NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – West Indies Women churned out arguably their worst performance of the three-match series as they suffered a 151-run flogging in the final One-Day International, to endure a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of England Women.
After the visitors posted a challenging 256 all out in the 44th over behind Player-of-the-Series Nat Sciver’s 69-ball 85, West Indies Women could only muster a paltry 105 all out from 37.3 overs in reply, in yet another anemic batting display in Friday’s day-night affair.
They lost the previous two ODIs by margins of 142-runs after struggling to totals of 165 in the first and 118 in the second.
“I thought it was a poor series by us,” said a stony-faced head coach Courtney Walsh.
“We didn’t play the type of cricket we wanted to play so England outplayed us. The bowling was not bad and the fielding was not bad but I think in all three games the batting was not what we expected, what we wanted or what we were hoping for. “So the series was lots of disappointment because I know we can play better cricket than that and we didn’t show that.”
Choosing to bat first at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, England Women flourished through an enterprising opening stand of 63 from 69 balls from Emma Lamb (29) and Tammy Beaumont (23).
When debutant left-arm spinner Kaysia Schultz (2-52) struck in each of her first two overs, it sparked a slide which saw England Women collapse to 84 for four in the 17th over.
However Sciver, who punched 10 fours, revived the innings through two partnerships, first adding 90 for the fifth wicket with Danny Wyatt (35) and then 43 for the sixth wicket with stand-in captain Amy Jones (32 not out).
Captain Hayley Matthews, who finished with three for 56 with her off-spin, bowled Sciver in the 36th over to inhibit the tourists’ progress as they lost their last five wickets for 39 runs.
Matthews returned with the bat, top-scoring with 28 from 35 balls, including three fours, handing West Indies Women a bright start to their chase in a 40-run, opening stand with Aaliyah Alleyne (8).
Even when Matthews was brilliantly snared at first slip – a one-handed grab by Sophie Ecclestone leaping high to her right off seamer pacer Kate Cross – West Indies Women remained steady but the pressure eventually told especially with Kycia Knight (11) and Alleyne failing to get the ball away.
They perished in successive overs as three wickets went down without a run added at 57, Knight holing out to mid-on off Sciver’s (2-16) medium pace in the 16th over and Alleyne stumped off 21-year-old off spinner Charlie Dean in the next over after dragging her back leg from the crease.
When Rashada Williams shuffled across a full length delivery from Sciver and was lbw in the 18th over, the hosts were reeling and never recovered, Ecclestone (3-9) ripping through the lower order with her left-arm spin to cripple the innings.
