And here’s today’s match report:
Australia make the World Cup final
The result though goes entirely as expected. Australia remain unbeaten in this tournament, with Meg Lanning’s team developing a Ponting 2003 kind of aura. Nobody is close to them on quality and depth. Australia’s previous World Cup semi in 2017 ended in surprise defeat after Harmanpreet Kaur ambushed them with her epic 171. This time around the resistance was as limp as room-temperature jelly.
The Australian team of 2022 is a far bigger margin ahead of everybody else than the team of 2017 was, and they should cakewalk the final regardless of who else gets there. Haynes and Healy snuffed out this game with a 216-run opening stand, Lanning and Mooney iced the cake, then there were wickets shared between six bowlers. Easy, when you’ve done the work.
We’ll be back tomorrow for South Africa and England.
Australia win by 157 runs
A glance at West Indies today, who aside from Dottin’s brief attempt at the start, never even looked like they were trying to chase down the target. Williams started them off poorly, Matthews tried but never hit stride, and Taylor didn’t try at all. In a way you feel for her, out there with the innings crumbling around her, but it was also her listlessness that made the required rate blow out so much that the task became impossible rather than just difficult. In the end Taylor made 48 from 75, a pointless approach from the captain and most accomplished player.
WICKET! Taylor c Jonassen b King 48, West Indies 148-8
37th over: West Indies 146-8 (Connell 1) King bowling around the wicket, and Taylor charges the last ball of the over and tries to smash over the leg side. Gets a looping outside edge instead that goes up and comes down in the hands of backward point. That’s all out for the innings too, a merciful end really.
36th over: West Indies 146-7 (Taylor 47, Connell 0) The only run from the Gardner over is the one from the dropped catch. West Indies are nowhere.
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WICKET! Ramharack lbw Gardner 7, West Indies 146-7
A wicket for Gardner, one ball after Taylor hits her straight to long-on but Sutherland drops the catch. Flat with a touch of turn, Ramharack goes on the back foot and slogs across the line, misses and is hit in front of middle and leg. A review does nothing but underline how out that was.
35th over: West Indies 145-6 (Taylor 46, Ramharack 6) Taylor attempts another big one against King, but deep midwicket is out and just a single. Two from the over.
161 in 60 needed.
34th over: West Indies 143-6 (Taylor 45, Ramharack 6) A single for Ramharack, then Taylor gloves Gardner just past the keeper while sweeping for four. Anisa Mohammed won’t bat today after that bad muscle tear she had, and Chinelle Henry might not either as she’s sick. So West Indies may only have a couple of wickets left.
33rd over: West Indies 138-6 (Taylor 41, Ramharack 5) Alana King is back, and finally Taylor finds the boundary again. Mind you, if she hadn’t hit that big full toss for four, we would have had to check her pulse.
32nd over: West Indies 132-6 (Taylor 36, Ramharack 4) Now it’s Ramharack, the inexperienced spinner, coming in and scoring faster than Taylor. Finds a single and a two to get moving from Jonassen. They need 13 an over though.
31st over: West Indies 128-6 (Taylor 35, Ramharack 1) Lisa Sthalekar on TV comms is the only one who has been willing to criticise Taylor today, who continues with her truly bizarre innings, poking and prodding the ball about. There’s no net run rate to worry about, no draw to be had on day five. Two singles from Sutherland’s over.
30th over: West Indies 126-6 (Taylor 34) Exactly 12 an over needed, 180 in 90 balls. The end is nigh.
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WICKET! Knight b Jonassen 0, West Indies 126-6
And another one two balls later. Kycia Knight backs away, tries to smash over cover, and misses. Jonassen hits off stump for the left-hander.
WICKET! Nation run out Healy 7, West Indies 126-5
Sensational work from Healy! Nation nudges the ball off her legs towards backward square leg. There’s no one there so the wicketkeeper has to chase it back to the edge of the circle. Nation thinks there is a second run on offer given the keeper is not at the stumps. Healy simply sheds one glove and throws down the stumps direct. Short by two metres. Remarkable.
29th over: West Indies 124-4 (Taylor 33, Nation 6) That’s more like it! Chedean Nation is not always the fastest scorer going around, but she takes on her second ball from Sutherland and pulls it for six. Onto the boundary cushion at backward square leg.
