Dominant Australia wary of West Indies threat at T20WC semis
The six-time winners arrive into the knockouts on the back of an invincible group stage run but are well aware of the challenge West Indies pose.
Australia all-rounder Ash Gardner was all praise for the West Indies ahead of their ICC Women's T20 World Cup semi-final.
Gardner believes the Windies are worthy contenders when it comes to their semi-final contest, with multiple match winners in their ranks.
“They've got a lot of class and a lot of firepower within their team,” Gardner said.
“Also a lot of experience, obviously led brilliantly by Hayley Matthews, who's a player that can take away a game pretty quickly. But then 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 I guess 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.
“But then just to see the, I guess, inexperience as well that they've got and that rawness that they've got within their side. So yeah, they definitely pose a different threat.”
Australia are coming into the big-ticket clash on the back of an inspiring performance against India that rounded off their invincible group stage campaign.
Gardner, alongside Ellyse Perry were key performers as Australia sealed off a tricky chase against India at Lord's.
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Not holding back while showering praises of Perry's longevity, Gardner said the premier all-rounder has only gotten better with time.
“She's like a red wine,” Gardner said. “I think that's, she's just someone that's gotten better and better. And I think of just the evolution of her game.
“She's known that the global game has gone at such a fast pace and, that doesn't settle or slow down for anyone. So she knows that she needs to keep up with that pace.
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“And I guess just to watch the way that she approaches the game, the mental side of things, and just being able to be really brave. I feel like sometimes that can be quite hard at times when you feel like you don't have that confidence, but she's someone that always tries to take the game on.
“For someone with so much experience and so much willingness to keep evolving, it just shows younger players like me that, there is no real ceiling on that stuff. And yeah, she's a fantastic leader within our group, within that space, but then just generally as well.”
With 183 runs to her name in five outings, Perry is currently Australia’s highest run-getter at this tournament and the fourth overall.
Fueled by Perry's form, Australia will square off against the Windies at The Oval, making it the first time they play at the venue during this tournament.
“I guess we can do our homework in terms of how we're going to approach a new venue, a fast venue, one that's really nice to bat on.
“So for us, it's being able to do that quickly because we've got a day to do it. And then a really quick turnaround and then just get really excited for what the occasion is.”
The first semi-final between Australia and the West Indies will kickstart on 30 June at 2:30 PM local time.