RTC Director

Dottin, Mohammed fire Windies Women to opening win

Explosive opener Deandra Dottin extended her rich vein of form as West Indies Women opened their ICC 50-overs World Cup qualifying campaign with a uncomplicated six-wicket victory over minnows Ireland Women here Tuesday.

Asked to chase a meagre 160 at Old Hararians, the Caribbean side cruised to their target in the 40th over with Player-of-the-Match Dottin slamming 73 off 87 deliveries and captain Stafanie Taylor seeing her side over the line with an unbeaten 41 off 54 balls.

Off-spinner Anisa Mohammed had earlier snatched three for 40 as Ireland Women, sent in, collapsed from 79 without loss in the 21st over, to 159 all out off 43 overs.

Fellow off-spinners Taylor (2-15) and Hayley Matthews (2-20), along with new-ball speedster Shamilian Connell (2-33) all supported with two wickets each.

Twenty-year-old Gaby Lewis top-scored with 36 while fellow opener Leah Paul struck 25 and the seasoned Eimear Richardson, a breezy 32 down the order.

The victory put West Indies Women on top Group A by virtue of net run rate, as Sri Lanka Women also won their opening game on Tuesday.

“They (Ireland) got off to a decent start and we were able to peg them back with a couple of wickets,” head coach Courtney Walsh said afterwards.

“We managed to bowl them out in the end which was very good for us, and the batters [then] did the job. Deandra played extremely well supported by the skipper and we were very happy about that.

“On the field, we started a little bit slow but once Anisa broke the partnership … and we started getting those wickets, we got back into the game in terms of taking control and just dominating the entire game.”

Lewis punched four fours and a six while Paul struck a brace of boundaries, Ireland consolidating during the power-play before upping the tempo a little more afterward.

With the partnership becoming worrying, Mohammed removed Lewis caught and bowled off the first ball of the 21st over and then watched as new batsman Amy Hunter was run out next ball without facing a delivery.

Mohammed bowled Paul in the 22nd over to accelerate a slide which saw six wickets tumble for 22 runs in the space of 60 balls, as the innings was thrown into strife and never recovered.

The result was never really in doubt once Dottin got into gear, stroking eight fours and two sixes as she dominated a 61-run stand with Rashada Williams (8) before adding another 33 for the second wicket with Chedean Nation (17).

Dottin became the first of Richardson’s two wickets when she perished in the 25th over and Matthews (9) followed in the 31st but Taylor, who counted three fours in a measured innings, put on 34 in an unbroken fifth wicket stand with Shemaine Campbelle (5), to ease any worries.

West Indies Women face Sri Lanka in their next game on Saturday.

Source-CMC

by RTC Director

Late collapse leaves Windies in turmoil

A dismal final hour damaged West Indies’ chances of gaining a foothold in the opening Test, as a clatter of wickets left the tourists with a mountain to climb heading into Tuesday’s third day at Galle International Stadium.

Already under pressure after Sri Lanka piled up 386 all out on the second day here Monday, West Indies finished the day tottering on 113 for six, still 273 runs behind but more significantly, requiring a further 74 runs to avoid the follow on.

They were well placed at 80 for two after captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who top-scored with 41, and Jermaine Blackwood (20) provided a solid start, but four wickets tumbled for 20 runs in the space of 49 deliveries to leave the innings in meltdown.

Left-hander Kyle Mayers was unbeaten on 22 off 20 balls with five fours and partnered by all-rounder Jaosn Holder on one.

Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis, in only his third Test, claimed three for 23 including the key wicket of Brathwaite while 23-year-old left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, in his second Test, ended with two for 25.

“[Mendis] bowled some good balls but obviously we will sit and still review how to better [play] the off-spinner,” Brathwaite said.

“The guys to come are looking forward to the challenge. We know it won’t be easy but we have to keep supporting [them].”

Off-spinner all-rounder Roston Chase had earlier picked up his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests when he finished with five for 83 as West Indies managed to limit Sri Lanka after the hosts resumed from 267 for three.

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican grabbed three for 87 while fast bowler Shannon Gabriel added a second wicket to end with two 69, ensuring the touring side knocked over the last five wickets for just 55 runs.

Captain Dimuth Karunaratne, unbeaten on 132 at the start, was dismissed for 147 on the stroke of the first hour, the victim of great awareness by Joshua Da Silva who whipped the bails off after the left-hander played and missed at a widish delivery from Chase and inadvertently dragged his boot off the crease.

All told, Karunaratne faced 300 balls in a shade under 7-¼ hours and struck 15 fours.

Dhananjaya de Silva had perished half-hour earlier after adding just four to his overnight 57, becoming the day’s first casualty when he dislodged the bails with his bat as he comically tried to prevent a loose ball he had defended off Gabriel, from hitting his stumps.

Dinesh Chandimal, who struck five fours in 45 from 83 balls, then combined in a 36-run, sixth wicket stand with Mendis (13) to repair the damage, before Mendis departed to a catch at the wicket off Warrican, three overs before lunch taken at 341 for six.

Any hopes of passing the 400-run mark after the break were quickly dashed as Warrican and Chase scythed through the lower order.

West Indies came through the seven overs before tea unscathed to be 12 without loss at the second interval, and then frustrated Sri Lanka as Brathwaite and Blackwood staged a 41-run opening stand.

Brathwaite, reprieved by DRS on five after being adjudged lbw to the last ball before tea, punched seven fours off 115 deliveries while Blackwood faced 43 balls and lashed a four and a six – both boundaries coming in the first over after tea off left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya.

However, Blackwood played down the wrong line and was lbw to the same bowler and Nkrumah Bonner (1) lasted only 11 balls before falling to a sharp chance at first slip off Jayawickrama.

Brathwaite and Shai Hope (10) – a concussion substitute for Jeremy Solozano – then tried to rebuild in a 29-run, third wicket stand but once the partnership was broken, the innings fell apart.

Brathwaite turned Mendis into Pathum Nissanka’s hands at leg slip, Hope whipped the same bowler to Oshada Fernando at short leg seven balls later before nightwatchman Warrican edged a defensive prod at Jayawickrama behind for one and then astonishingly reviewed the decision despite the obvious outside edge.

Mendis struck again when Chase tapped a defensive stroke low to Fernando at short leg as West Indies stumbled to the close.

Source-CMC

by RTC Director