Needs a lot more of those: 182 from 96 balls.
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WICKET! Campbelle c Jonassen b Sutherland 8, West Indies 117-4
Every player gets a prize. Sutherland comes back on, bowls two balls, then drops back of a length and Campbelle is not in good position for a pull shot that she’s trying to fetch from outside off. Midwicket is quite close and takes the catch. Hit hard but right at Jonassen. Campbelle makes 8 from 23, so it’s not just about the low score but the deliveries she used up to get there.
28th over: West Indies 117-3 (Taylor 33, Campbelle 8) Ever tried to hit Jess Jonassen? Hard to do. Two runs from an over when West Indies need 11.
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27th over: West Indies 115-3 (Taylor 32, Campbelle 7) A few runs coming from Brown, shovelling singles down the leg side, plus a wide for a high bouncer. A couple of hits down the ground for doubles, and they end up with nine from the over. They need 11. This time it’s Campbelle wanting to chance a third run from the last ball, and Taylor saying no. Big grin on Campbelle’s face: “Which one is it, skip?”
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26th over: West Indies 106-3 (Taylor 28, Campbelle 4) Jonassen has come around to the other end to bowl, and it goes pretty well. Three singles, though Taylor is visibly annoyed that Campbelle doesn’t come back for a second at the end of the over, after Taylor drives wide of long-off.
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25th over: West Indies 103-3 (Taylor 26, Campbelle 3) Jonassen is immediately off after taking the wicket, with Brown coming back. Perhaps it’s because Campbelle likes facing spin but isn’t so hot against pace. She gets one hook shot away for two, but bails out of the next one. A couple of wides in the over help out a bit, but not much.
20 overs to go and they need 203 more. You wouldn’t back them for that in a T20, let alone now with three wickets down.
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24th over: West Indies 99-3 (Taylor 26, Campbelle 1) Taylor slaps Gardner down the ground, then taps a single to cover. Shermaine Campbelle, the Windies keeper, gets going immediately with a nudge to leg, before Taylor sweeps fine for two more. She’s picked up the pace but still has 26 from 47 in an innings that needed to go faster than a run a ball.
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23rd over: West Indies 91-3 (Taylor 19, Campbelle 0) Matthews had the right idea, at least. Might as well swing for it as sputter out.
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WICKET! Matthews c King b Jonassen 34, West Indies 91-3
The demand takes its toll. The number one bowler in the world hasn’t even been called on upon until this point. Comes on, sends down a few darts, and gets a wicket in her first over. Easy peasy. Matthews down the track trying to thump six over long-off, instead sends it high and short and it comes down at mid-off.
22nd over: West Indies 88-2 (Matthews 33, Taylor 17) Gardner bowling well, has Matthews top-edging a slog sweep, then beating Taylor on the cut. Three singles only. The squeeze goes on.
21st over: West Indies 85-2 (Matthews 32, Taylor 15) Five singles from King’s over, a better sort of approach. That’s the way they needed to be playing 20 overs ago, though.
20th over: West Indies 80-2 (Matthews 30, Taylor 12) The West Indies skipper finally stops hitting the snooze button, lining up Gardner for a lofted straight drive down the ground. Four runs, then a leg bye. Still only six from the over though, as Matthews can’t score from the final three.
25 overs left now to score 226 more runs.
19th over: West Indies 74-2 (Matthews 29, Taylor 8) Again they look clueless against King, taking three singles from the leg-spinner.
18th over: West Indies 71-2 (Matthews 27, Taylor 7) Ash Gardner on with her finger-spin, right-arm around the wicket to the right-hander which is an interesting line, and it almost works right away as she gets the straight break to sip on past the outside edge and the off stump of Matthews. Two singles and a two from the over, the required rate is approaching nine and the real rate drops below four. Somebody has to make a move.
17th over: West Indies 67-2 (Matthews 26, Taylor 4) Alana King comes on, and the leg-spinner gets a decision given out but loses that wicket on review. Taylor sweeping, the umpire thinks she’s gloved it over the keeper to slip, but the review shows it was all forearm. Ball-tracking shows it was going over the stumps. It’s probably in Australia’s interests to keep Taylor out there anyway - the reprieve is the fifth dot ball of the over, and she takes a single from the sixth to keep the strike. That makes 4 from 25. Sorry, this is horrible batting.
