Hayley Matthews, the captain of the West Indies, revealed her joy after her team defeated England in a virtual quarterfinal match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday, October 16.
It was the first time since 2018 that the West Indies advanced to the semi-finals of the major event. They also defeated England in the game’s shortest format for the first time since 2019. They have lost against the British for 13 straight before Tuesday’s six-wicket victory. With this outcome, they were able to accomplish an incredible comeback after losing their first match by 10 wickets against South Africa.
Given their first-round losses in the last two World Cups, many had questioned the West Indies’ chances of making it to the semifinals.
Nevertheless, the Caribbean team managed to chase down a 142-run target with two overs remaining with to half-centuries from Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph.
Yes, it was simply a great celebration. I believe we’re simply really proud of our performance thus far in this tournament. We’ve just recovered against Bangladesh and Scotland, and I believe we haven’t defeated England in roughly six years,” Matthews said at the post-match press conference following the Caribbean team’s victory in Group B. “I think a lot of people wrote us off coming into this tournament and the way we’ve been able to go about our cricket, especially after the start we had against South Africa,” he said.
The last time we defeated them, as far as I can recall, was in 2018, but everyone still came here with a fight and a belief. And it just serves to highlight our capabilities as a West Indian team. People who are opposing us, I believe, are aware that if there is one thing we have, it is a lot of hearts and a lot of conflicts. And today, we simply demonstrated that,” she continued.
West Indies vs. New Zealand and Australia vs. South Africa in the semifinals
When Group A leaders and reigning champions Australia play Group B runners-up South Africa at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, October 17, the first semi-final will be a rematch of the summit match from the previous edition.
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On Friday, October 18, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, the West Indies will face New Zealand in the second semi-final. Fans are getting ready to see the action at the business end of the ninth Women’s T20 World Cup, which will culminate in the final on Sunday, October 20, in Dubai.