Australia 155-5;
New Zealand 151-7 | Hosts win by four runsPerry hobbles off Junction Oval with hamstring injuryOpening bat Beth Mooney’s 60 set Australia up, before spinner Ash Gardner defended 20 runs from the final over to land the hosts a Twenty20
World Cup semi-final over New Zealand by four runs in the final pool match for both teams. That was the good news for Australia. The very bad was that star all-rounder Ellyse Perry is likely out of the tournament after leaving the field late in the game with an apparent hamstring strain, after already nursing shoulder and hip complaints.
The virtual quarter-final at Melbourne’s Junction Oval was not quite as close as the scorecard suggests: 155-5 next to 151-7. The Kiwis were out of the chase when they needed 15 runs from the final two deliveries, at which point Katey Martin hit a four and a six that couldn’t change the result. Her closing contribution was 37 from 15 balls.