West Indies out to shake up Australia's World Cup march

On March 29, earlier this year, the 22-year-old Ashmini Munisar, playing only her eighth ODI, had dismissed Georgia Voll. She was now up against Ellyse Perry, a player she had long watched growing up. She sent an offbreak towards the batter, which was chipped back to her. She stuck her right hand over her head and plucked the catch, and set off on a wild celebration. Hayley Matthews terms it a '100-meter sprint to the boundary'.

The West Indian skipper is all too aware of the reason. "They obviously are coming up against people who they saw ruling the cricket world a bit when they were a bit younger. And I know they look up to a few of those players."

It's now the moment for these youngsters to come up against the all-star team of women's cricket in a knockout clash, the scales of which are heavily tilted. Matthews has no shame in admitting they go into the contest with 'nothing to lose'. But in saying so, she also admits that it is such a narrative which will drive the team - to be told that they have to prove people wrong.

It's been a long-standing issue for West Indies. On their day, they have the potential to beat any opposition. And as witnessed only a few days ago, when they are expected to be the favourites in a contest, to have a tendency to lose to any opposition.

Beating this Australian team is as tough an ask of any team in the history of World Cups. But now that West Indies have a shot, they are aware that they will require a freakish performance - of which many are capable, including the captain who has historically done well against Australia. But not one, they will require many such performances coming together to outdo the favourites. And the Australians are not unaware of that.

Ash Gardner knows there are days when players like Deandra Dottin can really 'flick a switch pretty quickly'. This awareness comes with experience. For as dominant as Australia have been over the past eight years, West Indies have still pinched a win against them.

Moreover, in this tournament, they've not just been reliant on the three veterans - Dottin, Stafanie Taylor and Matthews. Several others have started chipping in with useful contributions. While they would look for the big players to turn up on the big day, a grand team effort would be required to do the unthinkable.

When:Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 2:30 PM Local Time/7:00 PM IST

Where:Australia vs West Indies, Semi final 1, The Oval, London

What to expect: With 62-meter boundaries on all sides, there are no specific areas to target, but The Oval has been one of the highest scoring venues in The Hundred - especially last season when the scoring rate shot up significantly. The team winning the toss is likely to chase.

Team News:

West Indies: Chenille Henry didn't bowl in the nets, but Hayley Matthews confirmed that was only as part of precaution, and the all-rounder should be available for the match.

Probable XI: Qiana Joseph, Hayley Matthews (c), Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Jahzara Claxton, Jannilea Glasgow, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Ashmini Munisar

Australia:There may not be a need to alter the Playing XI, but given the help that spinners have found on the surface this year, Australia would be tempted to bring in Alana King.

Probable XI:Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (c), Kim Garth, Alana King

Did you know?

• All five Women's T20 matches played at The Oval this year have been won by the teams chasing
• Ellyse Perry needs 20 runs to become the fourth Australian to score 2500 runs in T20Is
• Stafanie Taylor needs two wickets to become the fourth West Indian to take 100 T20I wickets

What they said:

"Coming up against Australia, we have nothing to lose, and that puts us in a position where we can be quite fearless going out there" - Hayley Matthews, West Indies captain

"They've got a lot of class and a lot of firepower within their team. Also a lot of experience...you look at someone like Deandra Dottin, she's a threat in all three phases of the game. She's a fantastic player. I've had the privilege of playing with her, and just seeing how she goes about her cricket, she's so fearless in the way that she approaches it, which sometimes can be quite scary because she can flick a switch pretty quickly...they've got that rawness within their side. They definitely pose a different threat." - Ash Gardner, Australia vice-captain