16th over: West Indies 66-2 (Matthews 26, Taylor 3) Matthews willing to do the work between the wickets, running two on three occasions against McGrath. Drink break arrives. West Indies now need more than eight per over and are scoring at four.
15th over: West Indies 60-2 (Matthews 20, Taylor 3) Sutherland to Matthews, who does her best with a brace to midwicket and a single. Then Taylor faces out three more dots. She has 3 from 19 balls now. This is bonkers cricket. Play yourself in, sure, but this extreme does not help anyone but Australia.
14th over: West Indies 57-2 (Matthews 17, Taylor 2) Having kept strike, Taylor takes most of the McGrath over and they take two singles. Like the morning session of a Test match.
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13th over: West Indies 55-2 (Matthews 16, Taylor 2) Same story for Sutherland. Taylor faces all seven balls - there’s a wide in there - and the extra is the only score from the over until the final ball, a single. She even leaves two deliveries.
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12th over: West Indies 53-2 (Matthews 16, Taylor 1) The runs aren’t coming quickly enough. Just two singles from McGrath’s over.
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11th over: West Indies 51-2 (Matthews 15, Taylor 0) To add to West Indies’ problems, Matthews looks like she has a hamstring twinge. Maybe just cramp. She’s moving gingerly though. Still has the poise to clip Sutherland for four. Midwicket the spot. Hustled a single, looking hampered. Stafanie Taylor her new partner.
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WICKET! Dottin c Sutherland b McGrath 34, West Indies 44-2
As early as it is, that’s pretty much the ball game. McGrath comes on to bowl her seamers. Dottin slams a wide ball over cover for four, more toe than middle but still enough bowler. But comes undone attacking a full ball, for reasons best known to her hitting aerially and straight with a long-on in position. Straight to that fielder.
10th over: West Indies 46-2 (Matthews 16, Taylor 0)
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9th over: West Indies 39-1 (Dottin 30, Matthews 8) That’s nasty. Sutherland on to bowl, on the pads, Matthews clips it to midwicket. Alana King is there but it takes a horrible bounce off the edge of one of the other strips, skipping up to hit her in the throat. She ends up on all fours, coughing hard, and eventually comes off the field to be checked. Matthews backs up with the same shot when play resumes, getting a single this time. Dottin lines up Sutherland for a big drive but gets an inside edge to deep backward for a single. Matthews pulls nicely but finds the same outfielder. Dottin switches it up for the last ball, flat-batting a short one over the off side instead, scoring four to deep third.
Fielding restrictions end. It’s a 45-over match. West Indies need 267 more in 36 overs, which is 7.42. They’re at 4.36.
8th over: West Indies 32-1 (Dottin 25, Matthews 6) Dottin goes back to pull Schutt, the same ball that Williams got out to but this time it’s hit along the ground. Two runs, then a nudged single to follow. Matthews glances another, moving across. Schutt responds with one that swings and then cuts off the seam, starting way outside off stump and ending up over the leg bail as it saws through Dottin. Bounce the only thing that saves her.
7th over: West Indies 27-1 (Dottin 21, Matthews 5) And attack Brown! Four more from the first ball as Dottin rasps a shot off the pads through square. Then she climbs into a pull shot but only gets a single with long leg placed quite square. Matthews follows suit, getting off the mark with a boundary, hers an elegant drive through long-off. Then guides a single. Ten from that over, more like it. West Indies need 278.
6th over: West Indies 17-1 (Dottin 16, Matthews 0) Defend Schutt, attack Brown. That seems to be the Dottin tactic so far. A wide and a single from the Schutt this time, which makes four runs from her three overs. The extra is also the first non-Dottin run for West Indies today.
5th over: West Indies 15-1 (Dottin 15, Matthews 0) Another bash from Dottin against Brown, over mid-off this time but only getting two runs as the ball slows up. A single to follow. Going at three an over when they need 7.5.
4th over: West Indies 12-1 (Dottin 12, Matthews 0) The opening combo should probably have been Dottin and Matthews anyway, with a chase this big, so effectively that is now the case. Just having wasted 10 balls on Williams. The catch from Mooney was a beauty, to be fair. One hand, wrong hand, diving lengthwise to her right. Williams looked incredulous.
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WICKET! Williams c Mooney b Schutt 0, West Indies 12-1
Schutt hoops the ball in, Dottin drives back to the bowler. Hard to line up a delivery doing that much. Eventually Dottin manages to turn the face and flick through midwicket, wants two runs but has to settle for one. Brings Williams on strike, who gets a short ball, pulls it savagely, but has the misfortune to pick out square leg.
3rd over: West Indies 11-0 (Dottin 11, Williams 0) First ball, four. Same again between Brown and Dottin, this time a leg-stump ball that Dottin flicks behind square. Brown switches to the short-ball approach and it works, Dottin hooking twice without success. A leading edge through cover lets her keep the strike.
2nd over: West Indies 6-0 (Dottin 6, Williams 0) Megan Schutt’s big inswingers from the other end. Again Dottin scores off the first ball, a single, and again Williams can’t score off the next five. Nought from nine, already getting bogged down in a way her team can’t afford.
1st over: West Indies 5-0 (Dottin 5, Williams 0) Darcie Brown starts off to Deandra Dottin and Rashada Williams, and Dottin scorches the first ball of the innings through cover for four. Throws her bat again at the speedster but only get a single behind point. Williams looks far less convincing, missing a couple of attempts to jab the ball to the leg side.
Hello all. The Australian machine rolls on. Can’t see West Indies chasing this given the way they’ve batted in the tournament so far, but if Dottin and Matthews can find their best while Taylor plays anchor then they could do something special. Most often in the last few years they’ve struggled to find a high tempo with the bat.
But first here’s centurion Alyssa Healy, on that total given the difficult conditions earlier in the day: “300’s a pretty good score I would have thought,” she says.
West Indies will need to score at run rate of 6.80 if they are to win this one. Game on!
Australia set West Indies 306 to win
It’ll have to be a big run chase if West Indies are to reach Sunday’s final. They have 45 overs to knock off the 306 required. Stay tuned for the chase, Geoff Lemon will be here to take you through it.
45th over: Australia 305-3 (Lanning 26, Mooney 43) Mooney picks up a couple of runs after Dottin slips in the outfield, letting the ball under her body but managing to recover and save the ball from trickling over the ropes. It’s a decent final over from Connell, who is aggressive, throwing down a bouncer at one stage and only conceding just five in total. And that will be that!
44th over: Australia 300-3 (Lanning 25, Mooney 39) Williams sprints down to fine leg to save four after Lanning pulls very fine. But Australia soon bring up the 300, a magnificent effort. Seven runs of the penultimate over, with Connell to bowl the final one...
43rd over: Australia 293-3 (Lanning 21, Mooney 36) Lanning skies one off the top edge while trying to pull Taylor. But it lands safely! On the next ball Mooney finds the middle of her bat, and the boundary, after bludgeoning Taylor back over her the bowler’s head. Then another four, through the off side, and another, this time through the leg side! Explosive from Mooney as the 50-partnership is brought up and Australia plunder 16 runs from this over.
42nd over: Australia 277-3 (Lanning 18, Mooney 23) The sun is out in Wellington! The morning’s mist and rain has dissipated and Basin Reserve is now covered in glorious Wellington sunshine. Matthews continues, as do Australia in their relentless run-getting. Another six runs. Three overs remaining now.
40th over: Australia 265-3 (Lanning 15, Mooney 14) Thanks Jim. Three singles before Mooney offers West Indies half a chance, with a slightly lofted drive that lands just in front of the fielder. Five off the over in total, and five overs remaining.
41st over: Australia 271-3 (Lanning 17, Mooney 18) Mooney opens up and hits Ramharack to the leg side boundary. She picks up two, and then a single on the last ball as Australia add a further six runs to their good-looking total.
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39 overs: Australia 260-3 (Lanning 12, Mooney 12) Ten runs off Ramharack, Australia still motoring along even after that brief flurry of wickets. They’ll be eyeing 300 and beyond.
