Anisa Mohammed shone with bat and ball. West Indies secured victory over New Zealand by 48 runs in its Super Six match today at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai to keep its chances of qualifying for the ICC Women’s World Cup final alive. Batting first, West Indies finished with 207-9 off its 50 overs before its bowlers put on an all-round show to dismiss New Zealand for 159.
West Indies’ win, its second of the Super Six stage, also ensured that it will join Australia in the ICC Women’s World Cup final on 17 February if it beats Jodie Fields’ side in its final Super Six match in Mumbai on Wednesday.
However, if the West Indies lose, then it will come down to net run rate between them and the winner of the match between New Zealand and defending champion England. West Indies faces Australia at the MIG Ground on 13 February at 0900 Indian time, while New Zealand plays England in a day/night fixture at the Cricket Club of India beginning at 1430 on the same day.
After being put into bat first by New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates, West Indies lost opener Natasha McLean early - leg-before wicket to Sian Ruck. Coming in at number three, Stafanie Taylor was at her belligerent best and stroked seven boundaries in her 53-ball 49 which made her the highest scorer of the event – briefly. Later in the day Bates regained that honour in New Zealand’s innings.
Despite Taylor’s heroics, she found little support from the other end and wickets fell at regular intervals. Deandra Dottin tried to take the attack to the New Zealand bowlers as she hammered a 21-ball 27 with four fours and a six. However when she was sixth out the West Indies had managed only 117 in the 27th over.
West Indies slipped further to 159 for eight in the 44th over but Shanel Daley contributed 37 off 64 balls and Anisa Mohammed swung merrily to finish with an unbeaten 31 off 32 balls. The pair added 45 for the ninth wicket in just over six overs wickets to give West Indies a respectable total.
West Indies opening bowler Tremayne Smartt used her in-swingers to good effect to snare three top-order New Zealand wickets. Katie Perkins and Bates tried to consolidate before Perkins was run out by a brilliant throw from Dottin and when Taylor snared Nicola Browne leg before and Mohammed out-foxed Bates for a caught and bowled in the next over, New Zealand was in serious trouble at 83-6.
Rachel Priest (36) tried to hold the lower-order together but her resistance ended when she was last out as the West Indies sealed a superb win. Anisa Mohammed followed up her batting heroics with 1-13 off 8.3 overs to be awarded Player of the Match. Taylor also bowled well finishing with 2-26 off her 10 overs.
West Indies skipper Merissa Aguillera was effusive in her praise for the team. “It was a great match. I have to give credit to everyone in the team. They executed all areas of the game well and need to be complemented for that.”
Aguillera felt that when they got past 200, they could defend it. “Once we had 200 runs, we believed we could defend it. We have a good line-up of spinners – Stephanie Taylor, Shanel Daley and Anisa Mohammed. We knew we had a good score on the board the bowlers did their job perfectly to take us home.
“It was pleasing to see the other players stepped up when it mattered. Anisa Mohammed deserves a special mention. While batting, she did exactly what the team needed. We had a target in mind and we achieved it. I am really pleased with the all-round effort,” said Aguillera.
New Zealand skipper Bates was bitterly disappointed, but felt that the West Indies total was within reach on the CCI wicket. “I think on this wicket, if you have wickets in hand, even 250 could be chaseable. If we had got one big partnership, we would have got home easily But we kept losing wickets too close to each other and once that happened, the turned the pressure on us.”
Bates felt that the batters let the team down. “I am disappointed that today none of the top five stepped out and in the end it was left to Rachael Priest and it was too much for her to do alone. We haven’t batted anywhere near where we are capable of batting. If we are to go forward and win the tournament, it is important that the batters fire.’
West Indies beat New Zealand to throw Women's World Cup wide open
England, New Zealand and West Indies capable of joining Australia in ICC Women’s World Cup final
By Agencies | Yahoo! Cricket – Mon 11 Feb, 2013 9:04 PM IST
Latest Photos
Featured Interactives
MORE TOP STORIES TODAY
[Round-up]: CSK 'owner' sent to police custody till May 29; Srinivasan refuses to quit More » IPL Spot-Fixing: Cops to grill Meiyappan some more
Joe Root hit a maiden test century on his home ground at Headingley and county colleague Jonny Bairstow chipped in with 64 to leave England on top at 337 for seven in the second test against New Zealand … More » Root lifts England with maiden Test century
Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Amid the intriguing but dark saga of the unfolding spot fixing and betting scam, two-time champions Chennai Super Kings take on traditional underachievers Mumbai Indians in the final … More » Chennai stand in Mumbai's way of maiden IPL crown
Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) The Chennai Super Kings Saturday said its players and support staff have no knowledge of betting and spot fixing, and were distressed by the allegations and news reports concerning … More » Our players, staff have no knowledge of spot-fixing: CSK
Kolkata: Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid hopes that investigators "get to the bottom of the mess and reveal the truth" about spot fixing. More » Dravid: Get to the bottom of the mess
Troubled Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf will fight to clear his name in an ongoing spot-fixing scandal in India, family sources told AFP on Saturday, saying he had returned to his home in Lahore. More » Umpire Rauf will fight to clear name - family
The other finalists, Chennai Super Kings, are in grave danger of a dishonourable exit. More » Who will Mumbai play in the final?
