CAYON, St Kitts, CMC – Teenaged Jamaican batsman Stafanie Taylor hammered her third successive half-century but was upstaged by off-spinner Anisa Mohammed whose incisive four-wicket haul fired the West Indies women to an impressive 28-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final Twenty20 International of their three-match series yesterday.
Despite Taylor’s 58 at the top of the order, West Indies seemed to be a few runs short when they compiled 112 for nine off their allotted 20 overs, after winning the toss and opting to bat first at St Mary’s Park,
And when Sri Lanka raced to 40 without loss in reply, the result seemed likely to go in favour of the visitors.
But Mohammed produced a spell of four for eight from 3.2 miserly overs to wreck the middle and lower order and set up an unlikely Windies triumph, to ensure the hosts swept the three-match series after splitting the two-game one-day series.
Left-armer Shanel Daley, who finished with three for 13, got the initial breakthroughs and paved the way for Mohammed to wreak havoc on the innings.
Opener Chamari Attapttu slammed an attacking 27 from 18 balls with four fours and a six to engineer a positive first-wicket stand with Dedunu DaSilva who got 13 from 19 balls.
When DaSilva was run out in the sixth over thanks to good work by Deandra Dottin, the innings quickly fell apart. Daley had Attapatu stumped one ball later and more good work in the field by Kirbyina Alexander accounted for Shashikala Siriwardene for just four with the score on 45 in the eighth over.
When Daley deceived Sajeewani Galagedara to have her stumped by Shemaine Campbelle for two at 47 for four in the ninth over, Mohammed then entered the fray to take care of the middle and lower order.
Earlier, Taylor cracked six fours and a six off 49 balls to anchor a struggling West Indies innings. They lost Pamela Lavine (4) in the first over but Taylor combined with Juliana Nero to add 40 for the second wicket.
Nero stroked 25 from 35 balls with four fours but when she departed, wickets tumbled steadily and Taylor kept things from falling apart before she was ninth out in the final over.
Shashikala Siriwardene (3-20) and Sripali Weerakkody (3-32) finished with three wickets apiece.
