We now know the make-up of the semi-finals, four super teams, loads of potential for greatness. Not England’s smartest performance, but they needed a good run-out. Shrubsole excellent again. And that’s it from me - thanks for reading and tweeting in. Sweet dreams!
Heather Knight: “A great game of cricket, a great atmosphere. We got up to a total that got us in the game but we lost a few too many early wickets. It was quite tricky out there...
Re the fielding: I think it was very hard under the lights, we need a little bit more composure to get over the line.”
Re the semi-final:“I didn’t really mind who we played, but we’ve got a really good record against India and we know we can handle the big occasion.”
And the final word to victorious Windies captain Stefanie Taylor. Nasser asks her if she ever as a young girl imagined full stadiums watching women’s cricket. She smiles a huge smile:“No, never. I think the crowd is just fantastic, electric, it gets the girls moving, a big thank you for coming out and supporting women’s cricket.”
The final positions in the table could yet have more of a baring - if there is a wash-out, the top two in the groups will go through to the final.
What a game that was - thrill, spills and ok, elbow-ache. Some super stroke play from Dottin and Campbelle, Dunkley, Beaumont and Shrubsole. And England were as sloppy in the field as West Indies were sparkling. Crowd pressure?
The Player of the match is Deandra Dottin. West Indies go through to the semi-finals as the winners of the group and will play Australia. England will play India.
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WEST INDIES WIN BY FOUR WICKETS
19.3 overs: West Indies 117-6 ( Knight 4, Henry 0 ) A sliced four by Knight brings West Indies victory with three balls to spare.
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WICKET! Campbelle c Wyatt b Shrubsole 45
A leg-side slog brilliantly caught! What now?!
19th over: West Indies 111-5 (Campbelle 45, Knight 0 ) Sciver’s back. Cooper heaves four past fine-leg. Campbelle gets hit by a wayward throw.
Next ball, Campbelle hits the ball high, high, high in the air, the ball swirls out of the inky blackness, Dunkley misjudges at mid-off, and the ball falls behind her. The West Indies bench roar with laughter. OH MY -then the run-out that comes from the drop. What an over!
West Indies need 5 from 6 balls.
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WICKET! Cooper run-out (Winfield) 7
A dropped catch by Jones is made good by the quick-thinking Winfield, who gathers, picks-up and wellies the throw at the stumps.
18th over: West Indies 102-4 (Campbelle 43, Cooper 1) A sweep by Campbelle for four off the first ball, then off the the last, calamity for England. Fran Wilson, on as a substitute, drops Campbell through her hands at long on, and to make things worse it bobbles over the boundary for four.
West Indies need 14 from 12 balls.
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17th over: West Indies 90-4 (Campbelle 29, Cooper 0) Knight puts her trust in Ecclestone with three overs to go. A couple of dots mid-over do their job and McLean is gone, bowled between bat and pad.
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WICKET! McLean b Ecclestone 8
Bounce and turn from Ecclestone does for McLean
16th over: West Indies 85-3 (Campbelle 29, McLean 6) McLean pulls a leg-side from Hazell down to the boundary for four. Six from the over. Tension mounting.
West Indies 33 needed from 23 balls. And they’ve got the huge crowd behind them.
15th over: West Indies 79-3 (Campbelle 21, McLean 0) Gordon for Ecclestone works beautifully as a switch. The danger woman gone with the run-rate not yet easy. Then the diminutive Campbelle spoils Gordon’s figures with a huge six straight over her head. So direct as to be almost rude.
West Indies need 37 from 30
WICKET! Dottin c Wyatt b Gordon 46
The key wicket! A top-edged sweep (of course) caught by Danni Wyatt diving forward at deep square leg.
14th over: West Indies 70-2 (Campbelle 21, Dottin 46) Sciver’s back. Three dot balls give England some breathing space. Dottin drives, but just gets the single. Jones screams for a stumping of Campbelle off the last ball of the over- the umpires go upstairs and ....she’s safe. That was the over England needed. What will Knight do now?
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13th over: West Indies 70-2 (Campbelle 21, Dottin 45)Now it is Campbelle’s turn to swivel and deliver, sweeping a wide-one behind leg-side for four. Eight from Ecclestone’s over - slightly more wayward than the last
46 from 42 needed.
