New Zealand, Australia make it to T20 World Cup semi-finals from Group A

New Zealand made it to the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup after beating Pakistan by 54 runs in Dubai on Monday.

New Zealand's qualification for the knockout stages of the tournament comes at the expense of both India and Pakistan.

All three teams were in contention of making the semi-finals prior to the match.

Pakistan knew they could qualify if they chased down target of 111 in quick time, while India would have qualified instead of both teams had Pakistan gone on to win in a slower fashion.

But New Zealand’s tight bowling and a buccaneering approach from Pakistan saw the match race to a conclusion in just 11.4 overs of the second innings, as Pakistan crashed to 56 all out.

Earlier, Suzie Bates top-scored with 28 and plenty of New Zealand batters got starts, but Pakistan’s spinners kept the total under control, with Nashra Sandhu the pick of the bowlers with 3/18.

Catches were shelled throughout the innings under the lights in Dubai, and the eventual size of the target, coupled with the NRR equation, proved too much for Pakistan in the end.

On Sunday night, Australia held their nerve in a thrilling nine-run win over India to seal top spot in their group and a T20 World Cup semi-final berth.

With captain Alyssa Healy out injured, Australia’s stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath and deputy Ellyse Perry led their team to 8-151 in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 15,000 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

From a precarious position needing 53 runs from the final five overs, Harmanpreet smacked 25 from the next 14 balls she faced to reduce that margin significantly, aided by Deepti Sharma’s 29 from 25.

However, Harmanpreet was dismissed for 47-ball 54 as India went onto lose the game and putting their semi-final hopes on New Zealand vs Pakistan clash. India wanted Pakistan to win at a slow run rate but the latter lost.

ICC T20 Women's World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur, New Zealand, Pakistan, Dubai, catches, Suzie Bates