Buoyant New Zealand face upbeat WI in semis

West Indies Skipper Hayley Matthews (left) with New Zealand Captain Sophie Devine  

Buoyant New Zealand will seek to continue their inspirational run in the Women’s T20 World Cup when they face the West Indies in the second semi-final in Sharjah, UAE today.

New Zealand have undoubtedly been the story of the tournament so far in which they got the better of Asian sides India and Sri Lanka to make the final four from Group ‘A’, putting behind their 10-match losing streak before the competition.

With her towering presence, Sophie Devine rallied the Kiwis troops impressively. Their success story features solid contributions at the top from Georgia Plimmer and veteran Suzie Bates along with the all-round threat posed by Amelia Kerr further down the order.

Kerr has been at the forefront of the Kiwis attack with 10 wickets and 85 runs in what has been a largely low-scoring tournament, providing New Zealand with a lot of impetus.

Rosemary Mair has also been at the helm of New Zealand’s success in this World Cup with seven wickets on slow pitches in the UAE.

Eden Carson set up the tone for New Zealand’s high-profile clash against India and the Kiwis will hope that the right-arm spinner is at the top of her game against the West Indies, who are coming off a huge win over England.

Hayley Matthews’ West Indies topped Group ‘B’ and like New Zealand they also lost one game in the group stage but overall, the winners of the 2016 edition have put together robust performances.