England finished their T20 World Cup group stage game unbeaten with a joint-record chase at The Oval, putting New Zealand out of the competition after Ireland beat West Indies in Bristol.
England finished at the top of the Group B table after chasing down 163 – equalling the record for the highest successful chase in a women's T20I at The Oval, a record they set in the 2009 T20 World Cup semi-final. The match saw New Zealand legends Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Leah Tahuhu sign off in international cricket, all three of them having announced their retirements at the end of the tournament.
All-rounders Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson starred yet again, Kemp getting the crucial breakthrough in a strong opening White Ferns partnership, getting Izzy Gaze with an off-cutter with the score at 70-0. Dani Gibson took two wickets in three ball in her next over, New Zealand losing three wickets without scoring a run. After a powerful cameo from Devine, before she was pinned lbw by Lauren Bell, New Zealand posted their highest score of the tournament so far.
However, Dani Wyatt-Hodge starred with the bat again to see England to an important win, having batted first three times out of their first four group games. She scored an unbeaten 89 off 53 balls, overtaking Beth Mooney's 2020 campaign for most runs scored in a single edition of the Women's T20 World Cup. England will have to wait until India and Australia play each other tomorrow to find out who their semi-final opponents will be and which of the semis they will play in.
The match at The Oval was given increased importance by Ireland's victory over West Indies shortly before it began. It was Ireland's first victory at a Women's T20 World Cup in their 22nd match, and was led by Orla Prendergast's all-round contribution. She returned figures of 1-29, and scored 63 off 44 in her side's total of 129-4 in the chase. However, New Zealand's loss means West Indies have still qualified for their second consecutive semi-final appearance in women's T20 World Cups.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan finished their World Cup with a win over the Netherlands, to avoid finishing their campaign without any points.
Women’s T20 World Cup: Updated points table after PAK vs NED, WI v IRE, ENG v NZ
Team | Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Points | NRR |
Australia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4.724 |
India | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2.268 |
South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0.734 |
Bangladesh | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -0.849 |
Pakistan (E) | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | -1.872 |
Netherlands (E) | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -3.276 |
Group B
Team | Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Points | NRR |
England (Q) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2.134 |
West Indies (Q) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | -0.147 |
Sri Lanka (E) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | -0.725 |
New Zealand (E) | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -0.118 |
Scotland (E) | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | -0.232 |
Ireland (E) | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | -1.277 |
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
