The White Ferns will face England for the bronze medal after taking Australia to the final over but losing by five wickets at Edgbaston tonight.

It was a much more creditable performance from New Zealand after they had been crushed by the hosts in their final group game, a result that set up a semifinal against the tournament's firm favourites.

But Australia never seriously looked like ceding their chance to play for gold, now set to do so against India tomorrow, while the White Ferns have 13 hours to prepare for a clash with a side who restricted them to 71-9 two days ago.

They will at least take heart from pushing the best team in the world tonight, especially since the bowling effort was hindered by several missed opportunities.

Sophie Devine top scored with 53 from 48 balls while Lea Tahuhu proved the folly of initially omitting her from this squad - and excluding her from the national contract list - by taking 3-20 from four overs.

It wasn't quite enough, however, as Australia paced their chase well enough to survive a few late setbacks, reaching their target with three balls to spare.

Considering the White Ferns began their innings on the verge of calamity, and considering how poorly they had batted two days ago, 144-7 represented an admirable - if not defendable - total.

After being sent in and seeing Suzie Bates chop on for a first-ball duck, Georgia Plimmer could hardly have asked for more difficult circumstances in which to make her maiden appearance.

And the 18-year-old almost suffered a disastrous debut, being given out the very next delivery after being rapped on the pad before surviving on review. That reversal was greeted with a huge cheer from the crowd, perhaps not wanting such a fate to befall a teenager, perhaps merely wanting New Zealand to make a match of it.

That's what the White Ferns set about doing, with Plimmer stroking a few morale-boosting boundaries before falling for 17. Devine and Amelia Kerr then laid the platform for New Zealand to post a target that would at least take some chasing, sharing in a 73-run stand from 64 balls.

The skipper looked in position to launch when her side reached 101-2 at the end of the 15th over, but after pulling brilliantly for six to bring up her 50, she holed out two balls later.

Kerr (40 from 36) would depart in similar fashion, showing fine touch to guide one to the third-man boundary before top-edging a slog sweep next ball, and that's when the runs dried up.

The promotion of Tahuhu didn't work - bowled for three to drop her T20I average below 10 - and only a couple of confident drives from Brooke Halliday lifted the total above 140.
Back in her primary role, Tahuhu immediately set about making that total more challenging. With her first delivery, the veteran had Alyssa Healy strangled down the leg side for a brisk 14, and the next ball Kerr spilled a difficult chance at backward point to snare the prized scalp of Meg Lanning.

Tahuhu's second over started with another drop, as Izzy Gaze failed to glove Beth Mooney's thick edge, before Lanning pulled the following ball over the midwicket boundary. But Tahuhu would have the last laugh, bowling out the world's No 1 batter with a brilliant yorker to reduce Australia to 28-2.

Unfortunately for the White Ferns' chances, the worst drop was still to come, Hannah Rowe contriving to grass a simple chance at mid off from Tahlia McGrath.

Australia were well in control at 75-2 after 10 overs and, although Kerr ran out McGrath before Tahuhu had Mooney caught in the deep, the current run rate rarely threatened to fall below the required.

Gaze missing two good stumping chances didn't help, but with Australia needing 34 runs from the final five overs, they were always in command and eventually advanced.

- by Kris Shannon, NZ Herald