12th over: West Indies 62-2 (Campbelle 15, Dottin 43) Dottin plays the same shot, with the same result. SIX! A swivelled slog sweep over midwicket, perhaps inches more forward of square than before. And that’s the fifty partnership between these two and 12 off Hazell’s over.
11th over: West Indies 50-2 (Campbelle 10, Dottin 34) Kirstie Gordon finding some whip and turn, Dottin can’t attack and no boundaries from the over. West Indies need 66 off 54 balls.
More on the white cherry:
@tjaldred re OBO -
— NEBluesman (@TAFKABB) November 18, 2018
how about ‘takes the Uncherry’ or ‘takes the Cherryn’t’
Obviously gonna have to work long and hard getting it accepted but persistance is a virtue 🏏
10th over: West Indies 48-2 (Campbelle 10, Dottin 34) Ecclestone nearly has Dottin bowled, as she has a ungainly heave and the ball goes through both her and Jones’ legs. Dottin seems unbothered, and takes revenge with six off the last ball, another twisting, lofted sweep.
Hussain saying that England look mores sluggish in the field than West Indies.
9th over: West Indies 40-2 (Campbelle 8, Dottin 25) Campbelle sweeps Gordon, but the shot doesn’t make the boundary and in fact Dunkley has the chance of a run-out but doesn’t quite get the ball back in time. West Indies need just under seven an over. It’s Dottin or bust, I fancy.
8th over: West Indies 37-2 (Campbelle 8, Dottin 25) Deandra Dottin, with one knee, shovel-sweeps a ball outside off stump way over the mid-wicket boundary for six. A great shot. But Hazell breathes, and beats her with her next ball.
7th over: West Indies 28-2 (Campbelle 8, Dottin 16) Kirstie Gordon’s first five balls are dots as Dottin watches and waits. Then a cut into the covers brings a single.
6th over: West Indies 27-2 (Campbelle 8, Dottin 15) A neat bit of fielding by Nat Sciver and the ball chases Dottin home - the umpires review but she’s in. Shrubsole keeping it tight again and just four off the last over of the power-play.
5th over: West Indies 23-2 (Campbelle 6, Dottin 13) Sophie Ecclestone takes the cherry. Or maybe not the cherry as it is white. The white-currant? The lychee? Anyway, Campbelle crouches low and sweeps in the air, just fingertips from Gordon at short fine leg.
4th over: West Indies 16-2 (Campbelle 1, Dottin 12) Jones is convinced that she has stumped Campbelle but the third umpire has a long look and decides that Campelle’s toe is just down in time. A super maiden from Shrubsole.
3rd over: West Indies 16-2 (Campbelle 1, Dottin 12) Sciver over-pitches and Dottin strides forward and lifts her straight back over her head for six. The crowd are rapturous!!!! Then a wider one is cut through backward point for four. A better over for West Indies.
2nd over: West Indies 4-2 (Campbelle 0, Dottin 1) Shrubsole moving it in regularly - what a game she’s having! Highest score in the first innings, two wickets in her first over.
WICKET! Taylor b Shrubsole 0
Magic in her fingers! A ball that moved in and lit up the stumps
WICKET! Matthews b Shubsole 1
Matthews swings and loses her leg stump. Full with movement. That’s her fourth wicket in four balls (if you count the last match)
1st over: West Indies 1-0 (Matthews 1, Dottin 0) Sciver getting some swing straight away. Matthews wellies it across the line, and gets a thick-edge which falls just short of third man. A good start but England will be watchful, these two put on 94 in the record-breaking innings against Sri Lanka.
St Lucia looks absolutely bloody gorgeous, rum-punch - yes please. And a very full house at the Darren Sammy Stadium as England defend 115 - West Indies need 5.8 an over to win.
20th over: England 115-8 ( Hazell 2) Well that was much better than it looked for England at the half way stage. A belting partnership between Dunkley - who looks quite the find - and Shrubsole, who made her highest score in international T20s. West Indies bowled well and fielded superbly (apart from that one dropped catch by Knight.) Time for a quick brew then hold onto your seats for the second innings.
WICKET! Shrubsole c Dottin b Taylor 29
A wo0-hoo, flying , two-handed, wonderful catch at backward point
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19th over: England 109-7 (Shrubsole 24, Hazell 0) Dottin to Dunkley: Dunkley steps inside out and whips it over mid-wicket. Clever. Dottin to Dunkley: out. Then three dot balls.
