Windies women women looking to rekindle 2016 winning magic

  • Oct, Thu, 2024

Former champions West Indies will start their International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 Women’s World Cup campaign against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, today at 6 am (T&T Time).

The 2016 champions have been drawn in Group B with South Africa, England, Bangladesh, and Scotland.

West Indies will play Scotland on 6 October, before matches against Bangladesh (10 October) and England.

Group A will comprise Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Each team will play four group matches, with the top two teams from each group moving into the semifinals.

The tournament, which has been moved to the UAE after political unrest in Bangladesh, is set to run from 3-20 October.

Meanwhile, the West Indies are the only side apart from England to have won a T20 World Cup to their names in the middle of the Australian dominance. But the 2016 champions have not played a T20I since June this year, when they toured Sri Lanka in a 2-1 series win.

The major talking point ahead of the World Cup was the inclusion of Deandra Dottin, who had abruptly retired in 2022. The ‘World Boss’, as she is known, scored 119 runs in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League this year (WCPL). But as her only outing with the bat in the warm-up games was a first-ball duck against Australia, she will be keen to prove a point that she still belongs at this level.

The West Indies lost both their warm-up games in the lead-up to the tournament against Australia and India. Averaging only 124 runs with the bat since the last T20 World Cup in South Africa, they would hope to be more explosive with the bat thanks to the firepower they can boast of.

Eight years ago in Kolkata, 18-year-old Hayley Matthews scored a match-winning 66 as West Indies stopped the Australian brigade from winning three consecutive titles at the time. Now as captain, she will hope to repeat the feat of stopping a fourth consecutive Australian triumph.

Hayley Matthews, who has been in terrific form over the last six months, was the highest run-getter in the bilateral tours against Pakistan (205 runs in five games) and Sri Lanka (108 runs in three matches).

She successfully also led the Barbados Royals to victory in the WCPL in August. A powerful ball striker who can also turn her arm over with some off-breaks, she would hope to continue her purple patch.

West Indies have a poor win-loss ratio against England of 8-19 and one no-result in 28 games played. They were also clean-swept 5-0 by England at home in December 2022 and bowled out for 43 in the final T20I as well. The West Indies would be raring to go one better against England at the world stage.

Full Squad: Hayley Matthews (c), Shemaine Campbelle, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Ashmini Munisar, Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Karishma Ramharack, Mandy Mangru, Nerissa Crafton, Qiana Joseph, Shamilia Connell, Stafanie Taylor, Zaida James

Remainder of group schedule

vs Scotland, October 6 in Dubai at 6 PM local | 7:30 PM IST

vs Bangladesh, October 10 in Sharjah at 6 PM local | 7:30 PM IST

vs England, October 15 in Dubai at 6 PM local | 7:30 PM IST

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