Claire Taylor produced a scintillating unbeaten 76 as England recovered from a sluggish start to snatch a dramatic eight-wicket victory over Australia.
Claire Taylor produced a scintillating unbeaten 76 as England recovered from a sluggish start to snatch a dramatic eight-wicket victory over Australia and storm into the final of the women's Twenty20 World Cup here today.
Chasing a stiff target of 164 to win, the hosts rode on Taylor's 53-ball unbeaten knock and her match-winning 122-run partnership with Beth Morgan (46) to romp home with three balls to spare.
It was a remarkable come-from-behind victory for England who looked down the barrel at one stage but Taylor and Morgan unleashed a flurry of strokes in the later half of the innings to leave the Aussies in a daze.
England will now take on New Zealand in the final at the historic Lord's on Sunday.
England suffered a jolt losing both their openers Sarah Taylor (6) and Charlotte Edwards (25) before reaching 50 for two in the ninth over.
Taylor and Morgan, however, steadied the ship and staged a brilliant recovery and brought up the hundred in the 14th over.
Taylor's innings was a mixture of control and aggression as the right-handed Englishwoman picked up ones and twos initially before exploding in the last overs.
Earlier, England's decision backfired as Australia pilled up 49 runs in the first six overs. Openers Poulton and Nitschke made the best use of the fielding restriction and sent the bowlers on a leather hunt right from the start.
Poulton started the proceeding for England, whacking Brunt in her first over for a four and followed it up with another hat-trict of boundaries in her next over.
Nitschke, who was dropped by Atkins at a score of three runs, also followed in the footstep of her partner and picked up a boundary off Nicki Shaw in the fifth over and followed it up with a couple more in the next over.
England's bowling looked pedestrian as they struggled to stop the rampaging Aussies openers, before Holy Colvin got rid off Nitschke to draw the first blood.
Laura Marsh too joined the party and rocked the timbers of a dangerous looking Poulton in the first ball of the next over to reduce Australia to 78 for two in 9.1 overs.
Left-handed batswoman Karen Rolton, however, continued the rampage and brought up the hundred with a four in the 13.1 over.
Rolton stitched a 46-ball 50-run stand with Lisa Sthalekar (28 off 21), before being holed out at deep midwicket by Brunt in the 17th over off Shaw.
Sthalekar then pushed the tally beyond the 150 mark before perishing in the 19th over. Looking for a big hit, her furniture was rocked by Brunt.
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