Windies women win at World Cup

BENONI: Vice-captain Nelly Williams smashed an undefeated half century and steered the West Indies to their first win in the 2005 Women’s World Cup, comfortably beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets at Willowmoore Park yesterday. Electing to bat, Sri Lanka scored 152 all out off 48.1 overs, and West Indies replied with 156 for two off 39.2 overs. Pamela Lavine (10) completed the game in a flourish, pulling medium pacer Eshani Kaushalya over mid-wicket for six and Williams ended not out on 70.

“The girls did a great job,” WI coach Ann Browne-John told CMC Sport. In a reversal of results from their 2003 Caribbean tour when they registered a 6-0 series win over the West Indies, the Sri Lankans hardly threatened as the Caribbean side dominated the game to snap a three-game winless streak, while boosting their hopes for a semi-final spot. The West Indies out-cricket could have been better, they had a few missed catches and run-out opportunities, but they still effected five run outs — including two each for Juliana Nero and Shane de Silva — as Sri Lanka’s batting stuttered, with the exception of a half-century stand between Srini de Alwis (32) and Hiruka Fernando (29).

The pair added 69 for the third wicket before off-spinner Verena Felicien bowled de Alwis. The 20-year-old Sri Lanka vice-captain Dedunu Siriwardene defied the West Indies bowling attack and prevented a lower-order collapse with a top score of 52. The right-hander, batting at number five, struck four boundaries and faced only 57 balls for her half-century before being last out soon after in the 49th over. Felicien ended as the best West Indies bowler with two for 13 off eight overs, while new-ball partners Debbie-Ann Lewis (1-19) and Philipa Thomas (1-27) and the left-arm spinner de Silva (1-25) shared the other wickets.

Set 153 to win, the West Indies — coming off back-to-back defeats against South Africa and Australia and a first game no-result (rain) against New Zealand — made a solid start to their run-chase. Williams and Nadine George (20) made a cautious but sturdy beginning with a 68-run opening stand. In-form Juliana Nero joined Williams and added 74 for the second wicket before Kaushalya trapped Nero leg before wicket for 44. The Vincentian, who top-scored in the West Indies’ losses to South Africa and Australia, faced 46 balls and struck five boundaries in an attacking innings. Earlier, Williams had moved solidly towards her half-century in the 27th over when she pulled medium pacer Prabha Udawatte to the square leg boundary to reach 47, and from the first ball of the medium pacer’s next over, she stroked the ball to cover for two runs, taking her to fifty, off 93 balls with five boundaries.

Williams lashed another boundary to square leg in the same over as the West Indies marched towards their first win in the tournament.
After Nero’s departure, Lavine joined Williams and crashed her ten runs off only five balls to sink the Sri Lankans with more than ten overs to spare. “The team played really well. Everyone complemented each other in the batting,” said Williams, who counted five boundaries in her 124-ball innings. “My opening partner (Nadine George) and I, we gave a good start to the team and that was very important for us,” added Williams. The win lifted the West Indies from sixth to fifth in the standings with ten points and they will face Ireland in their next game tomorrow, after today’s rest day. In yesterday’s other fourth round games, title-holders New Zealand beat Ireland by nine wickets, India defeated England by seven wickets, and Australia beat South Africa by 97 runs.  Australia and India are joint leaders with 20 points each, followed by England and New Zealand, each on 16.