As the West Indies battled to win the Women's T20 World Cup for the second time, Stafanie Taylor overcame a severe scare from Scotland.
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| After batting at No. 7 for the first time in T20Is, Stafanie Taylor won Player-of-the-Match |
After the West Indies had fallen to 85 for 5 in the 15th over of the match, Taylor, playing in her debut tournament encounter, gave the West Indies' innings much-needed momentum with a boundary-laden 47 not out off just 19 deliveries, striking at 247.36.
Despite a nervous performance by the West Indies with the ball and in the field, Scotland came very close to winning thanks to a spirited half-century from opener Darcey Carter, who recently turned 21 while fighting a leg ailment. She partnered with Katherine Fraser and Ailsa Lister for half-centuries, but Hayley Matthews' 3 for 19 in four overs, which included 13 dot balls, gave her team just enough hope to hang on, and Aaliyah Alleyne's three wickets in the 19th over stifled Scotland just as they were about to win the game again.
In Scotland's thrilling triumph over New Zealand on Saturday, Fraser was exceptional with 2 for 34, a magnificent catch on the edge of the boundary to remove opener Qiana Joseph, and a fast run-out of West Indies star Shemaine Campbelle.
Scotland's disciplined bowling approach, along with outstanding fielding throughout, weighed down the West Indies. However, under Taylor's leadership, they scored 69 runs in the final six overs to give Scotland a huge target, which the qualifiers came much closer to meeting than their rivals would have preferred.
Taylor's counteroffensive
Taylor entered the game with her team struggling and in dire need of someone to give their innings a much-needed boost. As she and Taylor attempted to speed, Jahzara Claxon hit the first six for the West Indies on the final ball of the 17th over, slamming a short one down the leg side from Kathryn Bryce over cow corner. However, four balls later, Bryce, who was positioned in the same location in the field, made a simple catch to dismiss Claxton and give Fraser her second wicket.
To give the West Indies' bowlers plenty to defend, Taylor hit boundaries down the ground and over the covers, then sent two sixes back over the bowler's head and past deep extra cover before hitting a third, 83-meter maximum over deep midwicket.
Wonderful Fraser
West Indies openers Matthews and Joseph were held to just 13 runs in the first three overs by Scotland's bowlers, who were astute in the field from the start. Rachel Slater was especially economical, giving up just a wide in her first over. Gabriella Fontenla was making the ball swing well when an incoherent Matthews struck a deliberate release shot over midwicket for four. However, Joseph's attempt to properly break the shackles proved to be her downfall and showed how competitive Scotland was.
Joseph muscled a Slater delivery to deep midwicket, giving Fraser a chance to win catch of the tournament thus far. Fraser demonstrated amazing spatial awareness to avoid contacting the sponge with her elbow by just a few centimetres when she landed after leaping to retrieve the ball from the air just inside the boundary. West Indies were 33 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, and Matthews had scored 12 off 17. As Scotland celebrated their incredible start, she managed just two more before retreating to a faster delivery from Fraser and losing her middle stump.
The West Indies included
On 28, after walking past a Fraser delivery that bounced off the keeper's gloves and raced through fine leg to the boundary, Sarah Bryce lost a difficult opportunity behind the stumps against Campbelle. As Deandra Dottin moved forward and turned to watch her bails whipped off, sister Kathryn, who had irritated West Indies with her exceptional lengths, threw one up outside off.
By the end of the 13th over, West Indies had only reached the boundary seven times, so they were scuttling singles wherever they could. Campelle was run out by Fraser on the subsequent delivery, and Kirstie Gordon pinned Chinelle Henry's leg before wicket, further endangering the West Indies, so there would be no repeat of her earlier innings.
Carter's Bravery
With Carter hitting four boundaries in the opening three overs and Fraser scoring 13 runs off six deliveries, Scotland started the run chase far more impressively than their rivals. While attempting to work a Matthews delivery down the leg side, Carter seemed to injure her leg. On 19, Joseph dropped what should have been a sitter for Campbelle's High behind the stumps, giving Carter a life. Carter found it more difficult to run between the wickets, but she persisted and reached her seventh half-century in Twenty20 Internationals off 53 balls.
Alleyne completes it after Matthews makes a breakthrough
Scotland was 51 unbeaten after five overs, but Matthews scored the pivotal hit, defeating Fraser on the sweep with a quicker ball that stayed low. In just two overs, that led to a collapse of four wickets for seven runs. Matthews eliminated Kathryn for a second-ball duck, miscuing to mid-off, and got her third when she trapped Megan McColl lbw attempting a reverse sweep.
McColl had been dropped by Campbelle three deliveries prior, sprinting from behind the stumps nearly to midwicket. Shortly after McColl's dismissal, Campbelle left the field, seemingly feeling ill, and was replaced by Mandy Mangru, a substitute wicketkeeper. As the anxiety began to show on the West Indies, Carter and Lister persevered despite some careless bowling and awkward fielding. In her 150th Twenty20 International, Dottin began the 18th over with three consecutive wides before sobbing when Carter hit two fours in three balls. With the support of her teammates, she was able to give up just one more run.
Alleyne eventually ended Carter's innings with a return catch off a top edge and removed Lister and Gordon with consecutive balls as Scotland needed 22 runs from the final two overs. West Indies managed to scrape home when Joseph dismissed Slater and Fontenla in three balls toward the end, despite their ongoing difficulties with ground fielding.
On 28, after walking past a Fraser delivery that bounced off the keeper's gloves and raced through fine leg to the boundary, Sarah Bryce lost a difficult opportunity behind the stumps against Campbelle. As Deandra Dottin moved forward and turned to watch her bails whipped off, sister Kathryn, who had irritated West Indies with her exceptional lengths, threw one up outside off.
By the end of the 13th over, West Indies had only reached the boundary seven times, so they were scuttling singles wherever they could. Campelle was run out by Fraser on the subsequent delivery, and Kirstie Gordon pinned Chinelle Henry's leg before wicket, further endangering the West Indies, so there would be no repeat of her earlier innings.
Carter's Bravery
With Carter hitting four boundaries in the opening three overs and Fraser scoring 13 runs off six deliveries, Scotland started the run chase far more impressively than their rivals. While attempting to work a Matthews delivery down the leg side, Carter seemed to injure her leg. On 19, Joseph dropped what should have been a sitter for Campbelle's High behind the stumps, giving Carter a life. Carter found it more difficult to run between the wickets, but she persisted and reached her seventh half-century in Twenty20 Internationals off 53 balls.
Alleyne completes it after Matthews makes a breakthrough
Scotland was 51 unbeaten after five overs, but Matthews scored the pivotal hit, defeating Fraser on the sweep with a quicker ball that stayed low. In just two overs, that led to a collapse of four wickets for seven runs. Matthews eliminated Kathryn for a second-ball duck, miscuing to mid-off, and got her third when she trapped Megan McColl lbw attempting a reverse sweep.
McColl had been dropped by Campbelle three deliveries prior, sprinting from behind the stumps nearly to midwicket. Shortly after McColl's dismissal, Campbelle left the field, seemingly feeling ill, and was replaced by Mandy Mangru, a substitute wicketkeeper. As the anxiety began to show on the West Indies, Carter and Lister persevered despite some careless bowling and awkward fielding. In her 150th Twenty20 International, Dottin began the 18th over with three consecutive wides before sobbing when Carter hit two fours in three balls. With the support of her teammates, she was able to give up just one more run.
Alleyne eventually ended Carter's innings with a return catch off a top edge and removed Lister and Gordon with consecutive balls as Scotland needed 22 runs from the final two overs. West Indies managed to scrape home when Joseph dismissed Slater and Fontenla in three balls toward the end, despite their ongoing difficulties with ground fielding.
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