It was an absolute thriller at Antigua as hosts West Indies Women and visitors India Women faced each other in the 1st ODI of the series. West Indies won by the barest of margins as India scored 1 run less than the hosts to get defeat.
West Indies set a target of 225 runs courtesy brilliant knocks from Stafanie Taylor, Chedean Nation, and Natasha McLean. India had a proper start with Priya Punia and Jemimah Rodrigues opening the innings well, but wickets in the middle ensured that West Indies were always in the game. India came very close to the total, but in the end, lost to the hosts by 1 run. Perfect nail-biter and the last ball thriller it was!
West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first. Natasha McLean and Stacy-Ann King opened the innings with grit. McLean went on to score a half-century as well. Her 82-ball 51 was crucial in giving her team a cushioning at the top. Next came captain Stafanie Taylor. She played an absolutely classy inning as she batted through the middle overs to the end. She made 94 runs in 91 deliveries. She finally got out in the last ball of the innings when she hit a lofted shot in hope of completing her ton, but Harmanpreet Kaur’s outstanding flying catch at the boundary robbed Taylor of a last-ball century. Chedean Nation stabilized the middle order with her knock of 43 runs which came in 55 balls.
✅150 ODI Wickets Milestone
✅6th ODI 5-fer (Highest by any woman)
✅Wicket on the last ball vs IndiaCongratulations on a remarkable day, Anisa! #INDWvsWIW #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/y2xSaDyvst
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 2, 2019
Indian pacer Shikha Pandey and spinner Deepti Sharma took 2 wickets each as Jhulan Goswami, Ekta Bisht and Poonam Yadav shared 3 wickets amongst themselves. West Indies finished on 225/7.
India started off well with Jemimah Rodrigues and Priya Punia playing together till 22 overs. Punia scored 75 in 107 balls while Rodrigues was dismissed by Taylor when she was on 41(67). The other batters were restricted in their 20’s, with Punam Raut and Mithali Raj departing after scoring 22 and 20 runs respectively. Harman was rendered out by Shabika Gajnabi on 5. Gajnabi went on to dismiss Taniya Bhatia too, when she was on the same score. Deepti Sharma 19(22) and Jhulan Goswami 14(12) tried their best to infuse life into the chase, the latter remaining not out. 2 runs were required in the last ball of the match with number 11 Poonam Yadav at strike. Yadav could not do much as she handed a catch to King and gave West Indies a 1-run victory. Yadav also became the 5th victim of Anisa Mohammed in the match, who completed her 5-wicket haul. It was Anisa’s 6th ODI fifer which is the highest by anyone in women’s cricket. She also reached the milestone of 150 ODI wickets in this match. Gajnabi and Taylor were the other wicket-takers from the host side. They took 2 wickets apiece.
Priya Punia’s 75 (highest runs from Team India’s side) gave them the solid start they expected in their chase of 226 posted by West Indies Women. #INDWvsWIW #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/iWUqcEl7bn
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 2, 2019
Match Scores
West Indies Women: 225/7 in 50 overs
India Women: 224 all-out in 50 overs
Match Result: West Indies Women won by 1 run
Player of the Match: Stafanie Taylor – 94(91) and 2-30
Series Status: West Indies lead the 3-match series 1-0 over India
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