Australia vice-captain Ashleigh Gardner has urged her side to be cautious of a dangerous West Indies team led by Hayley Matthews as they prepare to meet in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final at The Oval on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports. Six-time champions Australia enter the match as favourites after topping Group 1 with five wins from five. West Indies reached the last four in far more dramatic fashion.
The Caribbean side’s campaign included a shock six-wicket defeat to Ireland that left their semi-final spot in doubt. New Zealand looked set to qualify until England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge produced a remarkable innings in the final Group 2 match to eliminate the White Ferns and hand West Indies a lifeline.
Gardner warned that Australia must respect the West Indies’ match-winners even though some of their big names have underperformed so far in the tournament. “They’re a completely different threat. They’ve got a lot of class and a lot of firepower,” she said, highlighting the danger posed by captain Hayley Matthews and all-rounder Deandra Dottin.
Gardner added that Matthews is the kind of player who can change a game quickly, while Dottin is a three-phase threat — dangerous with bat, ball and in the field — noting Dottin’s fearless approach. Both players, however, have struggled for consistent runs in this tournament: Matthews made 48 off 37 in the opening win over New Zealand but has followed with scores of 14, 17, 14 and 22; Dottin’s highest has been 21, totalling 72 runs across five innings.
Matthews remains one of the most prolific T20I scorers against Australia, with 507 career T20I runs versus them, including a sensational 132 off 64 in Sydney in 2023 that famously helped West Indies chase down 213. She was also player of the match in the 2016 World Cup final against Australia, when West Indies won the title; Dottin played a key role in that victory as well.
Matthews says the team will need big performances from its stars to beat Australia. “We’re going to need standout individual performances,” she said, adding that success will also depend on contributions from role players such as Aaliyah Alleyne and Jahzara Claxton and an all-round team effort.
Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry said the squad is focused on the present rather than revisiting the 2016 defeat. “That was 10 years ago and the game has changed a lot. We’ve played each other recently and we’re familiar with their players. It will be a great challenge and we’re looking forward to it,” she added.
The semi-final is a quick turnaround at a different venue and Gardner stressed the need for Australia to be prepared for West Indies’ attacking threats. The match will be shown live on Sky Sports and can also be streamed free via the Sky Sports app.