WICKET! Dunkley c Henry b Dottin 35
The ball after a gorgeous four, she lifts the ball down the ground and is caught at long-off. Cracking knock.
18th over: England 103-6 (Shrubsole 23, Dunkley 31) Taylor brings herself back at the death and stems the flow a little, but can’t prevent a huge one-kneed sweep from Shrubsole which clears the boundary and brings up the fifty partnership and the hundred. England live dangerously with a near-run out and a near catch.
17th over: England 95-6 (Shrubsole 15, Dunkley 30) Shrubsole chips Matthews between mid-off and cover for a stilted-looking four - but they all count. Super running between these two and a great little recovery from 50/6.
16th over: England 87-6 (Shrubsole 11, Dunkley 27) Way to go Dunkley! An over too many for Fletcher. Her first ball is a full-toss which Dunkley lifts over long-off for six. Then a similar shot which goes for four. A handful more singles and things look much healthier.
15th over: England 73-6 (Shrubsole 11, Dunkley 13) Taylor throws the ball to 20-year old superstar Hayley Matthews to bowl to England’s 20-year old Dunkley who looks in no bother till she tries a reverse sweeps... awkward ... but survives. Mini-recovery here, breathe more easily.
14th over: England 69-6 (Shrubsole 11, Dunkley 9) Five from Fletcher’s over as the tv cameras show us a close-up of Knight’s face. Pensive. But not glum.
Lucky she didn’t see this:
Now is exactly the right time to contemplate our dooooooooooom. pic.twitter.com/lPIdSUiJDC
— Ravi Nair #PerfectPorkPie #FBPE (@palfreyman1414) November 18, 2018
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13th over: England 63-6 (Shrubsole 7, Dunkley 7) A meaty late cut by Shrubsole whizzes down to the boundary for four. Then Dunkley scuffles her feet down the pitch and drives purringly through extra cover for four more. Bludgeon and rapier.
12th over: England 53-6 (Shrubsole 2, Dunkley 2) Fletcher keeps it tight. England need one of these two to join Beaumont who at the moment is the only batsman in double figures.
11th over: England 50-6 (Shrubsole 0, Dunkley 1) Two runs, two wickets, superb fielding, and panic at the disco.
WICKET! Winfield run-out (Cooper) 0
Winfield hits through the covers, beautifully, but straight to Cooper - pick up, throw, bang - absolutely totally out!
WICKET! Knight lbw Dottin 6
It is given out but then we have a long wait as Knight appeals, somewhat desperately. She’s well forward, but the review says hitting leg stump - umpire’s call. And that’s that.
10th over: England 47-4 (Knight 6, Beaumont 23) Afy Fletcher’s leg-breaks do the trick and England have lost their best batsman ... and at half way, England are 48 for four. Not sure this was in the game plan - but as lots of people are pointing out, this will give the middle-and late-order a chance to prove what they can do....
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WICKET! Beaumont lbw Fletcher 23
Beaumont gets her pads stuck in front of one that fizzes and goes straight on.
9th over: England 45-3 (Knight 5, Beaumont 23) Taylor rings the changes and brings Deandra Dottin on. Knight and Beaumont scuttle the singles but the Windies fielders are prowling and quick to run, gather, pick-up, throw.
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8th over: England 41-3 (Knight 3, Beaumont 21) Super West Indies fielding keeping the pressure on England as their would-be-boundaries are kept to singles.
Palfreyman, I guess you’re still behind the sofa?
7th over: England 36-3 (Knight 1, Beaumont 18) Tammy Beaumont a port in a this particular England storm. West Indies bowling very wide of the crease - a real wide in this over to go with the one that took Sciver’s wicket- and Beaumont shuffling well across her stumps to deal with it. She looks in no bother, it is the other end where the problems lie.
WICKET! Sciver c Knight b Selman 5
West Indies go up straight away for a ball that is given as wide. They review and, oh dear, it is a definite edge snaffled by the keeper. A huge and ugly stretch by Sciver at a wide one from Selman. England wobbly.
