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West Indies captain Hayley Matthews couldn't control her tears as they succumbed to an eight-run loss against New Zealand. It came in the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final on Friday (October 18) in Sharjah. The opening batter's teammates were seen consoling her as ICC shared pictures of them on social media.
West Indies, who have won the title in 2016, delivered a disciplined bowling performance to restrict the White Ferns to 128/9 in 20 overs. All-rounder Deandra Dottin was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-0-22-4. George Plimmer top-scored with 33 off 31 deliveries, laced with three fours and a six.
However, the West Indies suffered a top-order collapse as none of the top four went beyond 20 runs, with Mathews scoring 15. After starring with the ball, Dottin offered a glimmer of hope for her side when she slammed three sixes in the 16th over bowled by Lee Tahuhu.
While the equation came down to 34 off 24 deliveries, Dottin was dismissed in the 17th over to end all their hopes. The remaining deliveries were a mere formality for New Zealand.
"At the beginning of the day we would've taken 127 no doubt" - Hayley Matthews
At the post-match presentation, Matthews said they can't blame the bowlers, but the batters' inability to get going proved detrimental. However, she said she was incredibly proud of the team for exceeding the expectations.
"We bowled really well upfront. Probably just got away a little bit in the end but we can't blame the bowlers. At the beginning of the day we would've taken 127 no doubt. We probably just weren't able to get going early on and that put us under pressure.
"It is disappointing for the entire group. I'm incredibly proud of everyone within the team. We saw players that haven't been on the circuit very much show up at this WC and I think as a group we've come together and exceeded expectations."
New Zealand will face South Africa in the final on October 20, Sunday in Dubai.
