MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand, CMC – Hayley Matthews stroked a high quality, career-best century and veteran all-rounder Deandra Dottin snatched two wickets and pulled off a run-out in a dramatic last over, as West Indies shocked hosts New Zealand by three runs in a sensational opener of the ICC Women’s World Cup.
Asked to bat first at Bay Oval here yester, West Indies were propelled by Player-of-the-Match Matthews’s superb 119 off 128 deliveries, as they piled up 259 for nine off their 50 overs.
In reply, Kiwis captain Sophie Devine punched 108 off 127 balls, an innings that appeared to lay the foundation for a successful New Zealand run chase.
And when veteran Katie Martin slammed 44 off 47 balls at number eight, in a 40-run, eighth-wicket partnership with rookie Jess Kerr (25), New Zealand were left with only six runs to win from the last over of the contest.
However, lion-hearted Dottin snatched the ball for her first bowl in nearly six months, to inflict the mortal blow on the hosts’ run chase.
With her second delivery, she struck Martin in front with a deadly yorker to gain an lbw decision and with her fourth delivery, claimed Kerr miscuing to Chinelle Henry at mid-off.
Tottering on 256 for nine and requiring four runs from two balls, New Zealand suffered heartbreak when Hannah Rowe missed a swish at the fifth delivery and Fran Jonas charged the pitch attempting to steal a single.
Wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle quickly relayed the ball to Dottin who broke the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Jonas well short of her ground, sparking celebrations in the West Indies camp.
“Shakera Selman, I believe it was, who was meant to bowl [the last over], and Deandra pretty much just came up and said to Staf (Stafanie Taylor) ‘give me the ball’,” Matthews told journalists afterwards.
“We were like ‘you haven’t bowled in international cricket in about [six months] now, literally hasn’t bowled to anyone in the nets since we’ve been here.’
“She just came and said ‘give me the ball’ and I think a player like Deandra Dottin when she says to give her the ball, you just give her the ball, it doesn’t matter if she’s bowled in a year [or] if she hasn’t.”
It was Matthews’s knock which set the game up nicely for West Indies after she was elevated to partner Dottin at the top of the order.
She lost Dottin (12) and Kycia Knight (5) cheaply as West Indies slumped to 39 for two in the sixth over, but remained composed to lash 16 fours and a six and underpin three successive half-century stands.
Firstly, she added 61 for the third wicket with captain Taylor (30), put on 60 for the fourth wicket with Campbelle (20) before gathering a further 55 for the fifth wicket with Chedean Nation who struck 36 from 46 deliveries.
Matthews reached her half-century off 55 balls with a single behind point in the 18th over and brought up her third One-Day International hundred off the first ball of the 42nd, completing a couple behind square with a desperate dive into the crease which up-ended wicketkeeper Martin.
The Barbadian then went on the attack before finally holing out to wide long off in the 45th over from seamer Jess Kerr (2-43), West Indies losing their last five wickets for 39 runs.
West Indies made a fortuitous start to their bowling effort when a full-blooded drive from Devine ricocheted off Chinelle Henry’s hand and onto the stumps, to run out her partner Suzie Bates (3) at the non-striker’s end.
And when Matthews (2-41) gained a plumb lbw decision against Amelia Kerr (13) with her off-spin, the hosts were 47 for two in the 12th over and in need of a partnership.
It came though Devine and Amy Satterthwaite (31), the pair posting 76 for the third wicket to push their side past 100 and repair the damage.
The right-handed Devine notched 10 fours in cruising to her sixth hundred while Satterthwaite supported with one four in 56 deliveries before becoming one of four wickets to fall for 39 runs off 41 balls.
Devine then put on 53 for the seventh wicket with Martin who then combined with Jess Kerr in another pivotal stand, before Dottin’s magic stole it at the end for West Indies.
