Women’s T20 World Cup: England sends message with 7-wicket thrashing of West Indies

England cantered to a seven-wicket win over West Indies in a commanding begin to their 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup marketing campaign.

Heather Knight’s aspect promised aggression within the build-up to the event and walked the stroll in chasing down 136 with 33 balls to spare.

The 135-7 mustered by West Indies, bolstered by a fantastic 42 from captain Hayley Matthews, by no means regarded enough as world No.1 T20I bowler Sophie Ecclestone snaffled three for 23.

The Windies selected to bat and Lauren Bell’s jagging inswing brought on them early complications in Paarl’s broiling 38-degree warmth.

The returning Stafanie Taylor was given out LBW on-field with the final ball of the opening over, a choice overturned on referral.

Matthews received the measure of Bell within the seamer’s erratic second over – twice piercing the off-side subject.

She struck eight fours within the powerplay to information the Windies to 47 with out loss, the primary time in 20 T20Is that they’ve reached the six-over mark with out dropping a wicket.

England’s Sophie Ecclestone (R) celebrates after the dismissal of West Indies’ Zaida James (L)
| Photo Credit: AFP

Taylor by no means regarded convincing and was outfoxed by the flight of Sarah Glenn’s second ball, trapped in entrance for 3 from 14 balls, this time squandering certainly one of her group’s critiques.

England received the essential wicket of Matthews within the eleventh over when she was deceived by Sophie Ecclestone’s drift and given out LBW.

Shemaine Campbelle performed sensibly in an anchor function however she misplaced accomplice Shabika Gajnabi at 70 for 3, run out by Alice Capsey when turning for a decent second.

Campbelle ticked as much as 34 at a run-a-ball however her promising fourth-wicket stand was damaged when she nicked Katherine Sciver-Brunt behind, Amy Jones taking a pointy catch.

England took again management in that seventeenth over with Knight working out Chinelle Henry two balls later and two wickets fell to Ecclestone within the penultimate over.

In reply Dunkley and Danni Wyatt got here out firing, the previous taking 17 runs from a single Matthews over, however the latter quickly perished for 11, caught within the deep on the off aspect.

Dunkley pressed on undeterred, reaching 34 from 17 balls, however was dismissed when Henry took a reflex return catch.

England doubled down on their aggressive strategy, Alice Capsey and Nat Sciver-Brunt going exhausting from the off, earlier than Capsey was out stumped on the cost for 13.

The Nat and Knight partnership that has borne such fruit for England noticed them from 71 for 3 all the way in which residence, a 67 stand for the fourth wicket laced with leg-side boundaries.