6th over: England 32-2 (Sciver 5, Beaumont 16) A switch - Stafanie Taylor takes the ball. A sweep, a wobbly reverse-sweep, a nudge, a nurdle and six runs come off the final over of the power play.
5th over: England 26-2 (Sciver 1, Beaumont 13) England play out a slower over and try to regroup. Selman keeps it tight.
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4th over: England 22-2(Sciver 0, Beaumont 13) What a crazy over: a four, a drop (Beaumont by the wicket-keeper Knight) and then a wicket as Jones got her cover-driving timing dreadfully wrong.
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WICKET! Jones c Taylor b Connell 8
Jones whips the ball high into the air, safely caught by Taylor
3rd over: England 15-1 (Jones 7, Beaumont 7) First, Jones lifts the ball high over mid-on - bang- one bounce and it is over the boundary boards. The next she misses being bowled by a fraction as she edges the ball onto her own stumps but the bails fail to fall. By such inches.... kingdoms fall.
2nd over: England 9-1 (Jones 2, Beaumont 6) Ooooh, take that! Beaumont pulls vigorously, rocking backwards onto her heels, as she whips Shamilia Connell through square leg to the boundary. Jones off the mark with a more circumspect cut through cover-point.
1st over: England 2-1 (Jones 0, Beaumont 1) A super start for West Indies. Selman, an experienced right-arm pace bowler, put it on the spot and Wyatt couldn’t capitalise on her cameo against South Africa.
WICKET! Wyatt c Henry b Selman 1
Wyatt flat-bats it down the ground, and Henry takes a leaping catch
Palfreyman is perplexed. He’s just about to settle down behind the sofa :
@tjaldred OK, I'm a scaredy- cat England supporter (is there any other kind?) but I'd almost be happier if we faced India in the semis. Which would require losing this one, so I should be sanguine about the result here... But I'll still be hiding behind the sofa. #WT20
— Ravi Nair #PerfectPorkPie #FBPE (@palfreyman1414) November 18, 2018
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Mark Butcher thinks West Indies might just be trying out all their options. “ I wonder if its just the case of them trying to do something else, as it is the sort of pitch that says bat first. The result of this match doesn’t matter so maybe they’re trying to mix it up.”
And the pitch looks firm and grass free.
Unchanged side for West Indies: Hayley Matthew, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor(c), Shemaine Campbelle, Natasha McLean, Britney Cooper, Kycia Knight(wk), Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Shakera Selman, Shamilia Connell
England bring in Dani Hazell for Linsey Smith :Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones(wk), Natalie Sciver, Heather Knight(c), Lauren Winfield, Sophia Dunkley, Anya Shrubsole, Danielle Hazell, Kirstie Gordon, Sophie Ecclestone
And Stafanie Taylor wins the toss and will have a bowl to “utilise the moisture from the pitch early on.”
Heather Knight says England would have batted, so she is happy.
Both sides looking to improve their fielding.
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Weather set fair...
England warming up at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground In St Lucia. #WT20 pic.twitter.com/ER36XSFmdZ
— CRICKETher 🏏 (@crickether) November 18, 2018
This is a cracking little tale of how Nat Sciver tweaked her action in the few months between the summer season ending and the World Cup beginning.
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Seems England aren’t worried who they face after all...
thanks, mate. yeah, talking to several players after India won yesterday, they aren't thinking about anything other than winning today and aren't worried about when they might play Australia.
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) November 18, 2018
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Preamble
This is the big one. Well, the biggest one so far. The defending champions v the 50-over World Cup winners in the Darren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia. The big hitters. The hawk-it-on-a-hanky bowlers. The top two in Group A in their final group-stage game: West Indies v England
Both sides are unbeaten, though England were washed out by the rain against Sri Lanka. England are certainly on the wrong side of the statistics though - of the last six games between the two sides, they have won just one match.
But... both sides are well into their stride: West Indies hit 187-5 against Sri Lanka, the highest score in a Women’s World T20; England are fresh from crushing victory over South Africa with a hat-trick for Anya Shrubsole and three wickets for four runs for Nat Sciver.
Both sides have got a point to prove after India whalloped Australia yesterday in Guyana -Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur playing hard and fast with any rules the Aussies tried to set. The match ended Australia’s 12-match T20 winning streak.
The winner of this game will play Australia in one semi-final on Friday, the loser will play India. Tricky paths, both
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