West Indies defeated England in the virtual knockout clash in Group B of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 as all four semifinalists for the 9th edition of the tournament have been set in stone. The Windies ended the six-year wait of beating the Three Lions in a T20I match with a comprehensive six-wicket win at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, October 15. England, who were one of the strong contenders to win the World Cup, have been sent back home with a sensational win by the Windies.
The Windies not only qualified for the semifinals, but they have topped Group B as they chased down the 142-run target in 18 overs, one over less than what was required to go on top of the table. Before this clash, they were in third place but have now gone on first with a net-run-rate boosting win. The Hayley Matthews-led side won three matches out of four in the tournament and have an NRR of 1.504. The 2023 runners-up South Africa and England ended their campaign with three wins in four games too but due to the Proteas' superior NRR of 1.382 in comparison to England's 1.117, South Africa have qualified for the last four.
West Indies, the 2016 champions have qualified for the semifinals alongside South Africa from Group B, while defending champions Australia and New Zealand progressed from the other group. Group A toppers Australia will face Group B runners-up South Africa in a re-match of the 2023 final in the first semifinal on October 17 in Dubai, and Group B toppers West Indies will face Group A runners-up New Zealand on October 18 in Sharjah.
Coming back to the last group, the Windies made England pay heavily for their several drops on the field in the 142-run-chase. While captain Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph took the 2016 champions off to a blistering start in the second innings, the 2009 champions England would rue over the chances they missed on the field, which led the two openers to notch a stand of 102 and kill the chase. England had a bit of chance when they sent back both the openers in quick succession but Deandra Dottin power-hitting at the end, helped finish the contest without much of a hiccup.
England had made 141 batting first with a strong 57-run knock from vice-captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who was not given out despite three reds earlier in her innings. Heather Knight was the second-highest run-scorer with 21 to her name but she retired hurt due to a calf injury. She did not take the field too as Sciver-Brunt skippered the English side, which eventually went down by six wickets.
