BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – West Indies captain Hayley Matthews lashed a pulsating half-century as reigning champions Barbados crushed Guyana by nine wickets in the Women’s Super50 Cup here Wednesday.
Chasing a modest 122 in the second round match at Conaree, Barbados overhauled their target in the 18th over with the right-handed Matthews ending unbeaten on 72 from just 42 balls.
Opener Kycia Knight chipped in with 40 as Barbados completed their second straight win following Monday’s comfortable victory over Trinidad and Tobago at Warner Park.
Sent in earlier, Guyana had earlier fallen for 121 in the 35th over, the West Indies trio of Sheneta Grimmond (24), Shemaine Campbelle (21), and Kaysia Schultz (21) the only ones to pass 20 as the West Indies new-ball fast-bowling pair of Shakera Selman (2-16) Shamilia Connell (2-21) spearheaded Barbados’ attack with a brace of wickets each.
Matthews grabbed two for 25 with her off-spin, while rookie leg-spinner Keila Elliott finished with two for 30.
Connell caused the early damage, taking two of the first three wickets as Guyana stumbled to 30 for three in the seventh over before captain Campbelle and Katana Mentore (7) put on 32 for the fourth.
When another three wickets tumbled for three runs in nine balls, Grimmond and Shultz put on 36 for the seventh wicket to revive the innings.
In reply, Matthews and Knight pummeled the Guyana bowlers in a 109-run opening stand to erase any doubt over the result.
Matthews struck eight fours and four sixes while the left-handed Knight carved out five fours in a 54-ball knock before perishing with victory, destroying a high full toss from off-spinner Grimmond into the grasp of deep mid-wicket in the 16th over.
At St Paul’s Sports Complex, West Indies stroke-maker Britney Cooper got among the runs with a half-century, helping Trinidad and Tobago rebound from their opening round defeat to Barbados with a nerve-jangling one-wicket victory over Jamaica.
Asked to chase 124, the Trinidadians got home at the end of the 42nd over, with Cooper top-scoring with 52 from 57 balls.
She struck five fours and one six, anchoring small partnerships of 25 for the fourth wicket with Djenaba Joseph (10), 23 for the sixth wicket with captain Anisa Mohammed (3), and 27 for the seventh wicket with Kirbyina Alexander (7).
Off-spinner Vanessa Watts claimed three for 16 while new-ball seamer Celina Whyte (2-26) provided support.
Another West Indies batsman Natasha McLean had struck an unbeaten 59 from 60 balls with two fours and five sixes, but Jamaica could only muster 123 in the 40th over.
They were tottering at 19 for four in the 14th over before McLean combined with international teammate Chedean Nation (24) in a 59-run, fifth-wicket partnership that revived the innings.
However, once Nation became the first of off-spinner Samara Ramnath’s (5-13) five wickets in the 28th over, Jamaica collapsed to lose their last six wickets for 45 runs.
In the other game at Warner Park, out-of-favour West Indies left-arm seamer Qiana Joseph claimed five for 14 to set up an easy eight-wicket victory for the Windward Islands over the Leeward Islands.
Divya Saxena struck a run-a-ball unbeaten 44 with half-dozen fours, but Leewards never recovered from 36 for five in the 12th over and were bundled out for 59 off 19 overs.
Opener Malika Edward thumped half-dozen fours in scoring 31 off 53 balls as Windwards marched to their target at the start of the 16th over.
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