Dutchwoman Steere Kalis (58), New Zealand captain Sophie Devine (48) and Taylor (31 not out) combined to help Tornadoes post 152-3 off their 20 overs after Warriors won the toss and elected to field first.

West Indies vice-captain Hayley Matthews was the pick of the Warriors bowlers with 2-33 from her four overs.

The Warriors chase was very top-heavy as openers Georgia Redmayne from Australia (48), Matthews (21) and captain Sindhu Sriharsha from the USA (35) were the only significant contributors as they eventually stumbled to 139-6 off their 20 overs, losing by 13 runs.

Malaysian captain Winifried Durasingam bowled beautifully to pick up a crucial 3-24 from her four overs while captain Taylor chipped in with 1-18 off three overs.

Beth Mooney dominated with the bat with her 60 from 50 balls leading the charge after New Zealand had put the hosts in at Junction Oval.

Wickets at regular intervals thwarted Sophie Devine’s side with leg-spinner Georgia Wareham brilliant with the ball, dismissing Suzie Bates, Maddy Green and the captain herself.

Katey Martin (37 not out) threatened to win the day but the White Ferns fell just four runs short of victory as their hopes of Women’s T20 World Cup glory ended in disappointment.

But it wasn’t all perfection for Australia, with star all-rounder Ellyse Perry forced to leave the field with a hamstring injury midway through the chase.

“Ellyse has been a massive part of our squad and team for a long time and you can’t replace her,” said captain Meg Lanning.

“But we’ve got 15 players here who can do a job and you need a squad to win a World Cup. You can’t rely on one or two players and use the same 11 players every game

“We’re going to have to use the depth we’ve got — that’s just the reality of elite sport, unfortunately.

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but I have full confidence that whoever comes in can play a role.

“Today’s performance was our best of the tournament so far. I don’t think we could be better placed for the semi-finals.”

New Zealand skipper Devine added: “We let them off the hook at the end of the innings. It would have been a masterstroke at the end if we could have won.

“Certainly skill-wise we’re there. Everyone knows we’re a really talented side. Whether it’s a mindset, game awareness of experience playing in those high-pressure situations. When we get back home, we’ll certainly go through everything.

“That’s the thing about Australia. It doesn’t matter who on the day but someone always seems to step up for them.

“We’re actually really close. To think we’ve taken both Australia and India within five of six runs.”

Sri Lanka’s perfect finale for Siriwardena

Taking four wickets in a nine-wicket win - Shashikala Siriwardena couldn’t have asked for much more in her final outing for Sri Lanka.

The spinner finished with four for 16, the best figures of this edition to date, to help restrict Bangladesh to 91 for eight in their last Group A match.

Chamari Athapaththu, as she has so often in this tournament, shone with the bat to lead Sri Lanka’s chase with 30 from 22 balls.

But this time she had some top-order support through Hasini Perera (39 not out), guiding her country to fourth spot in the group by winning with four overs remaining.

“From the beginning of the day it was very hard as I knew I was playing my last game,” said Siriwardena.

“I was kind of nervous knowing I would be wearing national colours for the last time. It was pretty emotional, but I told myself it wasn’t the time to get emotional.

“I knew my contribution would be important so I told myself to not think about my retirement until the match ended. I really love to perform, but the main thing was getting the win for the team.

“I’m truly satisfied that I did something to help my country. I’ll miss being with these girls. I have spent more time with this team than with my family.”

Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun added: “We need to keep regularly playing the top-ranked teams in order to improve. The more we play with them, the more we’ll improve. That’s the key for us.

“In one match we batted well, in another we bowled well but our fielding has been a constant concern.

“This experience will help us to move forward. The most important things we need to improve on are our power cricket and level of fitness.

“Our fitness is the main thing that will help us improve our skills and performance.”

