Women’s World T20: England beat West Indies to seal semi-final berth

England romped into the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup with a 38-run win over West Indies as Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s innings of 65 from 42 balls preceded a largely excellent team bowling display at a sweltering Lord’s.

England’s fourth victory from four, which ended West Indies’ own 100 per cent record, was underpinned by Wyatt-Hodge’s 22nd T20I fifty and her second knock of note in this tournament after her sublime century against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on opening night.

Wyatt-Hodge’s stands of 66 from 50 balls with Alice Capsey (28 off 23) and 40 off 24 with Heather Knight (43 off 26) helped England post 186-7 after losing the toss and being put in to bat by a West Indies side playing their first game at Lord’s.

West Indies’ failed chase featured an eventful powerplay with captain Hayley Matthews (14) furious when she was given out caught behind off left-arm spinner Linsey Smith – there was a spike on UltraEdge but a gap between bat and ball – and Deandra Dottin (19 off 11) going four, four, six off off-spinner Charlie Dean (2-31) before holing out three balls later.

England then squeezed the run-rate – Sophie Ecclestone taking 1-22 and Lauren Bell 1-20 – although some late-innings dropped catches and loose bowling allowed Chinelle Henry (51* off 30) and Jahzara Claxton (21 off 34) to club 63 from 53 balls for the fifth wicket as West Indies carded 148-5 having been reduced to 69-4 in 10.1 overs.

The hosts will guarantee top spot in Group Two, and likely swerve six-time champions Australia in the semi-finals, if they win their final pool game against New Zealand on Saturday, across London at The Kia Oval (6.30pm first ball).

However, that position could already be rubberstamped before then if West Indies slip up against Ireland in Bristol earlier that afternoon – a win for the Caribbean outfit in that game would secure their own progression to the last four.

West Indies punished for poor fielding

West Indies will want to improve their fielding against Ireland as blunders in that aspect versus England cost them dear, with Knight a chief beneficiary and Matthews one of the principal culprits.

Knight, who played pleasing drives and sweeps before being run out in the penultimate over, could have been run out by Matthews early in her innings, while she was inexplicably dropped by the Bajan at cover when on 14.

Dottin was also unable to cling on a to a leaping half-chance at point when Wyatt-Hodge, in the teens at the time, carved away one of her eight boundaries.

That opportunity came in the final over of a powerplay England ended on 57-2, having lost Amy Jones (8) in the first over – caught on the drive immediately after back-to-back pulled boundaries – and then Sophia Dunkley (14) lbw on the sweep.

Dunkley remained in the XI with regular captain Nat Sciver-Brunt still nursing a calf injury that she sustained in the four-wicket win over Ireland last Tuesday and also ruled her out of Saturday’s victory over Scotland. (Skysports)