COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – Fluent half-centuries from the marquee pair of Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin powered West Indies Women to a crucial eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Women in the second Twenty20 International here yesterday, leaving both teams with all to play for in the third and decisive encounter today.
Chasing a modest 125 for victory at the R Premadasa Stadium, West Indies Women reached their target with seven deliveries left in the contest, to level the series 1-1, following their defeat in Saturday’s first game at the same venue.
The win was orchestrated by the team’s two most experienced batsmen. Taylor, opening the batting, stroked an unbeaten 59 from 49 balls while Dottin, punching at three, hammered 51 off 45 deliveries.
When West Indies Women lost teenager Hayley Matthews for seven at ten for one in the second over, Taylor and Dottin combined to add 101 for the second wicket and steer the Caribbean side over the line.
The right-handed Taylor stroked eight fours in completing her 16th T20I half-century while Dottin gathered seven boundaries en route to her eighth half-century.
When she eventually fell in the 17th over, victory was just 11 runs away and West Indies Women easily cantered home, with Taylor ended the game with a four off left-arm seamer Udeshika Prabodhani.
Earlier, Taylor set the stage for her fine all-round performance by taking two for 20 with her probing off-spin as Sri Lanka Women, opting to bat first, finished on 124 for five off their allotted overs.
Wicketkeeper Dilani Surangika top-scored with 30, captain and opener Chamari Jayangani got 27 while Shashikala Siriwardene chipped in with 26 and Nipuni Hansika, 21.
The hosts lost Yasoda Mendis for two in the second over to be 13 for one but Surangika and Jayangani stitched up the innings in a 47-run second wicket stand.
Surangika faced 34 balls and counted three fours while Jayangani smashed five fours off 19 balls.
When they both fell in the space of 16 balls, Siriwardene and Hansika put on a further 36 for the fourth wicket to bolster the innings.
Scoreboard
SRI LANKA WOMEN
*C Jayangani c Henry b Mohammed 27
Y Mendis st Aguilleira b Taylor 2
+D Surangika run out 30
S Siriwardene b Taylor 26
N Hansika c King b Matthews 21
E Kaushalya not out 13
H Perera not out 0
Extras (lb2, w1, nb2) 5
TOTAL (5 wkts, 20 overs) 124
Did not bat: S Weerakkody, M Samuddika, U Prabodhani, S Kumari
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Mendis), 2-60 (Jayangani), 3-71 (Surangika), 4-107 (Hansika), 5-124 (Siriwardene)
Bowling: Munroe 1-0-10-0 (w1), Taylor 4-0-20-2, Smartt 2-0-18-0 (nb2), Mohammed 4-0-28-1, Fletcher 2-0-14-0, Matthews 4-0-20-1, King 3-0-12-0.
WEST INDIES WOMEN
H Matthews b Prabodhani 7
S Taylor not out 59
D Dottin c Siriwardene b Samuddika 51
B Cooper not out 6
Extras (b1, w1) 2
TOTAL (2 wKts, 18.5 overs) 125
Did not bat: *+M Aguilleira, S King, A Mohammed, T Smartt, A Fletcher, C Henry, S Munroe
Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Matthews, 1.5), 2-111 (Dottin)
Bowling: S Weerakkody 3-0-24-0, Prabodhani 3.5-0-25-1 (w1), Samuddika 4-0-33-1, Siriwardene 4-0-19-0, Kumari 4-0-23-0.
Result: West Indies Women won by eight wickets.
Series: Three-match series tied 1-1.
Toss: Sri Lanka Women.
Umpires: R Kottahachchi, R Martinesz.