With that I’m going to hand over to Mike Hytner in Sydney to take over the end of this innings. Time to hit the hay here in London. I fully expect to awake to a comfortable Australia victory. Or do I? I do.
Thanks for your company, goodnight!
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38 overs: Australia 250-3 (Lanning 9, Mooney 6)
Don’t slow down too much!!
— Lachy Steele (@Lachy_Steele) March 30, 2022
Still have a game to win! #AUSvWI #CWC22
Funny, I think they’ll be fine.
37 overs: Australia 246-3 (Lanning 8, Mooney 3) Still ten runs taken from the over with two new batters at the crease. Eight to go. What can Australia rack up here?
Wicket! Gardner ct Campbelle b Henry 12
Another wicket! Two in the over for Chinelle Henry. Gardner feathering an edge through to the keeper.
36 overs: Australia 236-3 ( Lanning 1, Mooney 0)
Wicket! Haynes ct Dottin b Henry 85 (Australia 231-2)
No century for Haynes as she is caught in the covers. Top knock.
35 overs: Australia 231-1 (Haynes 85, Gardner 8)
34 overs: Australia 226-1 (Haynes 81, Gardner 7) Ash Gardner is the new bat, not Meg Lanning.
Highest partnership for Australia at a Women's World Cup:
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) March 30, 2022
220 Reeler & Buckstein v NED, 1988
216 Healy & Haynes v WI, today
196 Haynes & Lanning v ENG, 2022#CWC22 #AUSvWI https://t.co/NaQ3hQxg55
Wicket! Healy ct Selman b Connell 129 (Australia 216-1)
Victor Meldrew Scenes. “I don’t beliiiieeve it!” West Indies have held a catch and Healy has to go for a quite brilliant 129. Selman hangs on at mid-off this time.
33 overs: Australia 217-1 (Haynes 77, Gardner 0)
32 overs: Australia 210-0 (Haynes 77, Healy 124) 200 up for Australia. A misfield on the fence brings another boundary to Healy off the returning Chinelle Henry. Haynes also pulls her away powerfully for four. ANOTHER DROP! Healy goes aerial down the ground and is shelled by Shakera Selman who got her hands in a muddle. The wheels are hanging off the axles here for West Indies.
31 overs: Australia 199-0 (Haynes 72, Healy 118) Healy sweeps for four, twice! Stafanie Taylor doesn’t know where to bowl to her. A drag down is smeared away for two. Healy has found the gaps very well today and motored to 118 from 100 balls. A swept single for the 198th run brings up the highest batting partnership of the world cup.
30 overs: Australia 186-0 (Haynes 71, Healy 106) Runs glorious runs... for the two batters in custard! There are still FIFTEEN overs to go.
29 overs: Australia 175-0 (Haynes 66, Healy 100)
1⃣0⃣0⃣
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) March 30, 2022
A career first for Alyssa Healy! 👏
A stunning century coming from 91 balls.
Australia 175-0 off 29 overs.
📻 Listen live on @BBCSounds and @5liveSport extra
📲 Live updates on the @BBCSport website and app#BBCCricket #CWC22 #AUSvWI
Hundred for Healy!
“Yeeeeah!” Healy shouts as she cuts away and goes to a truly remarkable World Cup century.
28 overs: Australia 171-0 (Haynes 64, Healy 98) Huge six for Healy! She manages to get a high full toss down the ground Babe Ruth style. She then plays a lovely lofted straight drive off the ensuing free hit to go to 98! This is now the highest ever first wicket partnership for Australia v West indies.
Va Va Vrooooom!
Healy starts with 11 off 29, then boosts it up to 82 off 81. Still going. Quite the accelerator drop for a World Cup semi. #WWC
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) March 30, 2022
27 overs: Australia 154-0 (Haynes 63, Healy 83) A break in play as Anisa Mohammed pulls a hamstring chasing after a reverse-hit from Healy. It looks bad as they call for a golf buggy to take her from the field. The players take an early drink. The ball went for four too, Healy’s second of the over after a lofted drive crashed over the rope. She is really going for her shots now. Woe for West Indies.
