AHMEDABAD, India, CMC – West Indies Women will return from their tour of India empty-handed, after another terminal batting decline condemned them to a 15-run defeat in the third and final Twenty20 International against India Women yesterday.
Stacy-Ann King hit the top score of 27, but no other WI Women’s batter passed 20, as they were restricted to 113 for nine in their allocation of 20 overs, after they were set 129 for victory at the Sardar Patel Stadium.
The result meant that the visitors lost the three-match series 1-2, after losing the first T20I by six wickets, and winning the second match by three runs, following a 2-3 loss in the preceding One-day International series.
Shemaine Campbelle had collected three wickets for 20 runs from three overs, as India, choosing to bat, reached 128 for five in their 20 overs built upon Mithali Raj’s unbeaten 51 from 46 balls.
WI Women’s chase started disastrously, when Juliana Nero was run out for a duck off the second ball.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, and the visitors soon found themselves wobbling on 46 for five in the ninth over.
Shanel Daley joined King, and they steadied the innings with a stand of 40 for the sixth wicket, but the WI Women’s hopes of reaching the target soon fizzled, when their last five wickets fell for 27 runs in the space of 34 deliveries.
WI Women were again undermined by leg-spinner Priyanka Roy.
She collected three for 17 from four overs, and Soniya Dabir supported with two for 10 from three overs.
Earlier, Campbelle made a few timely strikes that stopped India Women in their tracks, every time it appeared they appeared to be getting into the thick of things.
The visitors however, failed to stop Raj, the most prolific Indian batter in the series, and she added 43 with Harmanpreet Kaur for the third wicket, and then 33 with Roy for the fourth wicket, as the home team were able to post a fairly competitive total.
