Windies coach on World Cup exit: We lived and died by the sword

West Indies women's coach Shane Deitz said his team "lived and died by the sword" in their heartbreak eight-run loss to New Zealand in the second semifinal at the 2024 International Cricket Council T20 Women's World Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates on October 18.

Battling for a spot to face South Africa in the final on October 20, the Windies women did a fantastic job with the ball as they restricted New Zealand to 128 for nine.

However, the modest total proved insurmountable as early wickets put WI behind the eight-ball. Despite a late surge by star allrounder Deandra Dottin (33 off 22 balls), West Indies posted just 120 for eight in their reply.

"It's been a pretty emotional few days. It was a great win over England in the last group game," Deitz said, at the post-match presentation.

"The emotions were high and we tried to get our emotions level before we played again...The girls are passionate about playing cricket for the West Indies and they put their bodies and passion on the line all the time. I'm really proud of them."

After battling a side strain for most of the tourney, Dottin, who came out of international retirement just three months ago, put in a splendid bowling effort for the Windies as she grabbed four wickets for 22 runs. Dottin was well-supported by leg-spinner Afy Fletcher who grabbed two for 23.

The West Indies top-order stuttered through the first ten overs as skipper Hayley Matthews (15), Qiana Joseph (12), Shemaine Campbelle (three) and Stafanie Taylor (13) all struggled to find their rhythm.

And when the dependable Matthews skied a catch off Lea Tahuhu (one for 33) to leave West Indies on 51 for four, the hopes of the region were placed on Dottin's shoulders. After being dropped in overs number 13 and 14, Dottin appeared to be swinging the game in West Indies' favour when she slammed Tahuhu for three sixes over the mid-wicket boundary in the 16th over.

The final turning point in the game came in the very next over, though, as Dottin top-edged an Amelia Kerr (two for 14) delivery to short fine-leg where she was caught by Fran Jonas.

"Deandra was taking control of the game and it really looked like she was going to bring it home. She probably needed to get through that over," Deitz said.

"Deandra got a ball she would normally hit for four...You live by the sword and die by the sword. We were trying to win the game and the margins were fine."

With West Indies slipping to 97 for seven after Dottin and new batter Chedean Nation (duck) were dismissed in quick succession, the pair of Afy Fletcher (17 not out off 15) and Zaida James (14 off eight) tried to guide their team home as they stitched together a 22-run stand.

However, with boundaries hard to come by and the Windies needing 15 off the last over, James was bowled by Suzie Bates (one for six) as New Zealand held their nerve to clinch the victory.

Deitz hailed the performance of the New Zealand spinners, and he said they did an excellent job of limiting the scoring possibilities for the Windies batters. Player-of-the-Match Eden Carson (three for 29) was the chief destroyer for New Zealand, and her off-spin broke the back of the Windies batting with the early wickets of Joseph, Campbelle and Taylor.

The Windies were unable to advance to the final and get the opportunity to repeat their T20 World Cup title win from 2016. But Deitz, who was appointed head coach last July, believes this tourney is a sign of good things to come for the team.

At 26, Deitz said Matthews' leadership continues to be an inspiration for the future generation of players, and he believes veterans Dottin and Taylor, both 33, will bounce back and return stronger.

"We're just racing to get back to those roots of entertaining cricket and backing ourselves to win games and not hoping the other team plays badly," he said. "It's only been a year, but we've improved a lot. The next T20 World Cup in 2026 I think we'll be ready to take on the world again."

Deitz praised the work being done to harness young talent in the region, and he said the fruits of the West Indies Academy should bear fruit internationally in five-ten years.

New Zealand will now meet South Africa in the final at the Dubai International Stadium.

Summarised Scores: NEW ZEALAND: 128/9 from 20 overs (Georgia Plimmer 33, Suzie Bates 26; Deandra Dottin 4/22, Afy Fletcher 2/23) vs WEST INDIES: 120/8 from 20 overs (D Dottin 33, A Fletcher 17 not out; Eden Carson 3/29, Amelia Kerr 2/14). New Zealand won by eight runs.