Scores in brief

Australia beat New Zealand by four runs, Junction Oval, Melbourne

Australia 155-5, 20 overs (Beth Mooney 60, Ellyse Perry 21; Anna Peterson 2-31)

New Zealand 151-7, 20 overs (Katey Martin 37 not out, Georgia Wareham 3-17, Megan Schutt 3-28)

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by nine wickets, Junction Oval, Melbourne

Bangladesh 91-8, 20 overs (Nigar Sultana Joty 39; Shashikala Siriwardena 4-16, Achini Kulasuriya 2-19)

Sri Lanka 92-1, 15.3 overs (Hasini Perera 39 not out, Chamari Athapaththu 30; Nahida Akter 1-18)

After winning the toss and opting to bat, the Amazon Warriors produced a record-breaking innings on their route to 166/2 from their 20 overs. 

Sophie Devine became the second New Zealander in as many days to hit a CPL century, following on from Martin Guptill’s knock with 103 not out from 64 balls, bringing up the landmark score on the final delivery of the innings with a six over long-off.

Facing a difficult task, the Royals appeared to lack power until Laura Harris took the 15^th over for 24 to put the game in the balance. With 43 still required from five overs, Erin Burns and Chinelle Henry saw the hosts home with two balls to spare.

With Devine leading the way a day before her 35^th birthday, the Warriors kept wickets in hand throughout their innings while maintaining a strong run rate as they ended an explosive PowerPlay 50/0.

Royals captain Hayley Matthews used 12 overs of spin consecutively in the innings in attempt to slow the visitors through the middle overs, before the Amazon Warriors blasted 62 from the final five overs to break the WCPL record for highest total.

Amanda-Jade Wellington should have had Devine out for 41 in the ninth over when a false shot brought a straightforward chance for Afy Fletcher at short cover which was dropped, while the score was still wicketless.

The Royals were facing an uphill battle chasing 167 in the early stages; Matthews’ dismissal for 23 was a setback after a steady powerplay at a-run-a-ball. Gaby Lewis played a superb 360-degree knock which brought hope for the Royals which was backed up by Harris’ spectacular 30 from just 12 balls. 

Shabnim Ismail produced a brilliant 19^th over, conceding just three runs but with just nine runs to win from the final over, Suzie Bates couldn’t stop an in-form Erin Burns from closing out the chase.

Barbados Royals are in action again on Saturday as they face defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders.

In the WCPL’s final match in Barbados for 2023, the Amazon Warriors won the toss and batted first as they did in their last fixture, ending in a similar fashion to the opener between these same teams last Thursday.

In much similarity to their opener, a strong Powerplay of 51-0 set the visitors on their way before a rebuild led by some big hitting from Natasha McLean got them to a competitive total.

Run rate was never an issue in reply to 146 for the Royals but with wickets falling frequently Burns’ resistance was required to win the game; late partnerships with the lower-order flipped the match in their favour, finishing the chase in the final over.

In a near-carbon copy of the opening match of the 2023 WCPL with Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates leading off the first innings in a similar fashion to that of Thursday night. Hayley Matthews used seven different bowlers inside the opening eight overs, searching for the all-important breakthrough.

The Kiwi pair put on 74 for an opening stand before Amanda-Jade Wellington produced the perfect leg-spinner's delivery to dismiss Bates for 30 in a pick-of-the-bowlers spell of 1-21.

With Devine looking set for another half-century, the Amazon Warriors’ innings was setback to a restart when Devine fell to a good catch in the deep by Aaliyah Alleyne with the score at just 78.

After persisting against a long list of spinners from the Royals, the visitors were able to rebuild with McLean leading the way with three sixes in her 26-ball 38, helping the Warriors to 146-4.

In reply, Matthews and Laura Harris got starts once again for the Royals; the latter scoring all 18 of her runs from sixes before being dismissed by the experience of Shakera Selman featuring for the first time with the ball in the 2023 edition.

With wickets falling frequently through Selman and Patil, the Royals were 75-5 from 10 overs and the match was in the balance. Burns’ timely knock when wickets fell around her continued the Australian’s remarkable form in the WCPL, knocking off the final 30 runs in 14 balls, winning the match with four balls to spare in an unbeaten 42-run partnership with Wellington.

