NAVI MUMBAI: It was vintage Caribbean flair at its best. And you couldn’t help but enjoy it, even if it was India who were at the receiving end!
Leading from the front, skipper Hayley Matthews unleashed a power-packed innings of 85 not out off just 47 balls, studded with 17 fours to star in the West Indies’ nine-wicket trouncing of India in the second Women’s T20I at the DY Patil Stadium on Tuesday night.
Matthews’s magical batting display, combined with Deandra Dottin’s peerless all-round performance (2-14, two catches including a stunning one at deep-mid-wicket), helped the West Indies, who finally played like the 2024 Women’s World Cup champions they are, stage a commendable comeback in the three-match series, which is now locked at 1-1.
The decider will take place on Thursday night at the same venue.
Making a mockery of the 160-run target, the West Indies cantered to victory with 26 balls to spare. Making use of conditions which are familiar to her since she plays for Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League, Matthews turned the chase into a cruise as she put on 66 in 40 balls for the first wicket with fellow opener Qiana Joseph (38, 22b, 6x4, 2x6) and then added an unbeaten 94-run stand for the second wicket with ‘keeper-batter Shemaine Campbelle (29 not out, 26b, 4x4) in merely 55 balls.
Matthews smacked four fours in a row off left-arm spinner Radha Yadav in the 11th over, and then hit three consecutive fours off seamer Saima Thakor in the 14th over to punish India’s mediocre bowling attack.
Earlier, putting her hand up in skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s absence due to a knee injury, Smriti Mandhana rode her luck, being dropped thrice, to score her second successive fifty (62, 41b, 9x4, 1x6), while ‘keeper-bat Richa Ghosh scored a breezy 32 (17b, 6x4), as India made a fighting score of 159 for nine.
While Mandhana held fort through the initial part of the innings when India looked shaky, Ghosh provided the much-needed impetus in the slog overs with her boundary-laden cameo, tonking leggie Afy Fletcher for three fours in the 18th over, which went for 17.
Brief Scores: India 159/9 (Smriti Mandhana 62, Richa Ghosh 32; Deandra Dottin 2/14) lost to West Indies 160/1 in 15.4 overs (Hayley Matthews 85*, Qiana Joseph 38) by nine wickets