26th over: Australia 143-0 (Haynes 62, Healy 73) Shot! Healy goes in-to-out over mid-off to get four off Ramharack’s first ball. WHHHiOHGDIOHVgbiugiupgifgpiyf! Sorry I lost control there as Hayley Matthews drops an absolute dolly! I can’t believe I’ve seen that. Healy tries to go over the top again but doesn’t get it, it was a proper goober. Ramharack goes wicketless.
25th over: Australia 135-0 (Haynes 61, Healy 67) The skipper Stafanie Taylor banishes the expensive Dottin from the attack and brings herself on for her first bowl of the tournament. “If you need a job doing...” Three singles and a wide from the over.
24th over: Australia 132-0 (Haynes 60, Healy 65) Gah! Haynes is dropped at midwicket! West Indies did not need that. That’s bad luck for Ramharack who has bowled well. Four singles are taken and then Healy gets the reverse sweep out and nails it for four!
23rd over: Australia 124-0 (Haynes 58, Healy 59) Healy drives Dottin on the up through the covers for four! After a slightly stodgy start the keeper-bat has looked in golden touch. So too her partner, who rocks back on her toes and pulls another short ball from Dottin away to the fence. Haynes goes to 401 runs for the tournament. Another loose ball from Dottin is flicked away by Healy down to the fine leg sponge. Terrible over from Dottin - a real mixed bag of rooobish. And punished. 18 runs off it.
22nd over: Australia 106-0 (Haynes 51, Healy 50) Fifty for Rachel Haynes! Fifty for Alyssa Healy! Both openers look set and are milking the singles. West Indies glaring down the barrel of a BIG old score here unless they can start to make inroads, and quickly.
21st over: Australia 102-0 (Haynes 49, Healy 48) Dottin bangs another down. Stafanie Taylor pulls off a Gordon Banks esque diving stop at backward point. Two off the over.
20th over: Australia 100-0 (Haynes 48, Healy 47) Healy nearly plinks a full toss straight to mid-off. Luckily for her she barely gets any wood on it and it falls just short. Next ball she doesn’t miss out, another full toss is smoked away for four! The hundred partnership is up for this OZ opening pair. They’ve been imperious.
19th over: Australia 93-0 (Haynes 47, Healy 40) Dottin does not deliver. She bangs in short and Healy swats her first ball for four. A single brings Haynes on strike and Dottin decides to serve up another short ball which the batter pulls away dismissively for four more. Do not bowl there! The over is slapped for 11 runs. Problems.
18th over: Australia 82-0 (Haynes 42, Healy 35) Haynes and Healy just ticking over, a three and a single off Ramharack’s over. Deandra Dottin is coming on to bowl, West Indies getting desperate for a breakthrough.
17th over: Australia 78-0 (Haynes 39, Healy 34) Matthews continues and she bowls a couple of near identical and perfect off spinners. Dipping and gripping the pitch but sliding past stumps and edge. Lovely bowling, deserved more. Two runs from the over.
Australia ominously poised at 74/0 (15.0).#CWC22 #AUSvWI https://t.co/NaQ3hQxg55
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) March 30, 2022
16th over: Australia 76-0 (Haynes 38, Healy 33) Karishma Ramharack replaces Anisa Mohammed and just a couple of singles are taken of her off spinners.
15th over: Australia 74-0 (Haynes 37, Healy 32) Runs off Matthews too now as Healy gets a couple of paddle sweeps away - each for four. A nurdle for two make it ten off the over. That’s drinks. A slurp and a think needed for Stafanie Taylor, Australia are in control.
14th over: Australia 64-0 (Haynes 37, Healy 22) Err, not really. Mohammed, doing a Geoff Boycott and bowling in a cap, gets taken for 13 runs from the over, a boundary each to Healy and Haynes who are comfortable enough to dance down and drive over the top.
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13th over: Australia 52-0 (Haynes 29, Healy 17) Matthews is frugal again. just a single off her over. Can Mohammed replicate at her end?
12th over: Australia 51-0 (Haynes 29, Healy 16) Anisa Mohammed to twirl away and a poor first over that releases the pressure on Healy. A full toss is bunted away for four and Healy then strokes another full toss down the ground to bring up the fifty partnership. No wickets for West Indies will be a concern after winning the toss and electing to bowl.
