Women's T20 WC 2026: Beth Mooney sets records in semi-final
What's the story
Australia reached their eighth ICC Women's T20 World Cup final after beating West Indies at Kennington Oval. The Australian women chased down 126 in just 13 overs in the first semi-final of the 2026 edition. They rode on a whirlwind half-century from Beth Mooney, who set several records. Ashleigh Gardner also contributed with an unbeaten 35 off 20 balls. Here are the key numbers.
Knock
Mooney's knock seals the chase
Apart from the two wickets of Georgia Voll (16) and Phoebe Litchfield (4), Australia's chase was straightforward. Australia did have a mini scare when all-rounder Ellyse Perry retired hurt, leaving Australia at 64/2. But Mooney was steering Australia to a straightforward win. She smashed an unbeaten 61 off 36 balls. Mooney, who struck 8 boundaries, added 63 runs with Gardner.
Milestone
Eighth 50-plus score in the tournament
Mooney recorded her eighth 50-plus score in the Women's T20 World Cup, now the joint-most with New Zealand's Suzie Bates. She broke a tie with Alyssa Healy and Nat Sciver-Brunt (7 each). In 34 WT20 WC games, the Australian batter has raced to 926 runs at an average of 42.09. Her tally includes a strike rate of 121.20.
Information
Second player with this record
Mooney also became the second woman to record 30 half-centuries in T20Is. She is only behind India's Smriti Mandhana (35). The Australian batter now has 3,719 runs from 124 WT20Is at 41.32. She has a strike rate of 126.41.
Landmarks
Mooney reaches these landmarks
Mooney completed her half-century off 29 balls, the quickest by a batter in the Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals or finals, as per Cricbuzz. She surpassed Healy, who scored a 30-ball fifty against India in the 2020 final at MCG. Mooney now has four 50-plus scores in the Women's T20 WC semi-finals or finals. Meg Lanning and Laura Wolvaardt are second with two each.