The West Indies players are ecstatic after their six-run win over New Zealand in the semifnials. PHOTO: VIVEK BENDRE
Britney Cooper dazzles with 61 to guide the team into its maiden summit clash
A jinx has been broken, and how!
The
West Indies women turned in an utterly professional display to stun New
Zealand by six runs at the Wankhede on Thursday afternoon.
A
compact all-round show enabled Stafanie Taylor’s boisterous outfit to
ward off its infamous ICC World T20 semifinal curse at the fourth time
of asking. The women in Maroon will now take on the rampaging Southern
Stars from Australia in Sunday’s final at the Eden.
The
White Ferns from Kiwiland, like their male counterparts, won every
group game but perished at the most inopportune of times. But, it was
the West Indies’s day.
Promoted to No. 3, Britney
Cooper smashed her way to a dazzling 61 off 48 balls (5x4, 2x6) as the
West Indies posted a healthy 143 for the loss of six wickets on a dry
surface.
Sara McGlashan (38, 39b, 2x4), Amy
Satterthwaite (24, 29b, 1x4) and their fourth-wicket stand of 59 did
worry the Windies, but the duo’s departure off successive deliveries put
paid to New Zealand’s hopes.
Cooper came into this
game with just 11 runs from three outings. Naturally, she was desperate
to make amends on Thursday. The manner in which the busy 26-year-old
right-hander from Trinidad took apart the Kiwi attack was simply
awesome. Employing minimum risk, she negotiated both pace and spin with
ease and ensured that the team had its nose in front after Morna Nielsen
got rid of Hayley Matthews in the third over.
In a
statement of intent, Cooper hit consecutive sixes off-spinner Leigh
Kasperek in the 17th over. When on 48, she danced down the wicket and
whacked the bowler over long-on. The very next ball, she smashed the
white cherry over long-off.
Cooper stitched two
crucial partnerships — 60 for the second wicket with Taylor (25, 26b,
2x4) and 44 for the next with Deandra Dottin (20, 17b, 2x4).
Kasperek,
the leading wicket-taker in this edition of the tournament, went
wicketless but the Kiwis couldn’t stop Sophie Devine from registering
career-best figures of four for 22. Devine would contribute 22 (14b,
4x4) with the bat.
McGlashan and Satterthwaite
rescued New Zealand from dire straits — 49 for three — but Taylor would
bring her team back in the contest with her unique brand of ‘hopping’
off-spin to have both caught in the deep when the Kiwis needed 37 off
four overs with enough wickets in hand.
New Zealand
needed 30 off the last three, 25 off two and 19 off the final over.
Windies sealed the match with another run-out to cap off a great day in
the field.
The resulting celebrations would have put
Gayle, Bravo and the rest to shame. Probably it was the ladies’ way of
telling the men, “Over to you, now.”
The scores: West
Indies 143 for six in 20 overs (Stafanie Taylor 25, Britney Cooper 61,
Deandra Dottin 20, Sophie Devine four for 22) bt New Zealand 137 for
eight in 20 overs (Sara McGlashan 38, Stafanie Taylor three for 26).
Toss: New Zealand Women.
Player-of-the-match: Britney Cooper.
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