Windies Women crash to humbling loss

BRISBANE, Australia (CMC):

Captain Hayley Matthews was missing and so was West Indies Women’s spark as they crashed to a humbling eight-wicket defeat to Australia Women in the opening One-Day International of the three-match series here yesterday.

Sent in, the Caribbean side collapsed to a hugely disappointing 83 in the 28th over, their lowest ever ODI total against the Aussies and their joint seventh lowest of all time.

With Matthews out with a muscle injury, only Aaliyah Alleyne showed any mettle with 35 from 39 deliveries with seven fours, stand-in captain Shemaine Campbelle (14) and former skipper Stafanie Taylor (12) the only other players to reach double figures.

Seamer Kim Garth led the hosts with three for eight while off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner (2-17) and leg-spinner Georgia Wareham (2-30) picked up two wickets apiece.

As expected in reply, Australia Women coasted to their target in the 15th over with captain Alyssa Healy top-scoring with 38 from 36 balls with seven fours, and Ellyse Perry finishing on 20 not out.

Healy put on 57 for the first wicket with Phoebe Litchfield (16) and when both perished in successive overs, Perry lashed four fours in a breezy 13-ball knock to take her side over the line.

Seeking to build on their encouraging showing in the preceding Twenty20 series, West Indies Women were let down by a poor batting effort, in the absence of batting star Matthews.

Teenaged opener Djenaba Joseph failed to score on her ODI debut, becoming the first casualty when she mistimed a pull back to Garth in the second over.

Rashada Williams gave Garth her second wicket in her second over when she scooped to Perry at point without scoring while 18-year-old left-hander Zaida James, dropped in the third over before she had scored, followed in the seventh over to a catch at short backward point.

The most productive stand of the innings came when Campbelle and Taylor put on 24 for the fourth wicket, but once they fell 13 balls apart with only five runs added, all hopes of a competitive total disappeared, despite Alleyne’s resistance.