Once again, the affair between Australia and the West Indies was one-sided. This was West Indies’ 13th loss in 14 games against the same opposition in ODIs which saw Australia reaching their seventh final of the ODI World Cup. “We have played some unbelievable cricket throughout these last few weeks”, Alyssa Healy said.
Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes put on 216 for the first wicket as Australia posted 305 for three, a record for a World Cup knockout game despite the match being shortened to 45 overs due to early rain.
The West Indies never looked like chasing the total down and ended on 148 for eight with Anisa Mohammed and Chinelle Henry unable to take the field due to injury and illness.
The Player of the match, Alyssa Healy, said afterwards that their goal was always to play the final. “We knew we wanted to be in Christchurch on the 3rd of April, so it is a great thing for our group to be in a World Cup final.”
She added: “I think we have played some unbelievable cricket throughout these last few weeks with everything that has been thrown at us as well.
The group has worked hard
Australia has now won eight out of eight games in this World Cup and is one win away from replicating their record from 1997 when they won all the matches at the same event. But despite winning all their matches, Australia had said they are missing a perfect game.
But Healy believes they found one to advance to their seventh one-day World Cup final. She said that the performance in this match is what they have been looking for. Megan Schutt agrees with her teammate. “Today was a clinical performance. And, we have been playing consistent cricket for a long time, and I genuinely believe that we deserve to be in this position”, she said.
Alyssa Healy added furthermore that they, as a group, have been working hard in the training that also shows on the ground. “It is no real surprise that we have played in the way we have played. We have never been caught napping against anyone, so it is a great sense of achievement and a little bit of unfinished business; we want to lift the trophy.”
West Indies sees the positives
For the West Indies, their remarkable run has come to an end. The Maroon Warriors qualified for the knockout stages thanks to a defeat for India. But their leading run-scorer and wicket-taker Hayley Matthews believes there are plenty of positives to be taken from their campaign in New Zealand.
She said, “we would have liked to go further, but I think looking back on this team’s journey, we could not imagine doing it a year ago. We have seen so many of our players taking steps at becoming better players and becoming more consistent that is heartening to see.”
Furthermore, she said that she is proud of her team’s performance despite being thrashed by Australia. The major cause, according to her, is that it is hard for West Indies to compare to the giants like Australia and England because they have a domestic structure that is better than theirs. They have a bigger pool of talented players to choose from. “It just shows the fight and the heart that we have as a team.”
For now, the West Indies will return home and prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup next year, which will take place in South Africa. Meanwhile, Australia will head to Christchurch for the World Cup final on Sunday.
Photograph: ICC
