TAUNTON, England, CMC – Their batting, led by opener Stafanie Taylor, set them up before their bowling helped West Indies Women launch the inaugural ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Championship in exciting fashion with a four-run victory over South Africa Women yesterday.
Taylor struck half-dozen boundaries in 50 from 52 balls to be the cornerstone of the West Indies Women’s 123 for seven from their allocation
of 20 overs in their opening Group-A match at the Somerset County Cricket
Club. Spinner Anisa Mohammed and new-ball bowler Debbie-Ann Lewis then collected two wickets apiece, and gained admirable support in the field,
as Stacy-Ann King ran tailender Shabnim Ismail out with two balls to spare to formalise the result.
West Indies Women removed openers Trisha Chetty and Shandre Fritz
cheaply to put South Africa Women under early pressure on 12 for two in the fourth over.
West Indies Women continued to build pressure throughout with wickets
falling at regular intervals, but teenager Mignon du Preez kept the South Africa Women moving with six fours in 38 from 28 balls.
One of the critical points in the match for West Indies Women came, when Shakera Selman ran du Preez out in the 13th over to leave South Africa Women 68 for five.
West Indies Women were put on their heels though, when South Africa Women’s captain Sunette Loubster joined Alicia Smith, and they added a valuable 22 for the seventh wicket.
Taylor bowled Smith for 14 in the 18th over, but the real turning point for West Indies Women came in the next over.
King effected her the first of her two run-outs to dismiss Loubster for 19 to leave South Africa Women needing 13 from nine balls which proved too much.
Earlier, Taylor and fellow opener Pamela Lavine, who scored 24, were the only batters to pass 20, as they shared 44 for the first wicket, after West Indies Women chose tobat.
Juliana Nero, batting atthree, made 15, and WestIndies Women’s captainMerissa Aguilleira, batting ateight, got 11 not out to addsome beef to the total, after atypical middle-order collapse.Ismail and Dane vanNiekerk ended with twowickets apiece for the SouthAfrica Women.
West Indies Women faceNew Zealand Women tomorrowin their second match.
SCOREBOARD
WEST INDIES WOMEN (maximum
20 overs)
S. Taylor b Ismail 50
P. Lavine b Smith 24
D. Lewis c Smith b van Niekerk 3
J. Nero c Fritz b van Niekerk 15
S. King c Smith b *Loubser 0
D. Dottin c wkpr Chetty b Ismail 7
D. Small c Fritz b Kilowan 7
*+M. Aguilleira not out 11
K. Alexander not out 0
Extras (lb1, w5) 6
TOTAL (7 wkts, 20 overs) 123
S. Selman, A. Mohammed did not bat
Fall of wickets: 1-44 (Lavine, 7.3); 2-49 (Lewis, 8.2); 3-76 (Nero, 12.6);
4-76 (King, 13.2); 5-97 (Dottin, 15.5); 6-104 (Small, 16.4); 7-121 (Taylor, 19.4)
Bowling: Kilowan 4-0-24-1; van der Westhuizen 2-0-12-0 (w1); Ismail 4-
0-20-2; Smith 3-0-15-1 (w4); *Loubser 3-0-25-1; van Niekerk 4-0- 26-2
SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN
(target: 124 runs off 20 overs)
+T. Chetty lbw b Lewis 4
S. Fritz lbw b Selman 0
C. Brits c Dottin b Mohammed 7
M. du Preez run out (Selman) 38
S. Benade c wkpr *Aguilleira b
Lavine 8
A. Smith b Taylor 14
D. van Niekerk b Mohammed 8
*S. Loubser run out (King) 19
C. van der Westhuizen b Lewis 4
S. Ismail run out (King) 1
A. Kilowan not out 5
Extras (b1, lb6, w2, nb2) 11
TOTAL (all out, 19.4) 119
Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Chetty, 2.1 overs); 2-12 (Fritz, 3.2); 3-34 (Brits, 6.5); 4-55 (Benade, 10.1); 5-68 (du Preez, 12.1); 6-82 (van Niekerk, 14.1); 7-104 (Smith, 17.5); 8-111 (*Loubser, 18.3); 9-113 (van der Westhuizen, 18.5)
Bowling: Selman 3-1-10-1 (w1); Lewis 3-0-23-2 (nb2, w1); Taylor 4- 0-28-1; Mohammed 4-0-16-2; Alexander 2-0-13-0; Lavine 2.4-0-14- 1; Small 1-0-7-0
Result: West Indies Women won by four runs
Points: West Indies Women 2, South
Africa Women 0
Toss: West Indies Women
Umpires: Asad Rauf, A. Saheba
Match Referee: R. Madugalle
