Stafanie Taylor, however, can take heart in the way her reshuffled bowling attack picked themselves up from a disappointing display on Thursday. Yet, the lack of genuine wicket-taking options and game-changers meant that the Australians were able to come out on top in a game of ‘who blinks first’.
Chinelle Henry and Shamilia Connell had a good start with the ball for the home side, keeping the opposition openers relatively quiet. But it was Stacy-Ann King that handed WINDIES Women the breakthrough.
The wicket of Alyssa Healy was just rewarded for Henry’s intelligence, as the right-hander skied one that left her, leaving Natasha McLean to do the rest on the long off boundary. And with what was a more settled display from the West Indian bowlers, Anisa Mohammed was able to get into some sort of a rhythm. Yet, the challenge WINDIES bowlers presented was marred by missed opportunities in the field—wicket-keeper Boyce, again, guilt of putting down a chance. The class of the visitors, though, soon shone through, as Perry and Gardner ran riot in the final overs, setting a formidable target of 309.
The West Indian chase never got going and whatever little resistance was offered by Kyshona Knight and Captain Taylor was short-lived, with Wareham removing both in successive deliveries. The constant loss of wickets prevented the Caribbean ladies from gathering any momentum to pose any form of threat to the target. And so, along with the loss of Stafanie Taylor in the 29th over, went any chance the home team had of finding their way back into this series.
