ENG-W vs WI-W

That wraps up the coverage tonight as England claim the first semi final spot out of the four on offer. The action will roll on, some key matches coming up as we move towards the business end of the tournament. We will be bringing all of that to you, for now this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep and everyone else in the team. Cheers!

Charlie Dean (England Women captain): (securing qualification for the semis) It is brilliant, it is what we set out to do today and to go over the line with one game to spare is great. (first innings score of 186) To all our batters to chip, Heather and Danni were the standouts but everyone chipped in. Was a very good score at Lord's. (on her bowling) I am never satisfied, would like to get better but happy with the processes I went through. Always learning, always getting better. (dropped catches tonight for England) Few missed chances, all of them looked pretty tough, don't think fielding is an issue. Hopefully we can cling on to a few more when it is a bit more meaningful. The girls put in a really good effort in the heat. (Nat Sciver-Brunt's fitness update) She is back in the nets, I don't know too much though. Really looking forward to her getting back

Hayley Matthews [West Indies captain]: [On choosing to bowl first]"It was certainly hot out there, but I still don't think bowling first was the wrong decision. England got off to a strong start with the bat and there were phases where we probably missed our lengths and lines. Towards the end, we let things slip a little, but overall I didn't think we were too far off. More than anything, I felt we let ourselves down in the field."[On playing at Lord's]"I don't think the occasion had anything to do with our execution. We were all excited to get the opportunity to play at Lord's. For many players, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we wanted to embrace it. Sometimes things don't go your way on big occasions, but we'll take the lessons and move forward."[On her dismissal]"At the time, I didn't feel like I had edged it and I didn't hear anything either. But ultimately, the umpire's decision is final and that's something you have to respect. From my perspective, there looked to be a gap between bat and ball, but once the decision is made, you move on."[On Stafanie Taylor's absence]"Steph was feeling unwell today. She's had a fever for a few days along with some chest tightness and difficulty breathing, so it looks like a respiratory illness. Hopefully she'll recover in time for the next game."[On the road ahead]"The important thing is that our destiny is still in our own hands. We know how crucial the game against Ireland is, and we need to stay positive and focus on playing our best cricket. If we do that, we'll give ourselves a great chance of getting back into a strong position in the tournament."

Danielle Wyatt-Hodge is the Player of the Match! Here's what she has to say: [On her innings]"I think the key was to watch the ball closely, bring good energy, and back myself. In T20 cricket, you have to show intent from the start and play with freedom. Thankfully, it was my night tonight."[On her scoring areas]"For most of the innings, I was looking to access the off-side. Fletch was bowling quite wide, so I tried to target those areas and find the gaps. It was also important to keep moving, stay energetic, and keep the scoreboard ticking."[On batting in the heat]"That was probably the hottest I've ever played in England. It reminded me a little of playing in Dubai a few years ago. It was a very dry heat, but I really enjoyed being out there. I thought the girls batted really well and everyone contributed towards putting together a strong total. Lord's can sometimes be a tricky place to bat, but we came out with positive intent."[On the running between the wickets]"There may have been a few communication issues, and it's definitely something we'll discuss before the next game. In T20 cricket, those situations can happen, but it's an area we know we can improve on going forward."

9:55 PM local time, 2:25 AM IST: MATCH SUMMARY

England Women (186/7 in 20 overs) beat West Indies Women (148/5 in 20 overs) by 38 runs

Danielle Wyatt-Hodge 65(42) | Charlie Dean 2/31(4)
Chinelle Henry 51*(30) | Ashmini Munisar 2/42(4)

A comfortable win in the end and hosts England become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals for the ICC Women's T20 WC 2026. They make it 4 out of 4, stand-in skipper Charlie Dean looks pleased as she congratulates her teammates.

A bit of a no-contest in the end, West Indies labored their way to 148 but the fate of this game was decided a lot earlier in the piece. Matthews and Dottin opened the batting for them and those two had to have a big outing if West Indies wanted to get close but both Matthews and Dottin were dismissed inside the powerplay and from then the game just lumbered along

There were no boundaries in the first three overs, both Matthews and Dottin were kept under check by some tight bowling from Bell and Smith at the start and that pressure told. A controversial decision from the third ump saw the back of Matthews and then just as Dottin was breaking free she was dismissed on the last ball of the powerplay which was the telling blow

21 off 34 for Claxton, an inexplicible innings from the 20-year old as she struggled in the middle with the asking rate going through the roof. Chinelle Henry's unbeaten 51* was the lone positive with the bat for West Indies in what was otherwise a dull innings

England were clinical with the ball, wickets for their four premier bowlers with Bell and Ecclestone being the pick. They will want to be a lot more clinical though, three dropped catches will not please them but the result surely will as England are now the only unbeaten team in Group B with West Indies tasting their first loss tonight

19.6 Linsey Smith to Chinelle Henry, THAT'S IT! England are through to the semis as they thrash West Indies and they remain unbeaten in this World Cup campaign! Four from four from England, it's a comprehensive win for them again. Fired it into the stumps, Henry smacked it back to the bowler. Smith diving to her left, stops it and it's a dot to finish the game.

19.5 Linsey Smith to Chinelle Henry, SIX MORE! FIFTY FOR HENRY! Something to cheer for the West Indies. Short on the middle and leg, Henry swivels and clobbered it over deep backward square-leg for another maximum.

19.4 Linsey Smith to Chinelle Henry, DROPPED! That was hit very hard, didn't stick in the hands of Smith. Length delivery on the stumps, Henry hammered it straight back to the bowler.

19.2 Linsey Smith to Chinelle Henry, SIX! BAM! Too little too late from Henry. Length delivery on the stumps, Henry sits on one knee and smokes it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum.