'Give me the ball'

MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand (CMC):

Player-of-the-Match Hayley Matthews has revealed that veteran all-rounder Deandra Dottin demanded to bowl the last over, which lifted the West Indies to a thrilling three-run over New Zealand in the opening game of the ICC Women’s World Cup yesterday.

Dottin went on to snatch two wickets and pulled off a run-out in the dramatic last over, as the West Indies shocked the hosts.

“Shakera Selman, I believe it was, who was meant to bowl [the last over], and Deandra pretty much just came up and said to Staf (captain Stafanie Taylor) ‘Give me the ball’,” Matthews told journalists afterwards.

“We were like ‘you haven’t bowled in international cricket in about [six months] now, literally haven't bowled to anyone in the nets since we’ve been here.’

“She just came and said ‘give me the ball’ and I think, a player like Deandra Dottin, when she says to give her the ball, you just give her the ball. It doesn’t matter if she’s bowled in a year [or] if she hasn’t.”

Asked to bat first at Bay Oval, West Indies were propelled by Matthews’s superb 119 off 128 deliveries, as they piled up 259 for nine off their 50 overs.

In reply, captain Sophie Devine punched 108 off 127 balls, an innings that appeared to lay the foundation for a successful New Zealand run chase.

And when veteran Katie Martin slammed 44 off 47 balls at number eight, in a 40-run, eighth wicket partnership with rookie Jess Kerr (25), New Zealand were left with only six runs to win from the last over of the contest.

However, lion-hearted Dottin snatched the ball for her first bowl in nearly six months, to inflict the mortal blow on the hosts’ run chase.

With her second delivery, she struck Martin in front with a deadly yorker to gain a leg before wicket decision and, with her fourth delivery, claimed Kerr miscuing to Chinelle Henry at mid-off.

Tottering on 256 for nine and requiring four runs from two balls, New Zealand suffered heartbreak when Hannah Rowe missed a swish at the fifth delivery and Fran Jonas charged down the pitch, attempting to steal a single.

Wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle quickly relayed the ball to Dottin who broke the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Jonas well short of her ground, sparking celebrations in the West Indies camp.

It was Matthews’ knock which set the game up nicely for West Indies after she was elevated to partner Dottin at the top of the order.

She lost Dottin (12) and Kycia Knight (5) cheaply as West Indies slumped to 39 for two in the sixth over, but remained composed to lash 16 fours and a six and underpin three successive half-century stands.

SCOREBOARDWEST INDIES WOMEN

D. Dottin c J Kerr b Tahuhu 12

H. Matthews c Rowe b J Kerr 119

K. Knight c Jonas b J Kerr 5

*S. Taylor c wk Martin b Tahuhu 30

+S. Campbelle lbw b A Kerr 20

C. Nation c wk Martin b Tahuhu 36

C. Henry c Green b Rowe 8

A. Alleyne run out 2

S. Connell not out 4

A. Mohammed run out 11

Extras (lb3, w9) 12

TOTAL (9 wkts, 50 overs) 259

Did not bat: S Selman

Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Dottin), 2-39 (Knight), 3-105 (Taylor), 4-165 (Campbelle), 5-220 (Matthews), 6-234 (Henry), 7-243 (Nation), 8-246 (Alleyne), 9-259 (Mohammed)

Bowling: Tahuhu 9-0-57-3 (w3), J Kerr 10-0-43-2 (w1), Rowe 9-0-51-1 (w2), Devine 6-0-33-0 (w1), A Kerr 10-1-33-1 (w1), Jonas 6-0-39-1.

NEW ZEALAND WOMEN

S. Bates run out 3

*S. Devine c & b Henry 108

A. Kerr lbw b Matthews 13

A. Satterthwaite lbw b Mohammed 31

L. Tahuhu b Mohammed 6

M. Green c Taylor b Selman 9

B. Halliday c Mohammed b Matthews 3

+K. Martin lbw b Dottin 44

J. Kerr c Henry b Dottin 25

H. Rowe not out 1

F. Jonas run out 0

Extras (lb5, w6, nb2) 13

TOTAL (all out, 49.5 overs) 256

Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Bates), 2-47 (Kerr), 3-123 (Satterthwaite), 4-131 (Tahuhu), 5-152 (Green), 6-162 (Halliday), 7-215 (Devine), 8-255 (Martin), 9-256 (Kerr), 10-256 (Jonas)

Bowling: Connell 5-0-25-0 (w2, nb1), Henry 10-1-53-1 (w1), Alleyne 7-0-33-0 (w2), Matthews 10-1-41-2, Selman 7-0-37-1 (w1, nb1), Mohammed 10-0-60-2, Dottin 0.5-0-2-2.

Result: West Indies Women won by three runs.

Points: West Indies Women 2, New Zealand Women 0

Player-of-the-Match: Hayley Matthews.

Toss: New Zealand Women.

Umpires: Lauren Agenbag, Sharfuddoula; TV – Alex Wharf