NEW DELHI, May 25, 2013 (AFP) - A top Indian industry body has called for legalising sports betting amid a spot-fixing scandal in which cricketers were allegedly paid tens of thousands of dollars by bookmakers … More » Make betting legal, says top Indian body
Understanding the fragility of the world's top players and the human element of the game have been the cornerstone of Gary Kirsten's approach to coaching international cricket teams. The 45-year-old heads … More » Interview: All in the mind for Kirsten
What I wonder now, amidst these ruins, is this: how do I watch a cricket match again? More » [COMMENTS:] Paradise Lost
Camp Srinivasan lacks a moral compass and a sense of fairplay. It is time Srinivasan resigned from his his positions as an administrator in Indian cricket. More » Meiyappan is the Chennai team owner
New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Having pulled out its franchise Pune Warriors from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sahara chief Subrata Roy fired another salvo saying he would immediately stop sponsoring the … More » Subrata Roy wants Srinivasan out
Asad Rauf, the Pakistani umpire whose name has cropped up in the current T20 league spot fixing scandal, has left the country in a hurry. Rauf, who was officiating in the current T20 league season, was … More » Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf leaves India
PepsiCo didn't confirm or deny if it was considering invoking a clause to look at a possible exit from its title sponsorship. More » Spot fixing: Pepsi mulls pulling out of IPL
Three Chennai Super Kings players, one of them quite senior, were in touch with Vindoo Dara Singh during the ongoing T20 season. More » Three Chennai players 'linked' to probe
MUMBAI, May 24, 2013 (AFP) - Police said Friday they were "investigating all the angles" in the Indian spot-fixing scandal but refused to confirm if they were targeting top Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf. More » Asad Rauf being investigated?
LEEDS, United Kingdom, May 24, 2013 (AFP) - Rain meant there was no play on the first day of the second and final Test between England and New Zealand at Headingley on Friday. More » Eng-NZ: Rain plays spoilsport on Day 1
[SPOT-FIXING ROUND-UP]: Meiyappan finally surfaces | Rauf dropped from ICC event More » Rauf dropped from Champions Trophy
Pakistan could manage only a tie in the first ODI against Ireland at a bitterly cold Clontarf after Kevin O'Brien hit the last ball of the match for four. More » Kevin gives Ireland thrilling tie with Pak
New Zealand tour of England, 2nd Test More » 2nd Test Live: New Zealand vs England at Leeds
Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid said dealing with the spot-fixing allegations surrounding his team in the IPL has been one of the toughest phases of his career. More » 'Dealing with spot-fixing has been tough'
Australian Test batsman David Warner has said that the Indian players caught in the IPL spot-fixing scandal should be banned from cricket. More » Warner calls for ban on IPL spot-fixers
Misbah ul-Haq has told his Pakistan team they must improve in all three departments ahead of Sunday's series decider with Ireland. More » All-round improvement needed: Misbah
Akhtar said that he doesn’t understand why Pakistani officials — umpires and coaching staff — are welcome in IPL while players have been kept out. More » Akhtar appalled by double standards
Cook believes Headingley will be far from the bowling-friendly ground of old when the second Test against New Zealand starts at Yorkshire's headquarters on Friday. More » Cook expects hard work at Headingley
Sunrisers Hyderabad came up short against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator here but their inaugural Indian Premier League campaign was a successful one, their captain Cameron White has said. More » 'Sunrisers can be proud of their effort'
Thanks to the format of the IPL, Mumbai Indians still have a chance to qualify for the final. More » Mumbai look to make most of second chance
Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid hinted at retiring from the Indian Premier League (IPL) after this season. More » Dravid to hang up gloves for good?
He was ruled out after doubts over his ability to last a five-day match. More » Vettori out of second Test against England
Arrested Rajasthan Royals player Ajit Chandila had received Rs.12 lakh for spot fixing in IPL 2012 matches, Delhi Police said Thursday. More » Chandila spot fixed in 2012 IPL: Police
England captain Alastair Cook found himself being quizzed about the star batsman in Leeds on the eve of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley. More » Absent KP puts pressure on England
Delhi Police contacted their counterparts in Mumbai seeking details about the articles seized from the hotel where Sreesanth stayed, said a police official. More » Delhi Police seek details of seizures
Result: embarrassment in one dressing room, and one set of flabbergasted bookies. More » A T20 match both teams wanted to lose
He facilitated others in Bollywood in placing bets with bookies he knew. More » Vindoo spills the beans on Bollywood