GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – For the second time in as many days, 15-year-old Shafali Verma inflicted misery on West Indies Women, hammering her second straight half-century to condemn the hosts to a crushing 10-wicket defeat here Sunday.
In yet another aggressive display of batting, the right-hander belted a whirlwind unbeaten 69 off 35 deliveries as India Women hardly broke a sweat in chasing down a paltry 104 to win the second Twenty20 International at the Darren Sammy National Stadium and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
So devastating was Verma’s assault that the usually dominant Smriti Mandhana was reduced to a virtual onlooker, finishing on 30 not out from 28 balls.
All told, Verma – in only her sixth T20 International – blasted 10 fours and two sixes while Mandhana counted four in her knock.
Their century stand was also the second straight following their 143-run partnership in Saturday’s opening game at the same venue.
Opting to bat first, West Indies limped to 103 for seven off their 20 overs, with Chedean Nation top-scoring with 32 from 36 balls and opener Hayley Matthews getting 23 from 35 deliveries.
Off-spinner Deepti Sharma produced an incisive spell to claim four for 10 from her four overs and claim Player-of-the-Match honours.
West Indies were always up against it when they lost Stacy-Ann King (7) and Shemaine Campbelle without scoring in successive overs to be 15 for two in the fifth over.
Matthews, who struck two fours, put on 34 for the third wicket with Nation who then added a further 32 for the fourth with Natasha McLean (17) as West Indies fought back.
But Deepti Sharma knocked over both Nation and McLean in the 17th over to set West Indies back, Nation edging a cut behind after striking three fours and McLean holing out to long off.
Verma and Mandhana then ripped into the Windies attack with relish, racing to the first fifty off a mere 26 balls. Verma raised the landmark by clearing the ropes at long off with pacer Aaliyah Alleyne for the first of her two sixes.
With West Indies bowlers under severe pressure, Verma cashed in, romping to her half-century off 26 balls in the eighth over by lifting off-spinner Matthews over square leg for a second six.
Mandhana finished the game when she swung off-spinner Sheneta Grimmond to the ropes behind square.
