WI beat England by 6 wickets, enter women's T20 WC semifinals
Dubai, Oct 15: Captain Hayley Matthews and her opening partner Qiana Joseph struck fine half centuries as the West Indies registered a thumping six-wicket win over England to qualify for the semifinals of the Women's T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.
England were knocked out of the showpiece following the defeat.
Matthews (50 off 38 balls) and Joseph (52 off 38 balls) shared 102 runs for the opening wicket in 12.2 overs to take the game away from England as West Indies chased down the target of 142 with 12 balls to spare.
Both got out in quick succession but Deandra Dottin's 27 off 19 balls ensured that West Indies reached 142 for 4 in 18 overs.
South Africa will face Group A winners and defending champions Australia in the first semifinals on Thursday while West Indies take on Group A runners-up New Zealand in the second semifinals on Friday.
West Indies finished their league engagements with six points from four matches, the same as South Africa and England. But the Caribbeans have the highest Net Run Rate of + 1.504, followed by South Africa (+1.382). England, who ended with NRR of + 1.117, finished third in Group B and were eliminated.
India have already been eliminated from the semifinal race after finishing third in Group A.
Put in to bat, England slumped to 34 for 3 just after power play but recovered to post 141 for 7 with Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scoring with 57 not out off 50 balls while captain Heather Knight retired hurt on 21 off 13 balls.
For West Indies, leg-spinner Afy Fletcher took three wickets for 21 runs from her four overs while Hayley Matthews got two scalps.
Brief Scores:
England: 141 for 7 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 57 not out; Afy Fletcher 3/21).
West Indies: 142 for 4 in 18 overs (Hayley Matthews 50, Qiana Joseph 52; Sarah Glenn 1/20).
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Skipper Rahane urges KKR to embrace tough days, play with freedom
Ahmedabad (PTI): Winless after six matches, time is running out for Kolkata Knight Riders playoff hopes but their embattled skipper Ajinkya Rahane has urged the side to "embrace tough phases, play with freedom, and focus on one game at a time".
Loss has been one constant for the three-time former champions this season as they endured a five-wicket loss against Gujarat Titans to slump to their fifth defeat from six matches with their solitary point coming courtesy a rain washout against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens.
“It’s about accepting and embracing these tough days. Every day is a new day... trying to do better, playing with freedom, and backing each other," Rahane was at his philosophical best at the post-match media interaction here on Friday.
A minimum of seven wins is needed from a 10-team league to keep a team's playoff aspirations alive.
With eight matches to go and one point in their kitty, the task will be an improbable one for KKR from here on.
'Nothing to lose'
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Rahane, however, said they have nothing to lose and it's all about playing with freedom.
“We’re thinking one game at a time. It’s tough when you lose games, but everyone is trying their best. No one wants to lose any match -- we all want to win -- but that’s what sport is all about... keep your heads up. For us, it’s about going out there, being positive, and playing with freedom. We’ve got nothing to lose.
“Let me tell you one thing: everyone is working really hard. For us, it’s all about playing for our fans and the people of Kolkata, and we’re trying to do our best.
"After each and every game, there’s discussion about how we can improve. Obviously, when you lose, you tend to think about combinations and the areas we can get better at, so the discussion is always on."
Rahane won a fourth toss from six matches this season, but his decision to bat first once again raised eyebrows. Even his counterpart Shubman Gill said at the toss he would have preferred to bowl, keeping the dew in mind.
The call backfired as KKR slipped to 32 for 3 in four overs before their Rs 25.20-crore acquisition Cameron Green bailed them out with his best innings for the franchise so far, a 79 off 55 balls.
“It’s never easy when things are not going your way, and the courage he showed was fantastic. All credit to him," Rahane said.
“Yes, as a batting team we were thinking about 200 on this wicket. It would have been challenging, but let’s not take anything away from his innings.
“Attacking Rashid Khan and their fast bowlers, he was fantastic tonight for us.”
'Proud of bowlers'
The KKR skipper also admitted in the media interaction that there was a "bit of dew" but he hailed their inexperienced bowlers for taking the match till the final over.
From being 95/1 in nine overs in their chase of 181, GT were made to sweat with Jos Buttler, Washington Sunder, Glenn Phillilps and a well-set Gill falling against the run of play.
Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan eventually sealed the nervy chase with two balls to spare.
“Special mention to our bowling unit. It’s such an inexperienced attack with just two seniors in Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, but the kind of improvement they’ve shown, especially in the last three games, has been fantastic," said Rahane.
“Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, and Anukul Roy have also been fantastic, bowling tough overs in the powerplay and picking up wickets.
“Our support staff is doing a great job of keeping the environment really good. It’s all about accepting, but we will keep trying our best.”
