MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand, CMC – West Indies Women’s flair for the dramatic continued here yesterday when they edged Bangladesh Women by four runs in a last-over thriller to win their third game of the ICC Women’s World Cup.
Defending a meagre 140 for nine after Shemaine Campbelle’s unbeaten 53 rescued them from a complete implosion at Bay Oval, West Indies restricted the Asian side to 136 all out with three balls to spare, to halt a slide of two successive defeats.
Off-spinner Hayley Matthews, adjudged Player-of-the-Match, emerged as the hero with four for 15 from 10 excellent overs while leg-spinner Afy Fletcher snatched three for 29 in her first appearance of the showpiece and second One-Day International in 19 months since giving birth to her first child.
It was off-spinning captain Stafanie Taylor, with two 29, who stepped up to bowl the final over with Bangladesh requiring eight runs for victory.
Number nine Nahida Akter, who was left unbeaten on a courageous 25, pinched two to backward square off the first ball and punched a single into the deep off the second delivery.
But Fariha Trisna lost the plot, inside-edging a drive off the third delivery onto her stumps, to give West Indies yet another nerve-jangling win in the tournament following similar finishes against hosts New Zealand and reigning World champions England.
“I think just looking at it (total) everyone were pretty much ‘no, we didn’t get enough runs on the board,’” Matthews said afterwards.
“[We] definitely need to be doing better in that aspect but at the same time, I think taking the wickets knowing that it (pitch) was quite slow, was holding a bit of turn in it [was important].
“We knew that we could have gone out there and defended the runs once you bowled the right areas.
“Keeping the stumps in play was very, very important and I think we managed to do that quite well.
“But at the same time, we’re definitely going to need to do better with the bat if we’re going to have any chance at this World Cup.”
Asked to bat, Matthews put on 29 for the first wicket with Deandra Dottin who made 17 before nicking a backfoot drive at seamer Jahanara Alam and falling to a catch behind in the ninth over.
Her dismissal set in train a collapse which saw West Indies Women lose seven wickets for 41 runs to decline dramatically to 70 for seven in the 36th over.
The key wickets of Matthews – pulling a sharp chance to short mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Nahida Akter (2-23) in the 13th over and Taylor for four – bowled around her legs in the 15th by Nahida – left the innings in tatters.
Campbelle stepped up with her second half-century of the tournament, however, repairing the innings with a knock that lasted 107 deliveries and included five fours.
Crucially she put on 32 for the eighth with Fletcher (19) and a further 39 for the ninth with Karishma Ramharack (7 not out), to carve out precious runs towards the end.
Handed the new ball, Matthews knocked over Shamima Sultana without scoring to the fifth ball of the run chase with a single run on the board but Bangladesh recovered mainly through Nigar Sultana (25) and Fargana Hoque (23) to reach 60 for two in the 22nd over.
But things then fell apart quickly as Bangladesh lost three wickets off 15 balls without a run added, as Fletcher ripped the heart out of the innings.
Fargana missed an ambitious slog and lost her off-stump in the 22nd and in Fletcher’s next over, Rumana Ahmed edged a defensive prod behind and Ritu Moni missed a googly to be lbw – both departing without scoring.
With Bangladesh tottering on 60 for five, it was the way back West Indies needed and they quickly pressed home the advantage, Matthews claiming both captain Nigar Sultana (25) and Fahima Khatun (0) in the 33rd over, to leave the tail with a burden too heavy to bear.