Toss Australia opt to bowl vs West Indies
Hayley Matthews, the West Indies captain, would also have chosen to bowl first and said the team’s big-name players, herself included, needed to step up with some big performances. However, ahead of the start of play, senior West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was named in the XI, was seen being carried off the field by her team-mates to the medical room.
Standing next to a green-tinged pitch at The Oval, Sophie Molineux, the Australia captain playing her 50th T20I, announced an unchanged XI to the one which knocked India out of the tournament in their final group-stage match.
“It looks like a good pitch to come out here and hopefully put a bit of pressure early,” Molineux said. “It does look a bit furrier than yesterday. I think it’s grown overnight.”
Australia have progressed through the tournament undefeated, while West Indies scraped into the semi-finals after losses to England and Ireland which meant they were reliant on England knocking New Zealand out at the group stage to progress.
Australia: Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (capt), Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton
West Indies: Qiana Joseph, Hayley Matthews (capt), Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Jahzara Claxton, Jannillea Glasgow, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack
