West Indies team (PC: Twitter)
West Indies Women prevailed by four wickets against New Zealand Women in the final game of the three-match ODI series on Sunday (September 25) at Antigua.
Opting to bat first, the Kiwi team lost their experienced openers Sophie Devine (7) and Suzie Bates (2) early. Although Maddy Green was proving to be strong support alongside Amelia Kerr, she soon perished on 14 off 25 balls.
Lauren Down scored 53 (PC: Twitter)
Kerr steered the team at a brisk rate, before getting dismissed on 30 off 56. In the middle, Lauren Down displayed composure to stay longer at the crease, and contribute 53 off 78 deliveries.
In the end, White Ferns were bundled out for a total of 168. Hayley Matthews, Afy Fletcher and Karishma Ramharack picked two wickets each for the hosts.
In response, the Carribean team were rocked by double strikes from Jess Kerr, which reduced them to a score of 10/2. However, the team's key players, Matthews and Stafanie Taylor resurrected the innings and provided stability.
Hayley Matthews and Stafanie Taylor led the way for West Indies (PC: Twitter)
The duo added 81 runs for the third wicket, before Matthews departed for 40 off 70 balls in the 24th over. Soon, Taylor was retired hurt, while batting on 51* off 89 balls.
The impactful contribution of 27* off 34 balls from Aaliyah Alleyne helped the Caribbean team to win the game and avoid a series white-wash.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand Women- 168/10 (48.1)
Lauren Down 53 (78), Amelia Kerr 30 (56);
Hayley Matthews 2/23, Karishma Ramharack 2/28
West Indies Women- 169/6 (43.4)
Stafanie Taylor 51* (89), Hayley Matthews 40 (70);
Jess Kerr 3/29, Brooke Halliday 1/16
Result: West Indies Women won by 4 wickets
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