… Line-up to be confirmed after today’s West Indies-India match
THE FOUR semi-finalists for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 have now been confirmed with a day remaining in the group stage matches, which are being played at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.Squads that have progressed from the group stage which started on March 23 include defending champions Australia, former winners England, South Africa and the West Indies. However, the semi-final line-up will only be decided after today’s match between the West Indies and India, which will start at 19:30hrs (local time).
If the West Indies win the match to finish unbeaten in their group, then they will top Group B and will play South Africa on April 4, while Australia will face England the previous day.
But if India beat the West Indies, then the West Indies will end second in Group B, which, in turn, means the semi-finals line-up will be Australia versus the West Indies on April 3 and England versus South Africa the following day.
Both semi-finals will be staged ahead of the men’s semi-finals at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, and will start at 14:30hrs (local time).
The semifinals and final of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 will be covered, produced and distributed by the ICC’s global media rights partner and host broadcaster, Star Sports.
The semifinalists from Group A were only confirmed last Monday, after South Africa beat New Zealand by five wickets, a result which meant Australia, South Africa and New Zealand finished with three wins each but Australia topped the group with a superior net run-rate (+2.205), South Africa finished second (+1.606) and New Zealand ended up third (+1.275).
Australia captain Meg Lanning said that her team would do all they could to defend their title in Mirpur.
“We are looking forward to heading back to Dhaka for our next challenge in this tournament, which will be our semifinal against England or West Indies. We’ve played some good cricket up until this point and enjoyed the atmosphere in Sylhet.
The big games are still to come and this is a situation we’ve found ourselves in recent times and hopefully that experience will bode well for us,” said Lanning.
South Africa captain Mignon Du Preez was ecstatic to be travelling to Dhaka for the semifinals.
“The girls have been working so hard for the past few years. We knew we had it in us but we could never make it click in the crucial stages, so to do that tonight is absolutely amazing. I’m honoured to be captain of this team and to lead South Africa in our first semifinals,” said Du Preez.
West Indies, semi-finalists in 2010 and 2012, were the first side to seal a semi-final berth from Group B after they won three matches straight.
It started with an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka and followed up with a 36-run win against Bangladesh and a nine-run win against 2009 winner England. However, their position in the group will only be confirmed after their match against India.
A delighted West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said it’s time for the team to shed its bridesmaid status.
“As a side, we can’t rush into things as we are still a developing side,” she said, adding: “We have been around for a while, but the success we’ve enjoyed has been tremendous. It’s a pleasure to lead this team because we came together from nowhere and have turned into a team that’s made people sit up and take notice. We will be looking forward to doing even better things.”
England, which was also the runner-up to Australia in 2012, notched up three wins in four matches, ending their group stage performance with a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka last Sunday evening.
England captain Charlotte Edwards, who won the ICC Women’s Cricketer-of-the-Year in 2008 and was Player-of-the-Tournament in 2012, was thrilled to go through to the knock-out stage.
“We really back ourselves, and the way the girls have bounced back from the first defeat is outstanding. We feel we’re in a really good position going into the semi-finals stage of this tournament. This is the part of the tournament we are all looking forward to, we get to play in front of the big crowds and a television audience. We really can’t wait to get there,” said Edwards.