Hayley Matthews top scored for Windies with 43 runs. (CWI media)
(Sourced Information)
TAUNTON, England (CMC) – West Indies Women’s misery at the ICC Women’s World Cup continued unabated when they tumbled to a seven-wicket defeat to India Women in their second match here Thursday.
Once again, the Caribbean side struggled with both bat and ball to slump to a second loss in four days and extend their losing streak on tour to seven straight including warm-up matches, leaving their campaign at the crossroads.
Sent in at County Ground, the Windies rallied to 183 for eight off their 50 overs with Hayley Matthews top-scoring with 43, Afy Fletcher hitting an invaluable unbeaten 36 and Shanel Daley, 33.
At one stage, they were slumping at 121 for seven in the 40th before Fletcher at number nine provided late resistance with bold striking.
India’s slow bowlers turned the screws on West Indj1ies with off-spinners Deepti Sharma (2-27) and Harmanpreet Kaur (2-42), along with leg-spinner Poonam Yadav (2-19) all finishing with two wickets each.
In reply, India stormed to their target courtesy of a superb unbeaten hundred from left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana who ended on 106 not out, while captain Mitahli Raj chipped in with 46.
The Windies struck with the fifth ball of the innings when fast bowler Shamilia Connell had Punam Raut caught at the wicket off a top edge without a run on the board.
And when off-spinner Stafanie Taylor bowled Sharma for six at 33 for two in the eighth, the game became wide open as a contest.
But 20-year-old Mandhana carved out her second one-day hundred, hitting 13 fours and two sixes in a 108-ball knock, as she put on a match-winning 103 for the third wicket with Raj whose innings came from 88 deliveries and included three fours.
West Indies have little time to turn their form around as they take on South Africa in Leicester on Sunday.
