AUS-W vs WI-W, Women's T20 World Cup: Ashleigh Gardner stars as Australia storm into final
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "AUS-W vs WI-W, Women's T20 World Cup: Ashleigh Gardner stars as Australia storm into final")
Australian cricket team Photograph: (X)
Ashleigh Gardner's brilliant all-round display powered Australia to an emphatic eight-wicket win over West Indies and into the Women's T20 World Cup final
Australia booked their place in the Women's T20 World Cup final with a commanding eight-wicket victory over the West Indies at the Oval on Tuesday, thanks to an outstanding all-round performance from Ashleigh Gardner. Chasing a modest target of 126, the six-time champions cruised to victory with seven overs remaining, extending their unbeaten run in the tournament ahead of Sunday's final at Lord's. Gardner starred with both ball and bat.
The off-spinner claimed 2-13, removing two batters in a single over to help restrict the West Indies to 125/7. She then remained unbeaten on 35 during the chase, while opener Beth Mooney anchored the innings with an unbeaten 61. Australia entered the semi-final full of confidence after completing a tournament-record chase of 171 against India in their final group-stage match, and they never looked under pressure against the West Indies.
Dottin's medical scare
The West Indies suffered an early setback before the match even began when experienced batter Deandra Dottin appeared to faint during the national anthems and had to be assisted off the field. Originally scheduled to bat at No. 5, Dottin eventually came in at No. 8 with her side struggling at 83/6. Despite the circumstances, she produced a fighting unbeaten 26 from just 16 deliveries, striking four boundaries with a mix of elegant drives, scoops and ramps to push the total beyond 100. However, the damage had already been done after the West Indies collapsed from 47/2 to 59/4, losing four wickets for just 12 runs in 17 balls.
Perry injury not a ‘major concern’
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Australia had a brief injury scare when veteran all-rounder Ellyse Perry retired hurt with a thigh issue at the end of the seventh over. Captain Sophie Molineux dismissed fears over Perry's availability for Sunday's final, where Australia will face either unbeaten hosts England or South Africa. "Just some quad tightness," said Molineux of Perry. "It sounds like she'll be more than OK to go on Sunday.
Perry's departure had little impact on Australia's chase as Gardner finished the match in style, flicking the winning boundary through the leg side to secure another dominant victory and send Australia into yet another Women's T20 World Cup final.
