LONDON (AP) — New Zealand's defense of the Women's Twenty20 World Cup crown was over after losing to England by nine wickets at The Oval on Saturday.
The Kiwis lost three of their five group games. They received a surprising last-ditch lifeline to the semifinals just hours earlier when Ireland defeated the West Indies by six wickets in Bristol.
Ireland ended a 0-21 losing streak across five tournaments going back 12 years.
“A few of us are now half-Irish,” New Zealand veteran Sophie Devine quipped. “(Our) fate is in our hands.”
But New Zealand had to topple unbeaten England to head off the West Indies for the second semifinal berth in their group.
After New Zealand put up 163-6, England romped to 164-1 with 16 balls to spare on the back of Danni Wyatt-Hodge's unbeaten 89 in front of 21,018 spectators, a tournament record for a group match.
The other two semifinalists will be decided on Sunday from Australia, South Africa and India.
Wyatt-Hodge wallops the White Ferns
Wyatt-Hodge flogged the New Zealand bowlers with her second fifty of the tournament beside her opening-night century.
She's comfortably the event's leading run-scorer with 282 and smashed the single World Cup runs record of 259 set by Australia's Beth Mooney in 2020 with potentially two more games to play.
Wyatt-Hodge was dropped behind the stumps before she scored in the first over and should have been stumped on 13 but the ball was fumbled.
Her fifty came up from 33 balls, and she finished on 89 not out from 53 balls including 15 boundaries and a six. She enjoyed a stand of 128 off 80 with Dunkley, who was 49 not out off 38 with nine boundaries. Dunkley is England's second highest scorer with 120.
New Zealand chose to bat first and enjoyed a 70-run opening stand between Isabella Gaze and Melie Kerr but they were ousted along with Izzy Sharp in a four-ball span. Brooke Halliday and Devine added 74 together then departed in the same over. Maddy Green and Suzie Bates attempted a grandstand finish but the total looked under par.
The defeat closed the international careers of Devine, Bates and bowler Lea Tahuhu, who combined for nearly 900 appearances for New Zealand.
Ireland wins at last
Ireland go home no longer burdened by its T20 World Cup losing streak, and adding to an historic 24 hours for Irish cricket after the men knocked off India for the first time in a T20 in Belfast.
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The women limited the West Indies to 128-7 and Orla Prendergast led the chase with a 44-ball 63. She was caught 21 runs from victory but Rebecca Stokell and Louise Little finished it off with Little hitting the winning boundary over mid-on for 129-4 with 11 balls remaining.
“(Winning) just means so much,” Prendergast said. “We have had the belief throughout but it had not come together just yet. Just so much relief to have that win and so much happiness.”
The West Indies struggled to get much going on a sticky pitch, especially against Irish bowlers Cara Murray and Aimee Maguire.
Captain Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin hit a slow 22 and 21 and Chinelle Henry added a quickfire unbeaten 27 at the end. Irish misfields gave the West Indies at least three boundaries.
Prendergast joined opener Amy Hunter in the fifth over and passed her score by the ninth. Hunter fed Prendergast the strike and they added 62 together.
Prendergast reached her second fifty of this World Cup off 36 balls and was given out on 56 but overturned that on review. She was caught at deep square leg in the 16th over but had done enough.
Pakistan squeeze the Netherlands
In a matchup of winless teams, Pakistan beat the Netherlands by 37 runs in Bristol.
The Dutch, on debut, targeted this one for a win and did well to restrict Pakistan to 126-6. Only opener Gull Feroza prevented a much lower score. Dropped on 10, Feroza used the life brilliantly to carry her bat to her first T20 World Cup fifty and an unbeaten 63 off 52 balls including nine boundaries.
She featured in a 79-run stand with Ayesha Zafar, who scored 32.
Iris Zwilling, Heather Siegers and Hannah Landheer led the Dutch bowling but Pakistan was even better to dismiss the Netherlands for 89 in 18 overs.
Siegers gave the Dutch chase a great launch but after the powerplay the brakes were applied by Nashra Sandhu, Tuba Hassan and Zafar, who earned a T20 career-best 3-13.
With the result secure, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana took three wickets — all bowled — in the 18th and last over, including Dutch top-scorer and captain Babette de Leede on 30.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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