TAYLOR STARS AS WINDIES WOMEN WIN 3-0
Stafanie Taylor led from the front with an all-round performance as the West Indies Women beat Sri Lanka Women by 40 runs in the third and final One-day International between the two sides at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on Sunday (15).
Rain and wet conditions had reduced the match to a 45-overs-per-side affair. Windies mustered 182 for eight, riding on Taylor’s half century, with Inoka Ranaweera, Sri Lanka’s Captain, asking the home side to bat under overcast conditions.
Taylor, the Windies Captain, returned to bag three for 29 to bowl Sri Lanka out for 142 in 40.4 overs, thereby handing Windies a 3-0 series sweep.
Taylor and Hayley Matthews gave Windies a strong foundation after losing Kycia Knight (5) early, resisting the bowlers and taking a patient approach in their second-wicket partnership of 83 off 136 balls.
Taylor eventually made 55, which included seven fours during her 82-ball stay.
Shashikala Siriwardene, the off-spinner, came on to castle Matthews (41 off 75) and Chedean Nation (0) off consecutive deliveries in the 27th over to give Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope, but Taylor continued to resist.
Once Siriwardene went past Taylor’s defence to pick up her third wicket in the 31st over, and Deandra Dottin, the explosive middle-order batter, following suit soon after, and Windies found itself in a spot of bother at 121 for five in 34 overs.
Merissa Aguilleira, another experienced campaigner in the Windies side, then took the onus upon herself to take the team to a respectable total, hitting an unbeaten 37 off 43 balls despite wickets going down at the other end.
Siriwardene’s three for 26 and Ranaweera’s two for 24 were the highlights among Sri Lanka’s bowlers, leaving the batters with a reasonable target to chase.
But the chase wasn’t as simple though, with Sri Lanka’s top-three - Nipuni Hansika (0), Chamari Atapattu (11) and Yasoda Mendis (18) - falling cheaply to reduce the side to 51 for three by the 18th over. Shakera Selman, the right-arm pacer, accounted for the first two scalps while Afy Fletcher, the leg-spinner, kept the scoring tied down and eventually forced Mendis to return a catch off her own bowling.
Dilani Manodara and Rebeca Vandort then resisted for a bit after that but failed to convert their fifth-wicket stand of 30 runs from 53 balls to a more significant contribution, with Matthews sending Manodara back for 42 off 89.
From then, Siriwardene was run out and Hansima Karunaratne, batting at Number 8, was bowled by Selman as Windies took firm control over the proceedings.
Taylor then came in to wrap up the innings quickly, accounting for Vandort (36 off 42), Sripali Weerakkodi and Ranaweera to hammer the final nail in the coffin.
With the three wins in the series, Windies ensured six points in the ICC Women’s Championship to climb to the fourth position behind Australia, England and New Zealand. (ICC)