive on finding boundaries, so dot balls and singles were effectively wins for the bowling unit, with the focus on shutting down the key hitters rather than chasing wickets outright. Turning to her own batting, Gardner says confidence is everything for her, and it comes down to giving herself a proper chance once she has the bat in hand. She admits she has thrown her wicket away too early in the past and feels she does better when she takes time to assess the conditions early on, before looking to free her arms against the sweepers and running hard between the wickets with her partner.

A spark that came too late - After being asked to bat first, West Indies made a decent start through the opening three overs before their innings hit a roadblock. Qiana Joseph struggled to get going, and the mounting pressure eventually told on Hayley Matthews at the other end. Once Australia broke the opening stand, they chipped away at the wickets at regular intervals. It was only with the arrival of Deandra Dottin, who walked in at number 8, that the Windies innings found some spark. Why so low, you might ask? Just around the time of the national anthems, Dottin had to be carried off the field by her teammates, and there were genuine fears that she might not take any part in the game. She did return, though, and provided the late impetus that her side desperately needed, helping them finish with 125.

Business as usual - With only 125 to chase, Georgia Voll provided Australia with a brisk start but could not carry on for long. Her opening partner, Beth Mooney, then took over. As she has done throughout her career, Mooney relied on proper cricketing shots and manipulated the field beautifully to cruise along. She found an able partner in Ashleigh Gardner, who remained unbeaten as the pair saw Australia through to yet another World Cup final. The only concern for the Aussies was Ellyse Perry, who, rather curiously, walked off the field with the physio after facing just 7 balls.

Australia march into the final - The six-time champions strut their stuff to reach an eighth Women's T20 World Cup final. A date with destiny at Lord's now awaits the Aussies, where they will face either England or South Africa in the title clash. For the West Indies, for the second tournament in a row, their campaign ends at the last-four stage. They needed to be at their very best to challenge the might of Australia, but 125 was never going to be enough against a side boasting such enviable batting depth.

Karishma Ramharack (1-0-10-0) is brought back into the attack. She replaces Afy Fletcher.

Hayley Matthews (2-0-15-1) is back.