LINCOLN, New Zealand, CMC – Captain Stafanie Taylor missed out on a sixth One-Day International hundred as West Indies Women narrowly went down by a single run to New Zealand Women, in the opening One-Day International here yesterday.
Asked to chase a challenging 279 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, West Indies ended on 277 for nine off their 50 overs with Taylor carving out a top score of 90 off 93 balls.
The Caribbean side required 11 runs from the last over with Kyshona Knight and tail-ender Tremayne Smartt (5) at the crease but only managed to eke out nine, after losing Smartt and failing to get the four runs required for victory off the final delivery.
Kyshona Knight chipped in with a busy 44 off 31 deliveries while twin sister Kycia Knight, struck a patient 38 at the top order and Chedean Nation, 29.
Sent in earlier, the White Ferns had earlier piled up 278 for nine off their 50 overs, with veteran Sophie Devine striking 108 – her third one-day century – and opening partner and captain Suzie Bates getting 44.
Off-spinner Taylor (3-54) and leg-spinner Afy Fletcher (3-55) claimed three wickets apiece while off-spinner Hayley Matthews supported with two for 68.
It was the opening stand between Devine and Bates which put New Zealand on their way, as they added 76 to deny West Indies any early success.
The right-handed Devine stroked eight fours and two sixes in a 103-ball knock while Bates faced 46 balls and counted four fours.
Matthews got the breakthrough in her third over – the 15th of the innings – when Bates paddled swept an ordinary delivery to give Nation a simple catch, standing next to the square-leg umpire.
The Windies failed to capitalise, however, as Devine anchored two successive half-century stands to keep New Zealand on top.
First, she put on 60 for the second wicket with Amy Satterthwaite who made 27 off 34 deliveries before pulling Fletcher to square leg where Matthews took a sharp chance.
Katey Martin (22) then joined Devine to add a further 63 for the third wicket, a stand which took the hosts to the verge of the 200-run mark.
However, once Martin perished in the 35th over, lbw to seamer Deandra Dottin, New Zealand lost seven wickets for 52 runs to decline.
Devine reached her half-century off 53 balls in the 20th over with two consecutive boundaries off Fletcher, and raised three figures off 99 balls in the 36th over when she sprinted a single to short mid-wicket.
She eventually departed, stumped by Merissa Aguilleira after missing a charge at Fletcher in the 37th over.
In reply, Windies Women lost Matthews cheaply for 18 off 19 balls with three fours, bowled off the fourth ball off seamer Holly Huddleston’s (2-40) opening spell, after being kept scoreless off the first three deliveries.
The right-handed Taylor, arriving at number three, then hauled her side back into the contest in an innings dotted with eight fours and a six, as she put on 57 for the second wicket with Kycia Knight and a further 64 for the third wicket with Nation.
Knight faced 74 balls and counted five fours before falling in the 21st over, lbw to off-spinner Leigh Kasperek (2-51) missing a defensive prod.
Nation, whose knock required 44 balls and included three fours, departed in the 35th over after failing to beat a throw to the non-striker’s end in an attempted quick single with Taylor.
When three wickets fell for 33 runs to leave Windies Women on 185 for five in the 39th over, a couple of small partnerships kept them in the hunt.
Taylor posted 30 off 25 balls with Aguilleira (20) for the sixth wicket before scooping a catch to short backward point off seamer Kate Ebrahim, and Aguilleira added 33 with Kyshona Knight for the seventh wicket before holing out to long on off Huddleston.
With Kyshona Knight still at the wicket, the visitors kept the White Ferns honest to the end but she took a single off the penultimate delivery of the match and Shamilia Connell (2 not out) was unable to muster the winning runs.
