Women’s World Cup: India survive Deandra blitz to win by 155 runs against West Indies

Hamilton:  India survived a whirlwind blitz from Deandra Dottin to win their third match in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup by 155 runs at Seddon Park on Saturday. After India posted a mammoth 317/8, with Smriti Mandhana top-scoring with 123 while Harmanpreet Kaur slammed 109, West Indies threatened to take down the target.

But once Deandra fell for 62, the chase fell apart and West Indies were all out for 162 in 40.3 overs. Deandra began by cracking two fours through cover and over slip off Meghna Singh. Jhulan Goswami teased her on the off-stump line but Deandra replied with successive boundaries over mid-wicket and extra cover.

From the other end, Hayley Matthews started with a drive in the gap between backward point and over off Meghna. Hayley then smacked a wayward Jhulan for a hat-trick of fours before Deandra hit two more fours in a row to take 21 runs off the over.

Hayley was given a reprieve at 23 when she was dropped by substitute fielder Taniya Bhatia. But Deandra continued to plunder boundaries, including a six over long-on off Deepti Sharma to reach her fifty in just 35 balls. Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Pooja Vastrakar were brought in but were unable to stop the boundary flow.

Hayley’s drive off backfoot through cover brought the century of West Indies in just 12 overs.

After crossing the 100-run mark in just 12 overs, West Indies began to implode as Sneh Rana drew a top-edge from the slog-sweep of Deandra and was safely caught by short fine leg.

A sustained pressure of dot balls resulted in Kycia Knight trying to pull Meghna but found fielder at fine leg. In her next over, Meghna got the big wicket of captain Stafanie Taylor, who nicked a shaping away delivery to the ‘keeper.

Sneh got one to turn and bounce away from Hayley, who looked to cut but edged behind to keeper. Pooja, returning for her second spell, got Shemaine Campbelle to slice straight to backward point. In the next over, Rajeshwari trapped Chinelle Henry plumb lbw and effected the run-out of Aaliyah Alleyne.

With Anisa Mohammed flicking to a tumbling short mid-wicket, Jhulan grabbed her 40th scalp in World Cups and also became the leading wicket-taker in the history of the tournament.

Chedean Nation fell to a run-out from Deepti and Sneh finished off the match with a caught-and-bowled dismissal of Shamilia Connell.

Brief Scores: India 317/8 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 123, Harmanpreet Kaur 109; Anisa Mohammed 2/59, Aaliyah Alleyne 1/26) beat West Indies 162 all out in 40.3 overs (Deandra Dottin 62, Hayley Matthews 43; Sneh Rana 3/22, Meghna Singh 2/27) by 155 runs.

IANS