Wareham’s all-around brilliance condemns Windies to another heavy defeat

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

Georgia Wareham produced a second straight Player of the Match performance to help Australia Women continue their dominance over West Indies Women via a 90-run victory in the second Women’s One-Day International (WODI) on Sunday.

First, Wareham scored a critical knock of 39 off 37 balls to rescue her side from a shaky position of 140 for five and ensured they posted a competitive 269 for seven in their 50 overs, after winning the toss and choosing to bat at Warner Park for the second time in the series.

She then returned with her leg breaks to strike two crucial blows on her way to a three-wicket haul that saw the visitors bowl out the Windies for 179 in 46 overs.

With the result, the Aussies kept the home side winless in their white-ball series. It carried them to an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series having already swept the preceding T20I series 3-0.

Unlike the opening WODI that saw Australia’s top order dominate proceedings, West Indies grabbed four early wickets to seize the momentum and put their opponents under pressure.

Openers Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield gave the Aussies a good start during a 64-run partnership in under 11 overs.

Ashmini Munisar broke the stand by having Voll caught at long on for 23, and with her next delivery she held on to a brilliant one-handed return catch to dismiss Ellyse Perry for a first-ball duck.

Windies’ skipper Hayley Matthews then had Litchfield caught for 46 and bowled Ashleigh Gardner for five, to reduce the Aussies to 82 for four in the 16th over.

But Beth Mooney, who top-scored with 65 from 104 balls, shared two match-changing partnerships with captain Tahlia McGrath and then Wareham to put the visitors back in control.

Together with McGrath, they added 58 runs for the fifth wicket and then 70 with Wareham, as Australia recovered to 210 for five in the 43rd over.

And when Wareham and Mooney were dismissed in the space of four runs, Alicia Carey, who scored an unbeaten 30 off 25 balls, and Alana King, who made 26 not out off 17 balls, shared an unbroken stand of 55 to carry their side past the 250 mark.

Matthews was the Windies’ best bowler with 3-40, while Fletcher (2-44) and Munisar (2-45) provided support.

Needing to score at just over five runs an over, the home side got off to a good start, thanks to Qiana Joseph and Matthews, who shared a 57-run opening stand.

A slower delivery from Gardner proved to be Joseph’s undoing, with her shot through the onside ballooning into the air to give the bowler an easy catch.

Stafanie Taylor, who scored a century in Friday’s opener, then added 37 runs with her captain to put the Windies in a comfortable position at 94 for one after 24 overs.

However, the home side then lost three wickets for the addition of a solitary run to tilt the balance in Australia’s favour.

Matthews failed to take advantage after being dropped on 44, adding just one before slicing a delivery from McGrath straight into the hands of deep point.

Wareham then struck with the first ball of the next over by bowling Taylor for 18, and without a run added had Deandra Dottin caught at slip without scoring off the last delivery to leave the score 95 for four.

West Indies never recovered, with Chinelle Henry, Shemaine Campbelle, Jannillea Glasgow and Ashmini Munisar all losing their wickets cheaply to see them collapse to 130 for nine.

It took a 49-run partnership for the last wicket between Fletcher, who scored an unbeaten 32, and Ramharack, who made 14, to get them up to their eventual total.

Wareham ended with figures of 3-29, Gardner took 3-34 and McGrath, 2-15.

The third and final match is scheduled to be played on Thursday.