{"id":768721,"date":"2026-06-29T23:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T23:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/768721\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T23:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T23:26:14","slug":"womens-t20-world-cup-2026-cricket-results-australia-semi-final-vs-west-indies-nicola-carey-profile-video-highlights-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/768721\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026, cricket results: Australia semi-final vs West Indies, Nicola Carey profile, video, highlights, news"},"content":{"rendered":"

There were some worried faces in the Australian dugout during last week\u2019s T20 World Cup contest against the Netherlands in Southampton.<\/p>\n

After wicketkeeper Beth Mooney was forced off the field with back spasms, opener Georgia Voll took the gloves in her absence, a role she had never previously fulfilled in a professional match.<\/p>\n

Phoebe Litchfield, Australia\u2019s second-choice wicketkeeper, missed the game due to a quad injury, while Breakers keeper Tahlia Wilson wasn\u2019t part of the official squad, picked for the tour as a travelling reserve.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Watch England vs India T20 & ODI Series LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1 ><\/a><\/p>\n

The question had to be asked \u2013 who would take the gloves if something happened to Voll? Who was next in the pecking order?<\/p>\n

All-rounder Nicola Carey, the team\u2019s self-described \u201cgap-filler\u201d, put her hand up, appointing herself as the squad\u2019s unofficial fourth-choice wicketkeeper.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually did say the other day, \u2018Can we get this cleared up? Can I be the fourth keeper in line just in case something happens?\u2019, but no one\u2019s confirmed it,\u201d Carey laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully it doesn\u2019t get to that stage where you need the fourth keeper in line to take the gloves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Carey\u2019s glovework wasn\u2019t required during Sunday\u2019s six-wicket victory over India at Lord\u2019s<\/a>, with Mooney and Litchfield both returning from injury.<\/p>\n

Get all the latest cricket news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now ><\/a><\/p>\n

Lichfield and Mooney to make return | 00:52<\/p>\n

The undefeated Australians have stormed into the T20 World Cup knockouts after winning each of their five group-stage matches, preparing to face the West Indies in the semi-finals at The Oval on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Sophie Molineux\u2019s team is in unprecedented territory; for the first time in nearly a decade, Australia aren\u2019t the reigning champions, having lost possession of the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the 50-over trophy last year.<\/p>\n

However, they\u2019re now just two matches away from winning the T20 World Cup for a record seventh time.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone talks about how we haven\u2019t got any World Cup trophies, and that is completely true, but it\u2019s still a really good team full of confidence,\u201d Carey said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been playing some pretty good cricket over the last few games, and I feel like we should be confident in that. Different people have had to step up at different times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt we think that we can win this tournament, but I guess it just comes down to putting the performances on the board. Time will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carey, playing her first T20 World Cup since 2020, recently returned to the Australian set-up following a four-year hiatus from international cricket. In 2023, she controversially declined a CA central contract to dedicate herself to domestic cricket, spending additional time with Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes rather than carrying drinks on overseas tours.<\/p>\n

And the decision to shift her priorities paid dividends last summer when she was named women\u2019s domestic player of the year, also helping the Hurricanes win their maiden Women\u2019s Big Bash League title.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just about figuring out how I wanted to go about my T20 cricket, what works for me, what it looks like for me,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably helped me get back into this (Australian) team. I feel like I\u2019m more prepared for different roles, which you get in this team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been hugely beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australia thrash Pakistan at Headingley | 04:29<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s Hundred tournament in the United Kingdom proved a sliding doors moment for Carey, who was parachuted into the Northern Superchargers squad at the eleventh hour as an injury replacement for Australian teammate Georgia Wareham.<\/p>\n

The Tasmanian finished the competition with an impressive strike rate of 167.79 while contributing six wickets, top-scoring in the triumphant final against the Southern Brave with an unbeaten 35 from 25 balls.<\/p>\n

Doors started swinging open for Carey – Superchargers coach Lisa Keightley, who also mentors the Mumbai Indians in the Women\u2019s Premier League, signed her for the base price of INR 30 lakh (AU$50,000) ahead of this year\u2019s tournament, finishing the competition as the franchise\u2019s third leading run-scorer and third leading wicket-taker.<\/p>\n

Following her Big Bash heroics, Carey was named in Australia\u2019s white-ball squads for February\u2019s multi-format series against India, her first national call-up since 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty crazy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get this small opportunity that I probably wasn\u2019t ever meant to have. Poor (Wareham) got injured and that\u2019s how that came about.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been pretty cool when I look back on it. It\u2019s been a wild 12 months. I didn\u2019t think I would be here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I\u2019m glad I said yes to that opportunity at the Hundred last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serving as the national team\u2019s lower-order finisher, Carey has averaged 45.50 with a strike rate of 137.87 across nine T20I appearances this year, including an unbeaten 26 during last week\u2019s T20 World Cup victory over Pakistan at Headingley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although she wasn\u2019t required with bat or ball during Sunday\u2019s match at the Home of Cricket, Carey could be called upon for a pinch-hitting cameo during the knockouts, perhaps walking out to bat with a few deliveries remaining in the innings.<\/p>\n

But regardless of what happens over the coming days, the \u2018gap-filler\u2019 is relishing her second life as an Australian cricketer.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to getting back in, I didn\u2019t really think about playing for Australia again,\u201d Carey said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really think it was probably ever going to be a thing, and I was so okay with that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now that I\u2019m back, it\u2019s been really enjoyable. It\u2019s a great group to be a part of.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as long as it lasts, I\u2019ll keep enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

England advance to Women’s T20 semis | 01:02<\/p>\n

If Australia gets past the West Indies on Tuesday, they will face either South Africa or hosts England in the decider, and both pose a serious threat.<\/p>\n

The Proteas knocked Australia out during the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in 2024, while England remains unbeaten after breezing through the group stage with five straight wins, including a thrashing of reigning champions New Zealand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen a few of their games actually,\u201d Carey said of England.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve definitely played some really good cricket, and they have done for the last little bit, even leading into this World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always knew they were a quality side, and they\u2019ve got that extra little motivation to do well at home, and they\u2019re certainly doing that at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo no doubt they\u2019re going to be huge, particularly at the back-end of the tournament into the finals \u2026 but we\u2019ll worry about that when we get to it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There were some worried faces in the Australian dugout during last week\u2019s T20 World Cup contest against the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":768722,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-768721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=768721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768721\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/768722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}