DHARAMSALA, India – Wicketkeeper Merissa Aguilleira missed a run out as Natalia Sciver and Rebecca Grundy scrambled a bye of the final ball of the game to lift England Women to a one-wicket thriller over West Indies Women in their Group B contest of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup, yesterday.
Chasing a meagre 109 for victory at the HPCA Stadium, England Women appeared en route for a crushing win when their openers Tammy Beaumont (31) and Charlotte Edwards (30) put them in cruise control at 59 without loss in the ninth over.
However, both fell in successive overs as England Women dramatically lost their next nine wickets for 47 runs, to set up a nerve-jangling end to the game.
Starting the final over on 102 for eight and requiring seven to win, Anya Shrubsole (4) gathered four runs from the first three balls before medium-pacer Deandra Dottin bowled her off the fourth delivery.
Dottin then agonisingly sent down a wide before Grundy scampered a single to point to give Sciver the strike. The right-handed Sciver missed the last delivery and Aguilleira missed her throw at the stumps, to hand West Indies Women their first loss as England Women remained unbeaten.
Sciver finished on 19 not out from 22 balls while Grundy was unbeaten on one.
The Windies Women’s comeback was engineered by the leg-spin duo of Afy Fletcher who snatched three for 12 from her four overs and Shaquana Quintyne, who finished with three 16. Captain Stafanie Taylor picked up two for 18 with her off-spin.
Earlier, Taylor top-scored with 35 from 47 balls with a single four while Quintyne struck a breezy 29 from 28 balls with four fours, as West Indies Women prospered early on. (CMC)
