Courageous Campbell leads Windies to 4th consecutive victory

Stand-alone Women’s World T20 tournament…
– Dottin shines with bat and ball

By Brandon Corlette

The lone Guyanese in the West Indies Women’s team, Shemaine Campbell, brought to the party a vital 45 runs; which, coupled with all-rounder Deandra Dottin’s 46 runs and two wickets, helped the Caribbean side to register a hard-fought 4-wicket win against England on Sunday and remain undefeated in their quest to defend their title as champions of women’s T20I cricket.

West Indies and England have both already qualified for the semifinals, but this was a top-of-the-table clash that dictated the winner would face Australia and the loser would take on India.
In hot and humid conditions prevailing on Sunday at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia, West Indies Captain Stafanie Taylor won the toss for the first time and opted to bowl.
In the course of the match, the West Indies Women managed to restrict England, the World’s number two ranked team in Women’s World T20 International cricket, to 115-8 in their 20 overs.
England got off to a terrible start, losing Danielle Wyatt to Shakera Selman in the fifth delivery of the innings. Tammy Beaumont and wicket-keeper/batter Amy Jones (8) briefly held things together, until Shamilia Connell got the breakthrough and removed Jones with the score on 22-2.
England wickets continued to tumble as the St Lucian crowd stood behind the home team. Beaumont was the only top six batter to reach double figures, but she was removed for 23, scored from 28 balls.

Sophia Dunkley and Anya Shrubsole saved their team from being bowled out for an embarrassing total, the pair adding 58 important runs down the order. Dunkley, a relatively new player in T20 Internationals, top-scored with 35, and the veteran Shrubsole scored 29 as England managed 115-8 after the expiration of their 20 overs.
The West Indies team have been the most consistent bowling unit since they have a distinctive variety of bowlers. Selman and Connell, two bowlers with contrasting swing styles, picked up two and one English wicket respectively; while the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, Dottin, continued her superb bowling form, snaring 2-21 as leg-spinner Afy Fletcher picked up one wicket.
The West Indies have had only one outstanding batting outing — their record-breaking match against Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the batters were expected to carry on from where they had left off, in order to chase down a respectable total.
Hayley Matthews (1) was the first batter out, when she was bowled by Shrubsole, who had picked up a hat-trick in the recent match. Shrubsole bowled some astonishing deliveries, swinging the ball inward as if she were at Lords.
She had Stafanie Taylor (0) undone by a peach of a delivery that swung sharply between bat and pad when the score was 3 – 2.
The defending champions were encountering difficulties, but Shemaine Campbell stabilised the run chase with Dottin. The gifted all-rounder brutalised the English bowlers as Campbell played a supporting role.
In the first ten overs, England bowlers were superb in the field, but the packed stands at the Stadium kept on inspiring the Windies ladies to play.
Dottin smashed four huge maximums and one boundary in her destructive innings of 46 runs, scored from 52 balls. Then Kristie Gordon picked up Dottin, who was out caught on the deep square leg boundary as she attempted another big shot.
Campbell continued to bat on, but here she switched gear swiftly and powered a maximum straight down the ground. It was a hit-and-run situation almost every ball in the latter part of the game, when some 25 runs were required from 18 balls.
England’s off-spinner Hazel was taken to the cleaners when Campbell produced the big over of 12, which arguably sealed the victory. She started off the over with a four, and completed it in similar fashion as England’s hopes of winning went downhill.
The nail-biting match continued with Shrubsole helping her team claw their way back into the contest. Campbell was out on the second ball of the final over, but West Indies were again saved by the dark knight.
Kaciya Knight came in to bat, and the first ball she faced came off the middle of her bat as she beat the point fielder to have it racing away to the boundary to seal the victory in style.
The dramatic win saw the Windies ladies completing a four-wicket victory against England, but the match was more than the statistics would reveal, because supporters were sitting nervously at the edges of their seats.
Shrubsole, the best bowler for England, picked up 3-10, while Ecclestone and Gordon captured one wicket each.