It's a warm day, but there has been a nice breeze. Pretty even on the square of the wicket -- 59 and 62 metres but the straight is 73 metres. The pitch is the same as the one we used in the first game here where the highest score was 119. It's a used surface but it has a nice green cover which says it has been rested enough. Down the wicket is the way to go, just like Plimmer did.
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Sharjah Cricket Stadium
It's a warm day, but there has been a nice breeze. Pretty even on the square of the wicket -- 59 and 62 metres but the straight is 73 metres. The pitch is the same as the one we used in the first game here where the highest score was 119. It's a used surface but it has a nice green cover which says it has been rested enough. Down the wicket is the way to go, just like Plimmer did.
The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That's it then from this game, folks. What an incredible achievement from the Kiwis but you've got to feel for the West Indies and Dottin. They couldn't put their best foot forward and still fell only just short of what could've been history for them too. But that's the nature of this sport. With the hope that there's more of Dottin in Maroon, it's Rudransh and Arya signing off for Sportskeeda. See you in the blockbuster final!
Sophie Devine (New Zealand captain): It hasn't sunk it at all yet. Still getting my brain out from being fried in the middle. Really privileged to have this incredible opportunity. The last few overs saved the bacon for us. We felt we were a bit under par. But the way Izzi batted at the end and scraped through a few extra runs. We thought 130 would be a competitive total. But the highest here was 127 so we knew we were in with a great shout. This wicket here could be tough. We knew it was always going to be competitive. When you've got players like Matthews and Dottin in there, the game is never over. You can set the field for Dottin but she clears them over the top. Having the clarity between execution of the right plan and picking the right plan is important. We obviously put down a few chances. The game might have been easier on another day. Full credit to the West Indies. They have been incredible with Deandra coming back and the way Hayley has led this side, we knew it was going to be a tough game. Huge respect for the West Indies side. Look, Halliday was supposed to get the ball in the last over but to have someone from Suzie's experience, she's been harping on it at training. To do it with just three fielders out was pretty clutch and pretty special. Pretty cool for Suzz to do it! I think the thing that makes me the most proud is the character we have shown. Not just in this tournament but in the last 12-18 months. We have got nothing to lose and that's a pretty good space to be in. South Africa are an incredible side. The way Laura Wolvaardt leads them... then Kapp and Bosch... but we'll focus on ourselves. Hopefully the cricket gods will favor us too.
Hayley Matthews (West Indies captain): I think we bowled really well upfront. We had them under a good run-rate. We would have taken 128 at the beginning. We can't blame the bowlers. We felt they were a bit short, based on that pitch. We wanted to be positive but we just never got going. I felt it never got out of our control, it was always a few boundaries away. That's what Deandra did with those boundaries, so credit to her. It's disappointing for the entire group after coming to this stage with the way we did. But I am incredibly proud of the group. There were some new players in that group and we have exceeded expectations.
Hang around for the post-match presentation...
Eden Carson is the Player of the Match, here is what she had to say: I am a bit emotional now. Really proud of the girls. Honestly when Dottin was pummeling us, it became a bit difficult but we came back strongly and all credit to the girls. We really had to defend an under par score. Our target was to take early wickets. Yeah we saw how the West Indies bowlers bowled. I bowled a little bit full. It's a nice feeling (laughs).
New Zealand win by 8 runs! This is not just revenge for the 2016 semi-final, this is big history in itself. They have made sure we'll see a new winner of the Women's T20 World Cup. They have reached the final after 14 years of efforts. Bates, Devine, Tahuhu, their dreams are still a reality. Dottin and Matthews, their dreams have been broken. NZ have done it in the most Kiwi way possible: punching above the weight due to sheer teamwork. Save the date for the NZ-SA final! West Indies' disjointed efforts have, quite simply, fallen short.
Georgia Plimmer 33 (31) | Eden Carson (3/29) Deandra Dottin 33 (22) and (4/22)
An exceptional performance from New Zealand. Young James and Matthews are in tears, the White Ferns are jumping with joy. Bates sneaks a tear of joy for herself. That's what this sport is all about. So many emotions. It's not just bat and ball clashing. It's hard work, feelings and traditions and cultures and lives.
West Indies seemed to have kept New Zealand down to a pretty chaseable target in the first innings. The pitch didn't seem to have too many tricks on it. But New Zealand snatched the advantage back in the powerplay with two wickets, both from the exceptional Cason, who is set to win a yet another Player of the Match.
New Zealand just kept it slow and on the stumps from there on and West Indies couldn't cope the dot ball barrage. The required rate climbed over 10 and wickets fell in heaps. West Indies were 63/5 with Matthews gone trying to overturn the pressure and only Dottin left as the last recognised game-changer.
But she was never going to go without a bang. Three sixes in one over from her out of nowhere in the 16th and West Indies seemed back in it. The required run-rate was pulled back under 9 again. However, New Zealand threw in their own rockstar -- Kerr and she did just what they wanted from her.
The lower-order held on and kept the game interesting till the second-last ball but the punt on Bates' slow bowling just did enough!
20
overs
120/8score
4
0
W
1
0
1
runs
Afy Fletcher*
17(15)
Ashmini Munisar
1(1)
Suzie Bates
1/6
19.6 Suzie Bates to Afy Fletcher, New Zealand win by 8 runs. They have taken their revenge from the 2016 semi final loss against the same opposition. Was on a fuller-length around middle, Fletcher clears her front leg and only manages to swing it away towards the deep midwicket fielder.
19.5 Suzie Bates to Afy Fletcher, that shoud be it. Fletcher makes some space and tries to ramp away the good-length delivery over fine leg, doesn't make any contact.
10 needed off 2, Fletcher will take the strike -- a boundary will be bonkers here
19.4 Suzie Bates to Ashmini Munisar, Munisar comes down the track and only manages to slice that tossed-up delivery around middle, down towards the mid-off region and a single taken.
Ashmini Munisar, RHB, comes in
11 needed off 3 -- surely no other twist remains in this match's tank?
And she gets the wicket! If you are a New Zealand fan, this match is full of beautiful narratives. What a story!
19.3 Suzie Bates to Zaida James, WICKET! James' stumps has been rattled but a fine cameo from the youngster. That was flat and hard angling into the left-hander, she swings across the line blindly, sneaks under her defence and rattles the middle stump. West Indies still need 11 off 3 deliveries.
19.2 Suzie Bates to Zaida James, Bates angling it back into Zaida, she misses out on the sweep. Hits her on the pads and an important dot ball.
11 off 5! What is even happening?
19.1 Suzie Bates to Zaida James, FOUR! That's a great start to the final over for West Indies. On a fullish-length a shade outside off from Bates, James does exceedingly well to drive that in the gap past the cover fielder and that skips away to the fence.
WAIT WHAT? NZ have called up Suzie Bates, right-arm medium, to bowl the final over -- she hasn't bowled all tournament!
15 required in the final over. NEW ZEALAND HAVE BEEN GIVEN A FIELDING PENALTY! Slow over-rate means they can't have all the allowed fielders outside. Can West Indies make merry of it?
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Afy Fletcher
*
Suzie Bates
Video
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Sharjah Cricket Stadium
