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In what was certainly not an expected semi-final match-up come the start of this ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, West Indies take on New Zealand in Sharjah with a place in the final against either Australia or South Africa up for grabs.
DATE & TIME: Friday 18th October, 2024: UAE – 5:00pm / USA (PST) – 7:00am / USA (EST) - 10:00am / UK – 3:00pm / South Africa - 4:00pm / Pakistan – 7:30pm / India– 7:00pm / Bangladesh – 8:00pm / Saturday 19th October 2024: Australia – 12:00am
VENUE: Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah, UAE
WEATHER: Sunshine at the start of play before clear skies later on with temperatures remaining inside the thirties.
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: USA – Willow TV / West Indies – ESPN Caribbean / UK – Sky Sports / South Africa – SuperSport / Pakistan – PTV Sports & TEN Sports / India – Star Sports / Bangladesh – Nagorik TV
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: USA – Willow TV website / West Indies – ESPN Play Caribbean app / UK – Sky Go / South Africa – SuperSport app / Pakistan – Myco, Tamasha & Shoq / India – Disney+Hotstar / Bangladesh – Toffee / Australia – Amazon Prime Video
HOW TO GET TICKETS FOR THE 2024 ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP: Click here for the latest ticket information for the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
WEST INDIES FORM: STUNNING WIN OVER ENGLAND SECURED TOP SPOT FOR WINDIES
West Indies are riding the crest of a wave after a fantastic and fully-deserved six-wicket triumph over England in their final group stage fixture, sending them into the semi-finals as Group B winners and knocking out Heather Knight’s side in the process. Such a result represents the biggest indication yet that the Windies have what is takes to go all the way here.
NEW ZEALAND FORM: WHITE FERNS ADVANCE AT EXPENSE OF INDIA
The expectation from many leading into the tournament was that Australia and India would be the top nations to progress through to the semi-finals from Group A. But New Zealand had something to say about that, losing only to Australia across the group stage. They beat India and Sri Lanka, before thrashing Pakistan to complete the subcontinental trio and book a place in the last four.
WEST INDIES BETTING ANALYSIS
In our betting analysis of West Indies ahead of their match against England, we focused on the power-hitting of Deandra Dottin and how important that could prove to be when considering the difficulities teams and players have faced scoring boundaries across the competition. Dottin justified our analysis with a brutal 27 from 19 balls, which includes two maximums and took the game away from England.
Dottin is expected to try and play a similar role here vs New Zealand and with form in her favour, bettors should explore utilising the ‘Batter Total Match Fours’ market to back over 1.5 match fours being scored by Dottin.
NEW ZEALAND BETTING ANALYSIS
In a contest of such magnitude, New Zealand will likely need their biggest names to take the game by the scruff of the neck and force the issue in their favour. The White Ferns boast the ideal player to do just that in captain Sophie Devine, who like Dottin for West Indies can send the ball over the boundary rope at a moment’s notice.
Her highest score so far has been 57 not out against India, another huge occasion and her ability to step up under pressure warrants investment from bettors, specifically to score 30+ runs in this semi-final.
WEST INDIES VS NEW ZEALAND EXPERT PREDICTION
What has been so impressive about West Indies over the course of this tournament has been their clear plans, which are perfectly set for T20 cricket. Whether it be their aggressive batting, or shrewd bowling with multiple variations, the Windies have found a formula for success and that thumping victory over England was testament to that.
New Zealand are an experienced unit and certainly won’t be phased by the occasion and the opportunity. But West Indies with their power hitters both up and down the order, are worth backing to edge what should be a classic.
WEST INDIES VS NEW ZEALAND TOP TIP: WEST INDIES TO WIN