Fletcher, Anisa star in easy win for Windies
For the second time in succession, Sri Lanka Women’s batting was not up to scratch and Windies Women capitalised on that to post a seven-wicket win at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on Friday (October 13) to go 2-0 up in three-match One-Day International series as part of the second edition of ICC’s Women’s Championship.
As was the case in the first game, Sri Lanka rode on contributions from Yasoda Mendis (34), Chamari Atapattu (31) and Dilani Manodara (26) only to be bowled out for 162 in 46.3 overs. Afy Fletcher was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 26, while Anisa Mohammed (2 for 16) and Stafanie Taylor (2 for 31) had two wickets apiece.
Three overs were cut from each innings due to a rain delay.
Windies’ response was typically aggressive with the top order consisting of Hayley Matthews (25) and Kycia A Knight (24) firing, but it wasn’t until Taylor and Deandra Dottin got together that the side was able to get through safely. The duo added an unbeaten 77 runs for the fifth wicket to see Windies to 163 for 3 from 39.4 overs.
Taylor came up with a fine 83-ball 62, while Dottin’s contribution was worth 37 from 38 balls with four fours and a six.
It was a good toss to win for Taylor, especially after recognising during the first ODI that Sri Lanka’s batting was vulnerable. As expected, Windies asked Sri Lanka to bat, but to its surprise, there was some fight in the offing this time around.
Sri Lanka’s top four contributed 110 runs, but the side lost its way thereafter. Sripali Werekkody’s 55-ball 20 showed some resistance, but had little support from her teammates.
As far as the bowling was concerned, Windies was as on the dot as it was in the first game at the same venue. Once again Fletcher, who had three wickets in the opening game, stood out, but it was Anisa’s spell of 10-3-16-2 that put the pressure on Sri Lanka.
Windies had a fairly simple task at hand and it went about it with little fuss. Matthews and Knight put on a 49-run stand at the top before Taylor took centre stage. Even when Chedean Nation fell with the scoreboard reading 86 for 3, Windies weren’t under any pressure. Taylor and Dottin held their nerve and took the attack to the opposition to seal the series.
The second edition of the Women’s Championship will culminate in 2020 with eight sides playing each other in three-match series on a home or away basis. New Zealand, who will host the 2021 World Cup, and three top teams from the Championship will qualify for the World Cup. The remaining sides will go through ICC’s 2021 Women’s World Cup Qualifier.