da brwin： The win boosted West Indies’ net run rate to 1.154 and they’re now on the top of Group B table
da dobrowin： Madushka Balasuriya06-Oct-2024West Indies romped to a six-wicket victory over Scotland to secure their first win of the T20 World Cup in Dubai with 50 balls to spare. The win boosted their net run rate to 1.154 and they’re now on the top of Group B table. The result leaves Scotland with two defeats in as many games, though the margin of defeat could prove even more dire to their qualification chances.Qiana Joseph’s 31 off 18 spearheaded what was a middling chase, before Deandra Dottin (28 off 15) and Chinelle Henry (18 off 10) finished the game off in haste. It was a win set up by the bowlers, as West Indies restricted Scotland to 99 for 8.Henry was named Player of the Match for her burst at the top of Scotland’s innings which yielded figures of 1 for 10, before her boundary-laden knock ensured a brisk victory.Scotland were simply second-best in all the areas that mattered with only Kathryn Bryce and Ailsa Lister with any innings of note. With the ball, meanwhile, they picked up wickets and caught much better than their opponents but were unable to stem the flow of runs – the most crucial factor when aiming to defend such a low total.West Indies dominate the powerplayScotland were 25 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, but it might have been much worse if not for West Indies’ profligacy in their catching. While the now infamous ‘ring of fire’ floodlights can be partially to blame, three chances of varying difficulty were spilt in the opening six overs.Thankfully for the West Indies, Henry was putting on a clinic in swing bowling to make sure Scotland weren’t able to capitalise on their multiple lifelines.In her first over she had Sarah Bryce edging high to first slip, where Hayley Matthews could only palm over and she followed that up with two consecutive maidens – including a wicket maiden, where she had Bryce completely foxed by an outswinger that rattled her off stump.Spinners throttle run flow Kathryn survived a tight lbw decision while Lister was dropped twice. They put these second chances to good use in stitching together a 46-run third-wicket stand. However at no point were either afforded easy runs.Afy Fletcher celebrates a wicket•Getty Images
Their stand saw just one boundary scored, with both players forced to find the gaps and run hard between the wickets to keep the scoreboard ticking along.It looked as if a platform might have been set for a late launch, but then the wickets began to fall. Afy Fletcher dismissed Lister and Priyanaz Chatterji in consecutive deliveries in the 13th over, before removing Kathryn in her next over. Scotland stumbled to 76 for five at the end of 15 overs, and they managed only a further 23 runs in the remaining five overs, as the West Indies refused to give an inch.The Qiana Joseph experimentIf this tournament has shown anything, it’s not to judge a total or a pitch until both sides have batted. The other thing is that finding quick runs at the death is exceedingly difficult. Taking both these factors into account, West Indies opted to promote Qiana Joseph up the order after Stafanie Taylor had fallen early.Joseph’s intent was clear from the get-go, swinging and missing at a series of deliveries off Bryce. But with such a low target, each blow had an exponential impact. In all, she struck three fours and a six, but her 18-ball stay had seen as much as 31% of the target wiped off.Dottin does the jobWhen Joseph fell, West Indies still needed 41 runs for victory, and the prevailing mood was that one or two more wickets might have made the going a little trickier, particularly as Scotland were catching well.But Dottin the veteran showed she could carry on her recent franchise form, as she made light work of what might have been a banana skin of a finish. Her 15 deliveries in the middle brought with it two sixes and fours apiece, as West Indies sealed a win.
