COLOMBO, Oct 4: Skipper Charlotte Edwards anchored a comfortable chase as England sailed into the final of the Women’s World Twenty20 with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first semi-final on Thursday.

The 2009 champions got an early, important breakthrough when they ran out rival skipper Suzie Bates before they restricted New Zealand to 93 for eight wickets at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

Edwards returned to hit 33 off 37 balls as England overwhelmed the target with 2.4 overs to spare to book a berth in Sunday’s final against the winners of Friday’s second semi-final between defending champions Australia and the West Indies.

Put into bat in a rematch of the 2009 final, two-time runner up New Zealand lost their skipper Bates to the fifth delivery but Amy Satterthwaite (30), the other opener, refused to throw in the towel.

England’s sharp fielding did not allow easy runs and New Zealand managed just six boundaries, three from Satterthwaite’s blade, in their entire innings.

Down the order, Nicola Browne (18) and Katey Martin (19) tried their best but the 100-mark still eluded New Zealand.

For England, spinners Danielle Wyatt (2-15) and Holly Colvin (2-15) shared four wickets between them.

In contrast, England’s chase began on a strong note with Edwards and Laura Marsh (11) adding 32 runs for the opening stand.

Edwards, adjudged Player-of-the-Match, fell in the 11th over but Sarah Taylor (21 not out) and Lydia Greenway (22) batted fluently as England maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament.

“This has been our best performance with the ball so far,” Edwards said. “It’s turned a lot more here than in Galle where we played our league games.

“It was tough but I’m really pleased we got over the line. It was a good all-round effort.”

New Zealand captain Suzie Bates, whose dismissal in the first over triggered the collapse, admitted her team was outplayed.

“England are the number one side and we knew we had to play well,” she said. “We came up a few runs short but I am proud of the way we tried to defend a small total.”

The International Cricket Council’s aim to promote the women’s game by bunching the men’s and women’s semi-finals and final together at the same venue drew a lukewarm response from fans.

Barely 100 spectators watched start of the match and the 35,000-capacity galleries began filling only towards the end as the men’s semi-final between Pakistan and hosts Sri Lanka later in the evening approached.

Summarised scores:

NEW ZEALAND 93-8 in 20 overs (Amy Satterthwaite 30, Danielle Wyatt 2-15, Holly Colvin 2-15); ENGLAND 94-3 in 17.2 overs (Charlotte Edwards 33, Sarah Taylor 21 not out).—Agencies