Guyana Amazon Warriors face up to Trinbago Knight Riders next as the tournament moves on to Trinidad.

Scores: Barbados Royals 147-7 (Burns 53*, Matthews 22; Patil 4-34, Selman 2-15) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 146-4 (Devine 42, McLean 38; Burns 2-32, Wellington 1-21) by three wickets.

Having held India at 133 for eight, the White Ferns would have fancied their chances in Melbourne having not failed to chase a sub-140 T20I target since October 2013.

But they were thwarted with the bat, their star-studded top-order of Sophie Devine, Rachel Priest and Suzie Bates all falling within nine overs, as Amelia’s Kerr’s stunning late cameo proved not enough to prevent defeat.

The tense Junction Oval win means India are guaranteed a spot in the last four, with the battle for the final qualifying spot in Group A heating up.

Another impressive outing from Shafali Verma (46) set India on their way but a fine spell of bowling from New Zealand’s own teenage talent Kerr stopped her from dominating, the 19-year-old leg-spinner taking the innings-changing wicket to finish with figures of two for 21.

Smriti Mandhana, who missed the win over Bangladesh due to viral fever, saw her comeback cut short as she was dismissed for 11 by Lea Tahuhu in the third over, the opener chopping onto her stumps.

But once again Verma stepped up, the 16-year-old smashing back-to-back sixes to steer India to 49 for one in the Powerplay.

Tanya Bhatia, in at three, soon followed Verma’s lead, taking India beyond 60 but she perished for 23 when Kerr caught her at point off Rosemary Mair. The same duo combined again to dismiss Jemimah Rodrigues for ten.

Verma was twice given a lifeline as chances were squandered in the field, Maddy Green dropping an opportunity at long on before Tahuhu spilled at mid-wicket.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s disappointing form continued as the India captain was caught and bowled by Leigh Kasperek for one - her third single-figure score in the tournament.

Hayley Jensen made amends for her side’s earlier errors by catching Verma at cover off Kerr for 46, before the spinner trapped Veda Krishnamurthy lbw for six.

Chasing 134, Priest’s time in the middle was short-lived as her aerial option backfired, Radha Yadav holding on at mid-wicket off Pandey to remove the opener for 12.

And the White Ferns’ start to the innings went from bad to worse when the Bates-Devine partnership fell after four overs, the former handing Deepti Sharma her 50th T20I wicket.

Before long Poonam Yadav struck with her spin, dismissing Devine after the skipper mistimed her full toss to point.

The fourth-wicket pair of Green (24) and Katey Martin (25) cautiously plodded on, putting on a 43-run partnership before the former was caught behind by Bhatia off Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

Two overs later and Martin was gone, Rodrigues with the catch on the mid-wicket boundary off Radha Yadav.

That looked to be game done and dusted but Kerr (34) defied Poonam’s heroics to set up a nerve-wracking finale, striking 18 in the penultimate over.

But she couldn’t muster a final-ball six as the White Ferns agonisingly missed out, suffering their first defeat of this Women’s T20 World Cup.

Scores in brief

India beat New Zealand by three runs, Junction Oval, Melbourne

India 133-8, 20 overs (Shafali Verma 46; Amelia Kerr 2-21, Rosemary Mair 2-27)

New Zealand 130-6, 20 overs (Amelia Kerr 34 not out, Katey Martin 25; Shikha Pandey 1-21)

Chamari Atapattu (41) and Hasini Perera’s 60-run first wicket - Sri Lanka’s best opening partnership in T20Is - gave them a bright start but Hayley Jensen’s career-best bowling sent middle-order wickets tumbling at the WACA.

It took time for New Zealand to get the 128-run chase going but captain Devine led by example, becoming the only player, male or female, to register more than five consecutive 50+ scores in the format, en route to the seven-wicket victory.

The Sri Lanka openers put on an impressive 60 for the first wicket, with Devine, Leigh Kasperek and Lea Tahuhu all unable to find a Powerplay breakthrough.

