by | West Indies 116-6 (20 overs): Williams 30 (34), Campbelle 22 (26); Dar 2-13 |
| Pakistan 113-5 (20 overs): Riaz 29 (23), Dar 27 (31); Matthew 2-14 |
| West Indies won by three runs |
| scorecard. tables |
England qualified for the semi-finals of the women’s T20 World Cup after Pakistan suffered a jittery three-round defeat by the West Indies.
Chasing 117, Pakistan needed 18 from a dramatic endgame but could only manage 14 to come agonizingly short.
It meant England could certainly finish in the top two in Group 2 and guarantee first place if they avoid defeat by Pakistan on Tuesday.
Rashada Williams previously hit 30 balls from 34 as West Indies went 116-6.
The result put West Indies in third place and level on points with second-placed India, meaning they still have a mathematical chance of reaching the semi-finals.
However, their inferior net run rate means India will need to lose heavily to Ireland on Monday to overtake them.
If India loses then Pakistan also has a chance of reaching the last four if they beat England on Tuesday.
Bismah Maroof’s side looked to have the upper hand as they restricted West Indies to an underperforming result but paid the price for an extremely cautious approach early in their response.
It wasn’t until the eighth over that Pakistan reached a limit and they limped to 40-2 at half-time in a game littered with individual errors by both sides.
Some powerful late shots from Aliya Riaz – who scored a lively 29 from 23 balls – provided a dramatic finish but West Indies just managed to get home.
The 2016 winners once again credited captain Hayley Matthews for an excellent all-around performance, who hit 20 of 21 balls with the racquet, clinched 2-14 with the ball and made an excellent catch on the field.
Despite the loss, it was a game to remember for Pakistani all-rounder Nida Dar, who finished 2-13 with 125 as the highest wicket-taker in the women’s T20I internationals.
| Nida Dar (Pak) | 125 |
| Anisa Mohammed (WI) | 125 |
| Megan Schuett (Aus) | 122 |
| Ellyse Perry (Australia) | 122 |
| Shabnim Ismail (SA) | 117 |
“A complete team effort” – reaction
West Indies Captain and Player of the Game Hayley Matthews: “My heart is still beating a little fast. As West Indians we like to keep the game close but are glad we got over the line in the end.
“We knew we had to be special on the field today and we talked about winning the game not just with racquet and ball but also on the field and I think the girls did that.
“For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to take responsibility at the head of the Order but (Rashada) Williams has been really good and again it was a complete team effort.”
Pakistan’s captain Bismah Maroof: “It hurts everyone. It was very close. We weren’t up to par.
“Spin was the plan because the wicket was slow.
“The game against England is important. We played good cricket throughout and we will continue to do so.”
