West Indies began their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign on a sour note, falling to a crushing ten-wicket defeat at the hands of South Africa in Dubai. Struggling with both bat and ball, the 2016 champions set an underwhelming target of 119, which South Africa comfortably chased down with 13 balls to spare.
Put in to bat first, the West Indies faltered from the outset. Key wickets tumbled early, with captain Hayley Matthews dismissed for just ten by seam bowler Marizanne Kapp. The middle order collapsed under the pressure of Nonkululeko Mlaba’s spin, as the left arm Proteas bowler tore through it, finishing with 4-29. By the time the West Indies reached 83-6, their chances of posting a challenging total were slim. Former captain Stafanie Taylor’s fighting unbeaten 44 off 41 balls brought some respectability to the innings, but the team ended on a modest 118-6.
In response, South Africa’s openers, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, made light work of the chase. Wolvaardt remained unbeaten on 59, while Brits contributed 57, as they cruised to victory without losing a wicket.
With this dominant performance, South Africa, runners-up in last year’s tournament, signalled their intent to go one step further this time. West Indies, on the other hand, will need to regroup ahead of their next match against Scotland on Sunday.
Reflecting on the loss, captain Matthews said: “It was a very disappointing game and not the way we wanted to start. We have to pick ourselves up quickly. We have a game in two days’ time and we have to bounce back quickly.”
Discussing their batting woes, the Barbadian allrounder said: “We were able to build some partnerships in between but probably not able to strike the way we wanted to. She (Zaida James) got hit on the face and hopefully that is just a cut (and she can feature on Sunday).”
The Women in Maroon face Scotland next on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Summarised Scores
West Indies Women 118 for 6in 20 overs (Taylor 44*, Mlaba 4-29, Kapp 2-14)
South Africa Women 119 for 0 in 17.5 overs (Wolvaardt 59*, Brits 57*)
Result: South Africa Women won by ten wickets with 13 balls remaining
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