Matthews slams unbeaten 85 as Windies Women hammer India by nine wickets to level series

Dec 18, 2024 Sports

SportsMax – West Indies women produced a commanding performance to level their three-match T20 International series against India at 1-1, as they registered a comfortable nine-wicket win in the second encounter at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai, yesterday.

The victory marked a significant turnaround for the Caribbean side, who showcased an improved all-around effort after falling short by 49 runs in Sunday’s first match.

Matthews slams unbeaten 85 as Windies Women hammer India by nine wickets to level series

Hayley Matthews started the chase quickly. (BCCI)

Captain Hayley Matthews once again won the toss and, as she did in the opening game, opted to bowl first. However, this time, the decision paid off handsomely.

Matthews led from the front with both ball and bat, as her tidy spell of 2-36 assisted in restricting India to 159-9, after which she delivered a blistering unbeaten 47-ball 85 to seal the chase emphatically.

The authoritative inning from Matthews was nothing short of a masterclass, as it featured 17 boundaries and displayed her trademark aggression, which anchored her team to 160-1 with 26 balls to spare.

Scores: India Women 159-9 (20 overs); West Indies Women 160-1 (15.4 overs).

West Indies got off to a flying start, courtesy of an explosive 66-run opening stand between Matthews and Qiana Joseph.

Joseph, who fell one run shy of a half-century in the first game, again played with confidence and smashed a quick-fire 38 off just 22 deliveries, including six fours and two sixes. Though she eventually fell in the seventh over, her contribution had already put the West Indies firmly in control.

Matthews, undeterred, pressed on and reached her half-century in style in the 11th over when she struck four consecutive boundaries off spinner Radha Yadav.

Shemaine Campbell ably supported Matthews at the other end, as the duo stitched together an unbeaten 94-run second-wicket partnership that capped the win. Campbell also ended unbeaten on 29.

Earlier, the West Indies’ bowling attack was far more disciplined compared to their showing in the first T20I. However, their fielding remained a concern, as four catches were put down—three of them reprieves for India’s captain Smriti Mandhana.

Deandra Dottin struck with her third ball. (BCCI)

Mandhana made the most of her opportunities, crafting a fluent 62 off 41 balls for her second consecutive half-century of the series, following her 54 in the opening match. Her knock, which included nine fours and one six, held India’s innings together after a shaky start at 48-3 in the ninth over.

Mandhana found support from Deepti Sharma, who contributed a patient 17 in a 56-run fourth-wicket partnership that helped stabilize the innings.

After both fell, Richa Ghosh injected some late momentum with a brisk 32 off just 17 deliveries, including six boundaries, to push India to what initially seemed a competitive total.

Jemimah Rodrigues (13) was the only other batter to reach double figures for India, as wickets fell at regular intervals.

Deandra Dottin (2-14), Afy Fletcher (2-28), Matthews (2-36), and Chinelle Henry (2-37) all chipped in with wickets, though Henry will rue her two drop catches that could have tightened the noose on India earlier.

With the series now tied 1-1, Matthews believes the victory serves as both redemption and a statement of intent as they continue to build confidence and momentum in the shortest format.

“We knew we did not do as well as we wanted to do in the first game, so we went back and analyzed (what went wrong). The girls were really hungry to turn things around, and it showed in the way we started,” the Barbadian said in a post-game interview.

“When we looked at the score, we felt we had it under control. Smriti was playing a great knock, but we felt if we could finish off well, we could keep them to a respectable total. Kudos to players like Dottin; we felt 160 was around par, so we were happy with what they got in the end, even though I felt they got 10 runs too many than what we would have liked,” she added.

Scores: West Indies 160 for 1 (Matthews 85*, Joseph 38) beat India 159 for 9 (Mandhana 62, Dottin 2-14, Fletcher 2-28) by nine wickets.

(Matthews slams unbeaten 85 as Windies Women hammer India by nine wickets to level series)

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