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A clinical performance from the West Indies saw them cruise to a comfortable 8-wicket win over Bangladesh and at the top of Group B in the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup on Thursday.
It was a collective effort from the bat and a mesmerising performance from the 29-year-old spinner Karishma Ramharack that stamped the Caribbean side's authority at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. While chasing a paltry total of 104, a blitz from the West Indies batters blew Bangladesh away. Skipper Hayley Matthews and Stafanie Taylor laid the foundation for a brisk chase. After a cautious approach in the opening overs, the openers dealt with boundaries in the powerplay and effortlessly put 48/0 on the board. The West Indies openers looked comfortable in negating the ploy that Bangladesh set in place to disrupt the flow of the game. In the 8th over, Bangladesh finally got the much-needed breakthrough. Right-arm Marufa Akter notched 109.4kph and cleaned up the West Indies skipper. With a significant movement off the deck, Matthews got beaten on the inside edge and the ball crashed into the stumps. While riding on her luck, Taylor continued to make the most of her flying start after Sobhana Mostary put down her catch. She spent some time on the field with Shemaine Campbelle before eventually limped off and retired hurt with a score of 27(29). With 31 needed in 10 overs, the West Indies comfortably chased down the target with more than seven overs to spare. Despite losing Campbelle in the process, Deandra Dottin finished in style by smoking the ball past the boundary rope to seal victory for her side. Earlier in the match, Bangladesh were put to bat after the West Indies won the toss. Matthews used seven bowlers throughout the first inning, but Ramharack stood out with her breathtaking spell. She took a wicket each in her four-over spell, derailing Bangladesh's inning before it could gain momentum. On her very first delivery, the offspinner Shathi Rani (9) as she went for the sweep and completely missed the ball and Campbelle took the bails off the stumps in a flash. In her second over, Dilara Akter tried to counter Ramharack with a sweep shot. She moved across and missed the delivery, which left her middle stumps exposed. The ball went on to crash into the stumps, forcing her to return with a score of 19. Matthews held her trump card and introduced Ramharack in the middle overs. Bangladesh were in the process of rebuilding their inning, with Sobhana Mostary and skipper Nigar Sultana forging a 40-run stand for the third wicket. Ramharack was handed the ball to bowl the 13th over. She mixed her line and length beautifully and eventually got Sobhana Mostary (16) stumped. Bangladesh once again regrouped towards the climax, with Sultana and Ritu Moni looking to take off in the final over. Ramharack knocked Moni out to finish with figures of 4/17. Sultana's slow-paced 39 of 44 deliveries played a substantial role in propelling Bangladesh's score to 103/8. Brief Scores: Bangladesh 103/8 (Nigar Sultana 39, Dilara Akter 19; Karishma Ramharack 4/17) vs West Indies 104/2 (Hayley Matthews 34, Stafanie Taylor 27; Marufa Akter 1-20). (ANI)
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