In the end, it was all a bit like that scene in Indiana Jones – the West Indies sword had glistened in this tournament, as they spun it from hand to hand in a display of swaggering bravado… so Australia got out their gun and just shot them!
Make no mistake – the West Indies were up for this! On taking the early wicket of Beth Mooney, they were dancing just like they had in St Lucia as they bettered their key rivals in Group A – first South Africa and then England.
But Australia didn’t come to dance, they came to win!
It was quickly clear that the this was a pitch on which the big shots were going to play hard-to-get, so Healy and Lanning didn’t go for them – largely picking off the easier runs into the gaps and spaces to build the foundations of the innings.
When the time came to take some risks and accelerate, Healy selflessly took on a few more shots and payed the price, falling short of her 50, but Gardner and Haynes showed the value of having kept wickets in hand, pushing the rate on in the last few overs.
Was it a glamorous total? No!
Was it enough? Yes – obviously!
But it is also fair to say that it might not have been against a different team – a team that were prepared to play the same “percentage cricket” that the Aussies were.
But the Windies were not that team – go big or go home seems to be their motto; and the scorecard tells the story as the Aussies worked their way through the middle order – caught, caught, caught, caught, caught, caught.
Going big just wasn’t an option… so now they are going home.
CRICKETher 
Very disappointing from Windies, frankly they fell apart after the 18th over of the Aussie innings, when the score was only 115.
Dottin had a bad day at the office, she came on strangely late but gifted lots of wide bowling and full tosses. Fletcher didn’t pitch too many either, and they gifted the Aussies far too many runs at the end. Haynes had to do remarkably little apart from deflect a couple of balls for her effective little flurry at the end.
Windies batting was really a non-event, top score of 16 will get you nowhere fast (unless every incoming batter gets 16 of course!). Very little aggression or innovation shown, the lower order were just as good as the top order, which was not very! Shambolic stuff. It was a performance which paled in comparison to their group showings – but that’s what pressure can do.
Looks like its its going to be Australia’s tournament to lose, as many of us predicted. They have “revenge” for the 2016 final!
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On an obtuse observation, what message does it send to younger players when many of those in the first semi final are on full screen chewing? It may be old fashioned in approach, but it does not look good!
Good Luck England…….hopefully not chewing!
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Viv Richards was never without his chewing gum. If it’s good enough for the Master Blaster…
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Winfield chews plenty of gum…maybe our worst culprit, but what a catch she took! Actually I’m OK with the chewing, whatever helps concentrate / relax.
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I don’t think it sends any message apart from “you do what makes you happy or comfortable and remember that when someone talks about ‘manners’ , ‘class’ or ‘message’ that person is probably English and is called Mary Whitehouse”.
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Ironic that the most volatile format in terms of results throws up a final containing the 2 most well-funded, professional and well organised teams – both semis were won by the side that knew how to handle pressure and control the match. Australia’s innings in particular was a model of how to win a match – no panic, controlled, mature (and seriously scary when you have Perry and Haynes in with FIVE wickets down).
Note to ICC – can we have a pitch for the final that allows batsmen to bat. Pitch for the Semis was poor.
The ICC clearly had a dim view of England’s chance of making the final – setting the start time of the final to minimise the number of people who will watch it in England. Great times for Australia though (8am in Perth to 11am in Sydney) – watch the match, get p****d when they win (I realise most Australians do not drink), hit the beach to sober up ! Now that’s what I call a Sunday.
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It isn’t the same pitch but it is going to be very similar I’m afraid. Maybe won’t spin as much, the groundsman told HK today, so just slow and low.
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