POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, CMC – Stacy-Ann King’s handy all-round performance helped West Indies Women to a six-wicket victory over South Africa Women in the Twenty20 competition in the ICC Women’s World Challenge yesterday.
The left-handed all-rounder struck two fours in 17 not out from 10 balls, and shared a vital 33 – unbroken – with Deandra Dottin that made her a shoo-in for the Player-of-the-Match award, as Windies Women, chasing 99 for victory from their allocation of 20 overs, reached their target with 19 balls to spare in their opening match.
Dottin formalised the result with the last of her three boundaries off Shabnim Ismail in 28 not out from 17 balls.
The result atoned for the Windies Women’s only loss in the One-day International phase of the competition last Sunday, which allowed the hosts to play unbeaten, and win that section. King had been the most successful Windies Women’s bowler with a T20 International career-best of three wickets for 19 runs from four overs, as South Africa Women, sent in to bat, were dismissed for 98 in 19.5 overs. Windies Women then stumbled through the first half of their innings, losing Pearl Etienne bowled by Ismail for four in the third over, Stafanie Taylor caught off Sunette Loubser for seven in the eighth over, and Britney Cooper was caught off Dane van Niekerk for two. The visitors were 35 for three in the ninth over, when Dottin linked-up with Nero, and they brought some stability to the innings, and put the Windies Women back on course for victory.
Nero was however, run out in the 14th over for the top score of 39 from 44 balls that included four boundaries, and King arrived to ease the nerves of the Windies Women.
Earlier, Shanel Daley, the daughter of former Jamaica men’s all-rounder Aaron Daley, bowled Shandre Fritz for 13, and Cooper’s return to bowler Taylor ran Jana Nell out for a one-ball duck in the space of eight balls to leave South Africa Women wobbling on 24 for two in the fifth over.
Windies Women were put under pressure however, when South Africa Women’s captain Cri-Zelda Brits joined top-scorer Trisha Chetty, and they added 37 for the third wicket. When King had Brits caught for 19 in the 11th over, the South Africans were 61 for three, and this triggered a terminal batting collapse that saw the home team lose their last eight wickets for 37 in the space of 57 balls.
West Indies Women face The Netherlands tomorrow in their second match at the same venue. The result would decide whether they or the South Africans reach the final against Sri Lanka later the same day at the same ground.