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11th over: Australia 43-0 (Haynes 28, Healy 11) Tight over from Matthews, right on the spot. Just a couple of nudged singles. The sun is out. Glorious.
10th over: Australia 41-0 (Haynes 27, Healy 10) Three singles and a wide. Alyssa Healy starting to get frustrated by her slow scoring, maybe a big shot in the offing soon...
Apologies for confusing y’all by having West Indies down to bat, turns out there were some ghosts in the machine - but all sorted now.
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9th over: Australia 37-0 (Haynes 26, Healy 8 ) I thought my TV was starting to go a bit Poltergeist-y but it turns out Sky are having sound problems. Panic over. Hayley Matthews is on and there is considerable spin off the surface! Tidy over, just a single from it. PowerPlay done.
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8th over: Australia 36-0 (Haynes 26, Healy 7 ) Too full from Henry and Haynes leans on a classy drive that goes for four. Too short and Haynes rocks back for the same result down to fine leg. 10 runs off the over.
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7th over: Australia 26-0 (Haynes 17, Healy 6) Five dots from Connell, both seamers are bowling well here, the Aussies are in a contest. The final ball is dropped short though and Haynes gets a pull shot away for three runs.
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6th over: Australia 23-0 (Haynes 14, Healy 6) More cross seam from Henry who is posing problems. Chance! Healy gets a leading edge on the drive but Henry can’t quite cling on in her follow through! Half chance dropped.
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5th over: Australia 21-0 (Haynes 13, Healy 5) Connell drops short after the excitement of the review and Haynes pulls her away for four down to fine leg. A drive for two and a wide complete the over. Four more to go in the PowerPlay.
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NOT OUT!
Flat line and a small spike when bat hit pad. Umpire Lauren Agenbag made a great decision there. Nevertheless, a fantastic delivery from Connell.
Review for caught behind!
Has Haynes nibbled one here?!
4th over: Australia 14-0 (Haynes 7, Healy 5) More bounce off a length and again Haynes is rapped on the glove! The next ball is a beauty from Henry - wobble seam and it rasps past the forward poke from Haynes. A single down the ground gets Haynes off strike. Just one from it and a decent start by the West Indies.
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3rd over: Australia 13-0 (Haynes 6, Healy 5) Connell sends down a wide ball, decreed so by the pink cagouled umpire Kim Cotton. Another wide! Connell loses her footing slightly in her gather to the crease. Healy glides the final ball from outside off away for a couple.
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2nd over: Australia 9-0 (Haynes 6, Healy 3) Chinelle Henry’s pace from the other end. She drops short and Haynes pulls her into the leg side. The outfield is a touch slow after the rain and they scamper two. Healy gets off the mark with a dabbed single and Haynes flicks away for a couple more. The last ball of the over rears up and hits Haynes on the glove, evidence of some extra bounce in the wicket.
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1st over: Australia 4-0 (Haynes 4, Healy 0) The first ball from Connell is right on the spot and blocked by Haynes, who scored 83* when the sides met in the group stages. West Indies know how key her wicket is. And she proves it... pouncing on a half volley to score Australia’s first boundary. Four off the first.
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Shamilia Connell has the ball. Two slips in place. PLAY!
Here we gooooo! Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes head out to bat for the Aussies at the Basin Reserve.
— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) March 29, 2022
Watch LIVE on Foxtel or Kayo Freebies: https://t.co/kn9SYqO3Y8 #CWC22 pic.twitter.com/59keK9K43f
Not that it counts for much, and far be it from me to start any diplomatic incidents from my sofa-bed - BUT West Indies have hands down the best anthem of the two sides, nay of the whole tournament/international cricket.
The teams head our for the anthems. It looks brighter in Wellington, Ian Smith on commentary says the sun is due to make an appearance later in the day. West Indies will be buoyed by winning the toss and being able to stick the Aussies in to bat in what will probably be the dodgiest conditions of the day.
An email! From David Stewart*
“I remember back when Steve Waugh’s side was at its peak it was held up as the most successful international sporting team in any sport in the world. Apparently no other national team at the time dominated their sport like Waugh’s men. Can the Aussie women now claim the same title? Is there an international sporting team who are as successful? Or is that just wishful aussie thinking?”
