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New Zealand hold off West Indies fightback to win World T20 semi-final thriller
Women's T20 World Cup, Sharjah
New Zealand 128-9 (20 overs): Plimmer 33 (31); Dottin 4-22
West Indies 120-8 (20 overs): Dottin 33 (22); Carson 3-29
New Zealand won by eight runs
Scorecard.
The Women's T20 World Cup is guaranteed a first-time winner as New Zealand beat West Indies by eight runs to join South Africa in Sunday's final.
West Indies slipped to 63-5 in pursuit of 129 on Sharjah's slow pitch, before Deandra Dottin's dynamic 33 from 22 balls, with three sixes, rejuvenated the chase.
But Melie Kerr struck the crucial blow in the 17th over to have Dottin caught at short fine leg which all-but sealed the White Ferns' victory.
The experienced Suzie Bates was tasked with defending 14 off the final over, having not bowled all tournament, but held her nerve as West Indies finished on 120-8.
Kerr finished with 2-14 and Eden Carson 3-29 to prevent West Indies from reaching their second final, which will be contested at the more batter-friendly Dubai.
In contrast to their explosive innings against England on Tuesday, West Indies struggled for fluency with opener Qiana Joseph falling for 12, captain Hayley Matthews stuttering to 15 from 21 balls and veteran Stafanie Taylor only managing 13.
Dottin was dropped three times as she tried in vain to catch up with the run-rate with her usual aggression, but it proved beyond even her reach as West Indies paid the price for a pedestrian start which included a powerplay score of just 25-2.
The all-rounder, who reversed her retirement to play in this tournament, earlier took 4-22 as New Zealand also could not score freely on the tricky surface.
Therefore the toss proved pivotal as Sophie Devine opted to bat first, with Georgia Plimmer's 33 from 31 balls the top score while Brooke Halliday's nine-ball 18 provided some much-needed impetus after the cautious start to the innings.
Regular wickets had heaped the pressure on the middle order, with Melie Kerr, Maddy Green and Rosemary Mair departing for single-figure scores to Dottin but Izzy Gaze's 20 not out provided a late flurry for New Zealand to reach their eventual match-winning total.
It is New Zealand's first World Cup final appearance since 2010, when they were beaten by Australia.
South Africa were beaten finalists by Australia in last year's final in Cape Town.
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'That's gone so far' – Dottin smashes three sixes in over
In a World Cup full of surprises, including neither England or India making it out of the group stage and Australia falling short in their semi-final, New Zealand's place in the final is arguably the biggest shock of all.
They were placed in what was considered the tougher group with India and Australia, and had lost their 10 previous T20s in the build-up to the tournament.
But, eight of those coming against England and defending champions Australia seems to have worked in their favour because they had been put under plenty of pressure and tested significantly. It means they can handle the crunch moments when they come.
The overall feeling was that 128-9 was below-par against West Indies, with their batters attempting to accelerate but both the pitch and the accurate bowling did not allow a free-flowing style of play.
With the benefit of knowing the surface's condition when it came to defence, their spinners twirled away relentlessly with Kerr continuing her impressive tournament, taking her tally to 12 and to the top of the wicket-taking charts so far.
Carson ensured their perfect start, bowling the one-dimensional Joseph, who swiped across the line, Shemaine Campbell then chipped to Bates at cover for three before Taylor, struggling with a sore knee, missed a sweep.
When Matthews fell to Lea Tahuhu in the 11th over to leave West Indies 51-4, their hopes lay solely on Dottin's shoulders and she seemed fully prepared to accept the responsibility, clubbing 23 from Tahuhu in the 16th over.
But Kerr and Bates, who so often carry New Zealand alongside Devine, handled the pressure expertly to close out the victory despite the first ball of the final over being beautifully driven for four by Zaida James to send a few shockwaves through the White Ferns' camp.
Many of the players could not hold in their tears of joy at the final ball, as they take one step closer to history against all odds.
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'Delight' from New Zealand's Suzie Bates as she bowls out West Indies Zaida James
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews: "It is disappointing for the entire group to go out now in the way we did, but I'm incredibly proud.
“We saw players who we haven't seen on the circuit much really come to the forefront in this tournament and we've exceeded expectations."
Player of the match, New Zealand’s Eden Carson: "When Deandra Dottin was pumping us all over the place I thought 'oh no'! But we stuck together, knew we could get it done and we got over the line in the end.
"We had to defend another below-par total but getting early wickets against a side like West Indies, who we know are dangerous after what they did against England, really helped us."
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine: “It hasn't sunk in yet, I’m still trying to get my brain back after being a bit fried out there!
"I am proud of the resilience and character of the team over the last 12-18 months. Results haven’t gone our way but the belief has always been there.
“We are really excited about the final. We have nothing to lose. We are going to win this thing now."
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