Aaliyah Alleyne hit 49 off 37 (PC: Twitter)
West Indies Women prevailed by one run over New Zealand Women in the first fixture of the five-match T20I series on Wednesday (September 28) at Antigua.
Invited to bat first, West Indies lost Natasha McLean (0) early. However, Hayley Mathews (15) and Aaliyah Alleyne stitched a 66-runs stand to provide stability to the innings.
Amid failures of Chedean Nation and Kyshona Knight, Alleyne was the most sought batter with the contribution of 49 of 37, laced with seven fours. Then, Rashada Williams (15) and Chinelle Henry (10) were useful to help the Caribbean team finish on a total of 115. Amelia Kerr scalped three wickets for the Kiwi team.
In response to the chase, New Zealand's top batters Suzie Bates (5) and Amelia Kerr (3) were dismissed by Henry. Although, Sophie Devine started off well with her positive mindset, she made her way back to the hut for 23 off 18.
The middle-order could not bring their A-game, which made the game interesting. In the end, Hannah Rowe (27*) provided some hope to the New Zealand team, with Isabelle Gaze (15) as the support. However, they fell short by one run, and would look to come up with improved performances and confidence.
Henry picked three wickets, followed by Afy Fletcher with two scalps.
Brief Scores:
West Indies Women: 115/10 (20)
Aaliyah Alleyne 49 (37), Rashada Williams 15 (18);
Amelia Kerr 3/16, Fran Jonas 2/13
New Zealand Women: 114/9 (20)
Hannah Rowe 27* (21), Sophie Devine 23 (18);
Chinelle Henry 3/26, Afy Fletcher 2/18
Result: West Indies Women won by 1 run
Read more: Rohit Sharma praises Arshdeep and Deepak for early breakthroughs in first T20I
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