WI W VS AUS W MATCH 8

Alright folks, that wraps up all the warm-up action! Now it's time to get hyped for the main event - the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 is just around the corner! Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 3rd, because we've got a double-header extravaganza to kick things off! First up, we've got Bangladesh Women taking on Scotland Women in the curtain-raiser at 10 am GMT. But hold onto your hats, because at 2 pm GMT, we've got an all-Asian showdown with Pakistan Women squaring off against Sri Lanka Women. And where's all this cricketing magic happening? None other than the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. And as you know, you can tune in a bit more early for the pre-match build-ups. Till then, take care, cheers!

Earlier in the game, Australia began on a rusty note as the top order was blown away when the scores read 44/4 in 7.5 overs. Then came a resilient partnership between Ash Gardner and Annabel Sutherland. They together added 56 runs and steadied things considerably. The late ascendancy of those two partnerships towards the second half propelled Australia Women to 144. West Indies Women's bowling looked much improved but were too sloppy in the fielding as they dropped as many as four catches and let Australia Women post a challenging total. And towards end of the chase, Australia Women displayed their muscle with the ball and tore apart the Windies' batting order in a flash.

Sutherland, along with Alana King and Tayla Vlaeminck, tore through the West Indies' batting lineup. Vlaeminck, initially rusty with the ball, snagged a spectacular 3-wicket haul, while Annabel Sutherland picked two to her name. But, it was Alana King, the destructor in-chief bagging 4 wickets and did the cleaning up of the tail effectively.

Despite a strong finish to their innings, Australia initially struggled to break through during the powerplay, even with conditions favoring swing bowling. The game's momentum shifted dramatically when Ellyse Perry struck with a vital wicket of Joseph, living up to her reputation as a match-winner. This breakthrough opened the floodgates, setting the stage for Annabel Sutherland's devastating spell.

However, the dismissal of Shemaine Campbelle triggered a dramatic collapse. West Indies Women plummeted from a comfortable 92/1 in 13.1 overs to a paltry 109 all out in just a span of the next 4.4 overs, leaving Matthews stranded and searching for support. She too, eventually departed on 42 under extreme pressure to find runs.

The West Indies Women's openers, Qiana Joseph and Hayley Matthews, initiated a fierce counterattack, forming a robust 68-run partnership. Joseph led the charge while Matthews provided steady support before finding her own rhythm. Their calculated aggression kept the required run rate manageable without excessive risk-taking.

Phew, it got wrapped up pretty quickly than anticipated, didn't it? Australia Women did what they are known for and have rightfully lived up to their World Champions tag. West Indies Women on the other hand, were left shell-shocked as no batter barring the two openers, could cross the double digits.

OUT! BOWLED'EM! Alana King gets her fourth one and cleans the lower middle order with pleasure! She tossed it up, once again, on middle, turning it a shy bit in. Karishma Ramharack attempts to swat it towards her leg side but misses with a large gap on the inner edge and the ball rattles into the stumps. That's it! Australia Women beat West Indies Women by 35 runs!

OUT! BOWLED'EM! Alana King gets her fourth one and cleans the lower middle order with pleasure! She tossed it up, once again, on middle, turning it a shy bit in. Karishma Ramharack attempts to swat it towards her leg side but misses with a large gap on the inner edge and the ball rattles into the stumps. That's it! Australia Women beat West Indies Women by 35 runs!

Karishma Ramharack is the last batter in.

OUR! CASTLED! Alana King getting the job done to kill the game as fast as she can! Alana King comes 'over the wicket and bowls fuller just outside leg but turns it towards the stumps. Afy Fletcher makes a bit of room to loft it over the head of the bowler but misses to read the spin and the ball crashes into the leg stump. Australia Women are just a solitary wicket away from an convincing win.

OUR! CASTLED! Alana King getting the job done to kill the game as fast as she can! Alana King comes 'over the wicket and bowls fuller just outside leg but turns it towards the stumps. Afy Fletcher makes a bit of room to loft it over the head of the bowler but misses to read the spin and the ball crashes into the leg stump. Australia Women are just a solitary wicket away from an convincing win.

Fuller on off. Afy Fletcher eases it towards cover.

Fuller, down the leg. Afy Fletcher tries to flick but wears it on her pads.

Fuller on middle. Zaida James sweeps it uppishly towards deep square leg for one.

IN AIR... BUT SAFE! Fires another bumper, on off. Afy Fletcher attempts to pull it but gets the connection from the upper part of her wilow. The ball drops safely towards long off as the fielder is inside the circle. A couple taken in between.

Good-length delivery on leg. Zaida James nudges it towards square leg for a single.

On a length around off. Zaida James punches it towards the point fielder.