Sports
Jonathan Ramnanansingh
Monday 20 February 2023
West Indies women’s team captain Hayley Matthews credited her squad’s discipline in the outfield as one of the key elements which helped them successfully defend a modest 116/6 score against Pakistan in their final ICC Women’s T20 World Cup group match on Sunday.
The maroon scraped a nail-biting three-run victory as they restricted the opposition to 113/5.
West Indies now remain dependent on other results, to hopefully squeeze into the semi-final round. Only the top two teams from each group advance.
“As West Indians we tend to take the games a bit close! We’re just really happy to get over the line in the end. We knew we had to be extra special in the field.
“We spoke about really getting our bodies behind the ball and not only winning it with bat and ball but also with our fielding,” Matthews said in the post-match press conference.
Batting first, West Indies were kept at bay by Pakistan’s bowlers. Opener Rashada Williams top scored with 32 runs while Shemaine Campbell (22) and skipper Hayley Matthews (20) also chipped in.
Nida Dar was Pakistan’s top bowler with 2/13.
In their turn at the crease, Pakistan were also restricted by good spells from the maroon bowlers. Needing 17 from the final over to win, Pakistan’s Fatima Sana struck a boundary off Shamilia Connell’s first delivery and hit a single off the other to put Aliya Riaz on strike.
Riaz reduced the chase by hitting Connell for two consecutive boundaries but was then bowled by the pacer with four runs required from the final ball.
New batter Omaima Sohail could only grab a leg bye from the last delivery which sealed a much needed win for the Caribbean team.
So far, group one and two leaders Australia and England respectively have already qualified for the semis.
It has been a rough few months for West Indies women as they had gone without a win in the T20I format since September before beating Ireland, on Friday. They’re now celebrating back-to-back wins and mathematically still in contention for the semi-finals.
Matthews added, “We’ve had a tough couple of months but it’s really good we have been able to bring the momentum in and play a hard game.”
“We need a couple of results to go our way (to qualify) but all we could do was come out and play well.
“We hope a couple results go our way for sure but all we could have done today was come out and do what we had to do and I think the rest is up to God.”
On the team’s young players, she said, “We have a lot of young players coming in and the older girls are supporting them. It’s brilliant to see them get the opportunity to play in a tournament like this.
“It is going to be an exciting journey to see them progress.”
Scores: WEST INDIES 116 for six off 20 overs (Rashada William 30, Shemaine Campbelle 22; Nidar Dar 2-13) vs PAKISTAN 113 for five off 20 overs (Aliya Riaz 29, Nida Dar 27, Bismah Maroof 26; Hayley Matthews 2-14).
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