Last Update: February 12, 2023, 07:30 IST
Nat Sciver (left) and Heather Knight put on an unbeaten 67-run partnership. (pic credit: icc)
Natalie Sciver top-scored for England as Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets to seal a comfortable win.
England has started the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 campaign with a thumping win over West Indies at Boland Park in Paarl on Saturday. After having West Indies at 135/7, England chased down 136 in 14.3 overs.
Skipper Hayley Mathews’ 32-ball 42 never looked like enough for a West Indies total as world No. 1 T20I bowler Sophie Ecclestone returned figures of three for 23. 38 degree heat.
Returning Stafanie Taylor was adjudged lbw on the ground off the last ball of the opening over, the referral overturned.
Mathews found the measure of Bell in the fast bowler’s erratic second over – twice traversing the off-side field.
He hit eight fours in the powerplay to take the Windies to 47 for no loss, the first time in 20 T20Is they reached the six-over mark without losing a wicket.
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Taylor never looked convincing and was dismissed by the flight of Sarah Glenn’s second ball, trapped for three in 14 balls, this time ruining one of his team’s reviews.
England got the crucial wicket of Mathews in the 11th over when he was trapped lbw by Ecclestone’s drift.
Shemaine Campbelle acted sensibly in an anchor role, but she lost partner Shabika Ghajnabi for three for 70, run out by Elise Capse when she turned for tight seconds.
Campbell made 34 off one ball but her promising fourth-wicket stand was broken when she was caught behind by Katherine Sciver-Brunt, caught sharp by Amy Jones.
England took back control in the 17th over with captain Heather Knight running out Chinelle Henry two balls later and Ecclestone losing two wickets in the final over.
Dunkley and Danny Wyatt fired in reply, the former taking 17 runs in one over from Mathews, but the latter soon scoring 11 runs, caught in the deep on the off side.
Dunkley applied unrelenting pressure, scoring 34 off 17 balls, but was dismissed when Henry took a reflex return catch.
England doubled down on their attacking approach before Capsey was stumped for 13 before Ellis was driven hard by Capsey and Nat Sciver-Brunt off.
The partnership of Nett and Knight that has borne such fruit for England saw them home from 71 for three, with a 67-run leg-side boundary for the fourth wicket.
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West Indies 135 for seven in 20 overs (Hayley Matthews 42, Shayman Campbell 34; Sophie Ecclestone 3/23, Sarah Glenn 1/20) Vs England 138 for three in 14.3 overs (Nate Sciver-Brunt 40 not out, Sophia Dunkley 34; Chenille Henry 2/30, Effie Fletcher 1/22)
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