Death bowling snatches T20 win for Ferns
Some excellent death bowling from Leigh Kasperek and Sophie Devine helped the Whites Ferns to an eightrun win over the West Indies in the first women’s Twenty20 international at Mt Maunganui’s Bay Oval yesterday.
The Windies looked on track for their first victory on tour after half centuries by Hayley Matthews and Stafanie Taylor but some brilliant bowling at the death by Leigh Kasperek and Sophie Devine saw the White Ferns home.
The tourists, well-beaten in three one-day internationals in Christchurch, needed 13 runs off the final over to record their first win of the tour. But medium pacer Devine began with three dot balls to swing the balance back New Zealand’s way.
Earlier, the home side, having been sent in to bat, reached 167-6.
The innings was set up by skipper Suzie Bates (49) and Katey Martin (54), who produced a 76-run secondwicket stand.
After Bates was caught in the deep, Martin was joined by Amy Satterthwaithe and the pair put on 52, with Satterthwaite scoring a breezy 36 off 19 balls.
Wicketkeeper Martin passed 50 for the first time in a T20 international but was out caught in the deep for 54 off 35 balls.
In reply, the world champions got off to a flyer as Hayley Matthews and Merissa Aguilleira racked up 42 runs for the opening wicket, with Matthews doing the bulk of the scoring.
Matthews continued on to 53 before off-spinner Kasperek removed her via an excellent stumping by Martin.
Taylor (51 not out) kept the Windies in the game. Along with Kyshona Knight, she got the West Indies into a strong position at 153-4 needing a further 15 runs from 10 deliveries, but then the pendulum swung once more.
Kasperek, bowling the penultimate over, took two more wickets to set up a tense finale, which ended with the West Indies on 159-6.
Kasperek finished with 3-35, while Devine took 2-27.
Martin completed a great all-round game with two stumpings, both off Kasperek.
Game two in the five-match series is at the same venue on Friday night.
Scoreboard / B13