But up stepped teenager Amelia Kerr to cause problems on the fast track, the 19-year-old claiming the first wicket of the evening when she bowled Perera for 20 in the eighth over.

Perera didn’t fall without her fine moments though, her scoop over wicket-keeper Rachel Priest giving the Sri Lankan contingent at the WACA plenty of reason to cheer.

Atapattu’s 41, which included five fours and two sixes, built a solid base but the Sri Lanka captain was caught and bowled by the pacey Tahuhu.

The White Ferns were able to put the brakes on thereafter, Jensen claiming two wickets in an over when Anushka Sanjeewani’s attempt over the top was caught by Bates running back before Devine caught Shashikala Siriwardena at short mid-wicket.

Nilakshi de Silva was the next to fall as the middle-order crumbled, Kerr taking the catch at backward point for Devine’s first wicket before the spinner got a second breakthrough of her own.

Harshitha Madavi kept fighting with an unbeaten 27 off 26 balls but Sri Lanka finished at 127 for seven as Jensen bagged her third.

The White Ferns chase started slowly, openers Devine and Priest failing to take advantage of the Powerplay before the latter was run out by Madavi for six.

Held at 25 for one after six overs, New Zealand were lagging a fair way behind Sri Lanka who were 51 without loss at the same stage, with Devine not at her fluent best.

But the skipper ground it out in Perth, joining up with Bates for a 40-run second-wicket stand to steady the ship.

Bates perished at the hands of Kavisha Dilhari but Maddy Green came in at four and guided the chase superbly, taking the pressure off her skipper with a career-best 29 off 20.

With less than a run-a-ball required, Devine finally freed her arms – two sixes finishing off the chase with two overs to spare as the White Ferns tasted early success in Group A.

Scores in brief

New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets, WACA Ground, Perth

Sri Lanka 127-7, 20 overs (Chamari Atapattu 41; Hayley Jensen 3-16, Amelia Kerr 2-21)
New Zealand 131-3, 17.4 overs (Sophie Devine 75 not out, Maddy Green 29; Kavisha Dilhari 1-19)

Captain Devine anchored her side to a comprehensive victory, finishing with 100 off 93 balls in a chase of 195.

She finished the game in style, hitting a six to bring up her ton and secure her side’s consolation victory in the 2-1 series defeat.

England took to the crease first but were dealt an early blow as Tammy Beaumont was lbw to Hannah Rowe.

Maia Bouchier was dismissed just one over later before captain Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt looked to anchor the innings.

With the score 82 for two from 17 overs, Sciver-Brunt was caught off Amelia Kerr for 27.

The captain watched wickets fall around her, with Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt out for one and four respectively.

Knight was the next to go before wicketkeeper Amy Jones and Charlie Dean put together a much-needed partnership of 73, with Jones top-scoring for England with 50.

England finished all out for 194 fter 46 overs, with Jess Kerr and Rowe picking up three wickets each.

England looked in the game after removing both New Zealand openers with only 14 on the board before Amelia Kerr and Devine built a strong partnership.

Sophie Ecclestone had Amelia Kerr lbw for 31, but that was the final wicket, with Maddy Green scoring 38 not out alongside Devine to reach England’s total after 39 overs.

Tornadoes Women captain Sophie Devine called right at the toss and asked the Falcons to bat first before the Tornadoes had the Falcons reeling at 59-4 in the 10^th over.

An unbeaten 92-run fifth wicket partnership between South African Marizanne Kapp (67 not out) and Hong Kong’s Mariko Hill (30 not out) then propelled the Falcons to a respectable 151-4 off their 20 overs.

Thailand’s Chanida Sutthiruang led the bowling for the Tornadoes with 2-19 from three overs.

The Tornadoes completed the chase without stress as captain Sophie Devine (51) and Sterre Kalis (44) shared in an opening partnership of 76 before Stafanie Taylor (34 not out) and South African Sune Luus (18 not out) steered them to 152-2 with five balls to spare.