I reckon if Meg Lanning’s side add the ODI World Cup to their recent Ashes whitewash and their 2020 T20 World Cup victory then they’ll certainly be part of that discussion, Dave.
(*Don’t think it is that one, this Dave is from Melbourne and will therefore be hoping that West Indies don’t prove to be a thorn in the Aussie side...)
Updated
West Indies win the toss and will bowl first
Stafanie Taylor says it was a no brainer for her, even though their three previous wins have come after batting first. Meg Lanning says: “We weren’t too fussed.”
Still no Perry so Australia are unchanged: Alyssa Healy (wk), Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning (c), Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, Ash Gardner, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown.
West Indies are forced into making one change: Alyssa Mohammed comes in for Afy Fletcher, who has Covid: Deandra Dottin, Rashada Williams, Hayley Matthews, Stafanie Taylor (c), Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Chedean Nation, Anisa Mohammed, Kycia Knight, Chinelle Henry, Karishma Ramharack, Shamilia Connell.
Updated
We are set for some cricket! Each side will face 45 overs, due to the delay. The toss is coming right up. Nine overs permitted for each bowler.
Updated
Update: There will a 12:15pm local time toss for a 12:45pm start of play (in 10 minutes). Just waiting on confirmation if the amount of overs will be affected by the delayed start.
In the meantime, have a read of Megan Maurice’s interview with Alana King, on the Australian leggie’s slow rise to prominence.
I’ve obviously had to wait a few more years than others, but it’s meant that I’m really happy with where I am and I’m confident in where my cricket is. I think you’ve got to, first and foremost, be comfortable in your own skin. And I have done that over the last few years.
More below:
There will be a further pitch inspection at midday local time
That’s about 25 minutes from now.
Hearing it’ll be at least an hour once the drizzle has definitively stopped before the game will get going. I’ll bring updates as and when they come through. If you’re out there then do get in touch, it’s not like it has been quiet in the cricket world of late? Save me from eating my 10th custard cream of the hour.
Updated
We aren’t anywhere near this just yet but there are reserve days built in for the semi-finals... which hasn’t always been the case in previous World Cups.
Playing conditons regarding reserves days for knock-out matches at #CWC22.#AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/XXNjxCCDph
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) March 29, 2022
Updated
Toss delayed...
It isn’t raining in Wellington but it is grey and misty. There are no floodlights and the light is pretty poor at the moment. It all looks a bit like the backing for a Kate Bush music video. The clouds are bust.
Oh. It’s like that is it?
A weather update from Wellington ahead of Australia 🆚 West Indies.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) March 29, 2022
👉 https://t.co/3Qd9YPmcF4#BBCCricket #CWC22 https://t.co/B3XxBQakh3
Updated
Preamble
And then there were four. Just.
This Women’s World Cup has had it all – runs, wickets, diving catches, form defying upsets and fingernail gnashing finishes. None more so than the final over, final (no) ball drama that infolded between India and South Africa that decided the semi-final line ups. Indian heartache on the field was met simultaneously by West Indian jubilation off it.
Welcome to the Basin Reserve, Wellington for this first Women’s World Cup Final between yella-hot favourites for the trophy Australia and the maroon, mercurial, sometimes-maddening-but-definitely-capable-of-giant-toppling, West Indies.
Both sides are missing key players for today’s ding-dong in Wellington. The big news is that Ellyse Perry hasn’t had quite enough time to prove her fitness after suffering back spasms - Meg Lanning will be unable to call upon her talismanic all-rounder. All hasn’t been calm in the West Indies camp either, with leg-spinner Afy Fletcher testing positive for the Covid and Mandy Mangru, the 19 year old all-rounder being allowed to take her place as a Covid sub.
All the recent match-ups (including a thumping 7 wicket win for OZ when the sides met earlier in the tournament) suggest it will be the Aussies who secure a place in Sunday’s final. But you just never know. If the tournament has shown us anything so far it is that anything can and just well might happen. Cricket eh?
Jim here with the call, sadly not from Wellington (where there’s a bit of drizzle around) but from a front room in South London (where it’s fine. Y’know, fine.)
I’ll be back with news of the teams and the toss shortly, play gets underway at 11am local time/ 11pm BST and 9am AEDT.
