Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner push Australia into eighth Women’s World Cup T20 final

NEW DELHI: Six-time champions Australia continued their dominant run in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 by crushing West Indies by eight wickets in the first semi-final at the Kennington Oval in London on Tuesday.The win was Australia’s sixth straight win in the tournament and secured a place in the Women’s T20 World Cup final for the eighth time.Captain Sophie Molineux won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that paid off handsomely as the Australian bowlers kept the West Indies batting under constant pressure.

West Indies struggle after a promising start

West Indies finished on 125/7 from their 20 overs after failing to build on a stable opening position.Captain Hayley Matthews top-scored with 30 off 28 balls and hit five boundaries while Qiana Joseph made 16. The pair added 47 runs for the opening wicket before Georgia Wareham broke the partnership by dismissing Matthews.Shemaine Campbelle contributed 22 but the innings lost momentum after the middle order collapsed.Australia struck at regular intervals as Stafanie Taylor and Jahzara Claxton both departed scoreless, reducing West Indies from 55/1 to 59/4.Chinelle Henry added 10, while Jannillea Glasgow chipped in with 15, but the Caribbean side struggled to step up.Deandra Dottin, who had earlier raised concerns after being carried off the field before the match, showed tremendous determination to come back and score an unbeaten 26 off 16 balls to help West Indies recover to 125/7.

Australia’s bowlers are shining

Australia’s spinning attack did most of the damage.Ashleigh Gardner was outstanding, conceding just 13 runs in four overs while claiming two wickets.Captain Sophie Molineux also claimed 2/30 while Georgia Wareham finished with 2/17.Annabel Sutherland got into it with one wicket as Australia never allowed the West Indies to build any meaningful partnerships.

Mooney, Gardner finishes in style

Australia made this chase easy, reaching 127/2 in just 13 overs.Georgia Voll started the innings brightly with 16 off 11 balls before being dismissed by Chinelle Henry.Phoebe Litchfield made four before being trapped lbw by Hayley Matthews, while Ellyse Perry retired injured after taking two wickets.Beth Mooney then anchored the chase with a superb unbeaten 61 off just 36 balls, hitting eight fours.She found the perfect partner in Ashleigh Gardner, who blasted an unbeaten 35 off 20 balls, including four boundaries and a six.The pair added an unbroken partnership of 63 runs to seal victory with 42 balls to spare, underscoring Australia’s dominance.

Australia one win away from another title

Australia’s all-round display underlined again why they remain the team to beat in world cricket.After restricting West Indies to a subpar total with a disciplined bowling performance, their batsmen completed the chase with ease.The six-time champions will now head into the final full of confidence as they chase another Women’s T20 World Cup title. They will face the winner of the second semi-final – England or South Africa.