Staff Writer – Archi
The West Indies women seemed to be improving with each passing match as they recorded a confident 48-run win over New Zealand in the Super Six stage of the Women’s World Cup at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, India, on Monday.
With a dismal record of no wins from the four games played between the two sides, West Indies eves surely started as the underdogs.
They made another disastrous start this time too as they found themselves tottering at 82-4 in a little more than 20 overs after being asked to bat by New Zealand.
But a ninth-wicket partnership of 45 runs between all rounder Shanel Daley and Anisa Mohammed resurrected their chances and the Windies managed to end their innings with 207 runs on the board.
Mohammed, the No.10 bat, played a vital cameo, scoring 31 of 32 balls after hard-hitting Stafanie Taylor’s patient 49 had given West Indies hope.
Spinner Mohammed was aggressive with four fours which propelled her side past 200.
The world record holder for fastest century in T20s, Dottin also did not disappoint, as she wielded her bat to strike four fours and a six in her 21-ball 27. Daley played a patient knock of 37 off 64.
The Caribbean bowlers then rose to the occasion as medium-pacer Tremayne Smartt cleaned up the Kiwi top-order of Frances Mackay, Sarah McGlashan and Sophie Devine with just 47 runs on the board.
Smartt trapped Mackay leg-before wicket and then castled McGlashan with a fantastic yorker to end up with an impressive opening spell of 3-26 in seven overs that virtually decided the game.
Anisa Mohammed. Photo courtesy espncricinfo.com
New Zealand needed their under-exposed middle order to fire but that wasn’t to be as the West Indian spinners kept them in check. The Kiwi innings eventually folded up at 159.
The win takes West Indies a step closer to setting up a title clash with Australia, who they play in their final Super Six fixture on Wednesday.
A confident West Indian captain Merissa Aguilleira later said she always knew her team could defend 207.
“Once we had 200 runs on the board, we believed that we could defend it as a team because the bowling attack that we have with spinners like Stafanie Taylor, Anisa Mohammed, Shanel Daley and (pacer) Tremayne Smartt, we definitely had our chances,” she said.
On player-of-the-match Anisa Mohammed’s all-round display, the skipper said, “I have seen Anisa a lot. We believe she can clear the fence and she did that today. She lived up to the expectation of her team. Anisa went out there and executed (the plans) with both the bat and ball.”
Brief Scores: West Indies 207 (Taylor 49, Daley 37, Mohammed 31; Nielsen 3-27) New Zealand 159 in 44.3 overs (Bates 30, Priest 36; Smartt 3-39, Dottin 2-11)
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