DHARAMSALA, India, CMC – Wicketkeeper Merissa Aguilleira missed a run out as Natalia Sciver and Rebecca Grundy scrambled a bye of the final ball of the game to lift England Women to a one-wicket thriller over West Indies Women in their Group B contest of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup here Thursday.
Chasing a meagre 109 for victory at the HPCA Stadium, England Women appeared en route for a crushing win when their openers Tammy Beaumont (31) and Charlotte Edwards (30) put them in cruise control at 59 without loss in the ninth over.
However, both fell in successive overs as England Women dramatically lost their next nine wickets for 47 runs, to set up a nerve-jangling end to the game.
West Indies leg-spinner Afy Fletcher celebrates after bowling England opener Tammy Beaumont in their Twenty20 World Cup game on Thursday. (Photo courtesy WICB Media)
Starting the final over on 102 for eight and requiring seven to win, Anya Shrubsole (4) gathered four runs from the first three balls before medium pacer Deandra Dottin bowled her off the fourth delivery.
Dottin then agonisingly sent down a wide before Grundy scampered a single to point to give Sciver the strike. The right-handed Sciver missed the last delivery and Aguilleira missed her throw at the stumps, to hand West Indies Women their first loss as England Women remained unbeaten.
Sciver finished on 19 not out from 22 balls while Grundy was unbeaten on one.
The Windies Women’s comeback was engineered by the leg-spin duo of Afy Fletcher who snatched three for 12 from her four overs and Shaquana Quintyne, who finished with three 16.
Captain Stafanie Taylor picked up two for 18 with her off-spin.
Earlier, Taylor top-scored with 35 from 47 balls with a single four while Quintyne struck a breezy 29 from 28 balls with four fours, as West Indies Women prospered early on.
Opting to bat first, they lost Hayley Matthews cheaply for nine at nine for one in the second over but Taylor then anchored two successive partnerships to repair the innings.
She put on 41 for the second wicket with Quintyne and a further 52 for the third wicket with Deandra Dottin, who scored 22 from 30 deliveries.
However, both stands were slow ones and it meant West Indies Women only reached triple figures in the 18th over. Even so, there was no acceleration as they managed only eight runs from the last two overs.
In reply, Player-of-the-Match Beaumont struck five fours and a six in a cameo 23-ball knock and she provided the momentum as Edwards supported with an innings that came from 29 balls with five fours.
Once Fletcher trapped Beaumont lbw with the first ball of her second over – the ninth of the innings – the innings quickly declined.
Edwards fell in similar fashion to Quintyne in the following over and when Fletcher removed the experienced Sarah Taylor for three in the 11th over at 69 for three, West Indies Women knew they were in with a shout.
England are top of the group with six points while West Indies are second on four points.
