Australia Women’s Cricket Team vs West Indies Women’s Cricket Team: Australia, the six-time champions, defeated the West Indies by eight wickets at The Kia Oval on Tuesday to advance to the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. They put on another outstanding all-around effort to get within one victory of claiming their seventh title. Led by Sophie Molineux, the Australia Women’s Team will be playing its eighth final of the Women’s T20 World Cup. They will meet the winner of the England Women vs South Africa Women Semi-Final, which will take place in a couple of days.
Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: West Indies Women start off strong before huge collapse
After Sophie Molineux-led Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first, West Indies openers Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph started things off with a solid 47-run opening partnership. Matthews struck 30 off 28 balls, while Joseph made 16, before Australia’s Georgia Wareham struck for the first breakthrough. Wareham broke the stand by dismissing Joseph, triggering a dramatic collapse. Ashleigh Gardner then produced the decisive spell of the innings, removing Stafanie Taylor and Jahzara Claxton in the same over as West Indies slipped from 47 without loss to 55 for 4.
Deandra Dottin’s cameo goes in vain as Wareham, Gardner, Molineux pick up two wickets each
Sophie Molineux then claimed the wicket of Chinelle Henry (11) in the 15th over. Wareham struck again in the 16th over, dismissing Shemaine Campbelle (22), reducing West Indies to 83/6. Deandra Dottin came in at No. 8 and fought back with an unbeaten 26 off just 16 deliveries. She combined with Jannillea Glasgow (15) for a valuable 42-run stand that lifted West Indies to a competitive 125/7. Wareham finished with figures of 2/17 in 3 overs while Gardner finished with 2/13 in 4 overs. Captain Molineux also claimed two wickets, giving away 30 runs in 4 overs.
Beth Mooney plays match-winning knock after early setbacks for Australia Women
Chasing 126, Australia faced a couple of early setbacks as Georgia Voll (16) and Phoebe Litchfield (4) departed cheaply. Ellyse Perry also retired hurt after scoring two, briefly raising hopes of a West Indies comeback. However, opener Beth Mooney ensured there would be no late drama. The left-hander played a fluent knock of 61* from only 36 balls, striking eight boundaries to put Australia firmly in control. Gardner complemented her perfectly with an unbeaten 35 off 20 balls as the pair added an unbroken 63-run stand to wrap up the chase in just 13 overs with 42 balls to spare.
The comprehensive victory sends Australia into their eighth Women’s T20 World Cup final in 10 editions. They will now face the winner of the second semi-final between England and South Africa at Lord’s on Thursday, aiming to successfully defend their world title.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
