LONDON, July 2 -- Beth Mooney needed one over from Jahzara Claxton to turn a cautious chase into a formality. She took 18 runs off it, and by the time Australia reached 127 for 2 with seven overs still unplayed, the only real suspense left in the semifinal was which team would be waiting for them at Lord's.

Australia beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first semifinal of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup at The Oval on Tuesday, restricting their opponents to 125 for 7 before Mooney's unbeaten 61 off 36 balls and Ashleigh Gardner's 35 not out chased the target down with more than six overs to spare, the ICC reported. It is Australia's eighth final appearance in ten editions of the tournament, one win short of a title count that no other ...