Bidding to build on their win over Ireland, Windies opted to bat and posted a below-par 116-6 at Boland Park in Paarl.

Skipper Hayley Matthews took key Pakistan wickets early and late in the innings to inspire her side to a dramatic victory.

Matthews and Rashada Williams flayed 15 from the bowling of Aiman Anwer in the fourth over but navigated the powerplay in cagey fashion.

Matthews perished late in the powerplay when she tried to lift Fatima Sana over the midwicket boundary but only found the hands of Sidra Ameen.

It was a massive wicket that sparked wild celebrations but not a flurry of scalps as Shemaine Campbelle joined Williams and the pair put on 40 at a run-a-ball.

The second-wicket stand came to a tame end when Williams offered a simple return catch to the outstanding Sadia Iqbal to depart for 30.

Chinelle Henry muscled two boundaries but was trapped in front by Nida Dar for 11 and Campbelle went in the next over, smartly stumped by Muneeba Ali.

Nida Dar bowled Aaliyah Alleyne in the penultimate over, her 125th T20I wicket, making her the joint-leading wicket-taker in the history of the format.

Pakistan began cautiously in reply to 116-6 and it was Windies game-changer Matthews who got the breakthrough, dismissing the dangerous Muneeba Ali for five in the fourth over.

Matthews was at the heart of the action again two balls later when she took a sharp catch at midwicket to account for Sidra Ameen, with Pakistan 15 for two.

The experienced pairing of Bismah and Nida then embarked on a measured partnership that rarely got out of first gear until the latter whipped Henry to the midwicket fence in the 13th.

Nida looked to go aerial again in the next over but was deceived in the flight by Afy Fletcher and caught at extra cover by Karishma Ramharack, with 57 runs still required.

Pakistan have been by some distance the best finishers at this tournament and Aliya Riaz began to free her arms.

But she lost the stabilising influence of Bismah who was given out LBW on review after mistiming a reverse sweep off the bowling of Matthews.

Aliya and Fatima needed 18 from the final over and they took 13 from Shamilia Connell’s first four balls with some brilliant hitting, before Aliya chopped on to her own stumps to dramatically end Pakistan’s hopes.

Scores in brief    

West Indies beat Pakistan at Boland Park, Paarl by three runs

 West Indies 116 for 6 in 20 overs (Rashada Williams 30, Shemaine Campbelle 22; Nida Dar 2/13, Fatima Sana 1/10)

 Pakistan 113 for 5 in 20 overs (Aliya Riaz 29, Nida Dar 27; Hayley Matthews 2/14, Karishma Ramharack 1/18)

Player of the Match: Hayley Matthews (West Indies)

With thanks for the ICC

With India faltering at 43 for three chasing 118, the sorcerer and the apprentice combined as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and 19-year-old Richa Ghosh put together an assured 72-run stand to carry them over them line.

Kaur was not there to see the chase through to its conclusion but Ghosh was, finishing things off in with a boundary as India reached the finish line with 11 balls to spare.

Opting to bat first, the Windies innings was barely underway before the first wicket fell, as Hayley Matthews was dismissed with the first ball of the second over.

It was a dream start for seamer Pooja Vastrakar, who claimed the scalp of the Windies captain after she looked to cut a delivery which was perhaps a touch short.

Shemaine Campbelle joined Stafanie Taylor at the crease and the pair battled through a tough couple of overs before flexing their destructive muscles.

Campbelle kickstarted the innings with a divine pull shot and Taylor had also found her rhythm by the time Rajeshwari Gayakwad joined the attack, with both batters sweeping the left-armer to the rope.

Despite rotating her bowlers from over to over, a second wicket was not forthcoming for India captain Kaur, as the Windies passed 50 in the tenth over of the match.

The pair added 73 before Campbelle fell looking to reverse sweep Deepti Sharma, and Taylor joined her back in the pavilion just three balls later after a genius review from Kaur.

Things went from bad to worse for the Windies when Chinelle Henry was run out for just two as the innings suddenly threatened to peter out.

But Chedean Nation and Shabika Gajnabi arrived to steady the ship, carrying the team past 100.

There were no late fireworks however, as Sharma returned with an exemplary display of death bowling to restrict the 2016 winners to 118 while becoming the first Indian to take 100 T20I wickets.

Shafali Verma made some early inroads following the interval, slapping a couple of fours through the covers in a productive first over.

She and the returning Smriti Mandhana needed a slice of good fortune to help them on their way, with both openers edging to the fence.

The introduction of Karishma Ramharack proved a turning point, with the off-spinner taking the crucial wicket of Mandhana before skipper Matthews dismissed Jemimah Rodrigues caught and bowled an over later.

Verma’s fun then came to a close when she hooked Ramharack to Afy Fletcher in the deep, but despite the flurry of wickets, India managed to stay ahead of the required rate.

Kaur and Ghosh gave themselves time before wrapping up the win in double quick time, though Kaur would fall with India four runs short of the target.

Young Ghosh was especially impressive, continuing the solid form she showed in India’s win at the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

Scores in brief

India beat West Indies at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town by six wickets

West Indies 118 for 6 in 20 overs (Stafanie Taylor 42, Shemaine Campbelle 30; Deepti Sharma 3/15, Pooja Vastrakar 1/21)

India 119 for 4 in 18.1 overs (Richa Ghosh 44 not out, Harmanpreet Kaur 33; Karishma Ramharack 2/14, Hayley Matthews 1/12)

Player of the Match: Deepti Sharma

With thanks to the ICC

They also suffered three defeats at the start of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 before bouncing back to reach the final.

Knight will be leading her side for a third time in T20 World Cups and their campaign begins tomorrow at 15h00 local time in Paarl.

“With T20 World Cups, we have learned previously, you don’t have enough time to make any slip-ups,” she said. “And obviously, we didn’t start particularly fast in that last World Cup in Australia, so it’s been a key focus for us all the time any series that we start.

“We want to really start fast, hit the ground running and almost go over the top in how we want to do things.

“We’ve talked about having a clear plan about how we want to do things, and being really brave with it.”

England previously faced the West Indies in a five-match series last December, with Knight’s side strolling to a clean sweep.

However, the Windies will be able to call on more of their experienced players and Knight knows they will be a force to be reckoned with.

She added: “It’s really important that we don’t think too much about that five-match series, I think this is quite a tough game for us.

“We’ve had a lot of success against them recently so we have to see it as a completely fresh game.

“The main thing that we’re going to do is do things how we want to do them. We’ll obviously have slightly different plans for different players, but I think our mentality wants to be about doing what we do best and then shifting slightly if we need to.”

The West Indies will be led by Hayley Matthews, the hero of the 2016 final when the Maroon Warriors won their only title.

Matthews took over from long-serving skipper Stafanie Taylor last year and has looked to bring the team forward in her own way.

The all-rounder said: “I think over the last couple of months it has been quite challenging, but with those challenges, I was able to learn a lot myself.

“I think with any team, we’ve tried to help shift the culture a little bit, to really try to take on a bit more professionalism about our game.”

Taylor is facing a race against time to be fit, but Matthews is able to call on experienced players like Chinelle Henry and Britney Cooper.

“It’s going to be really good for us that we can get out there and have a strong group of players to pick from.

“The prospect of Staf, hopefully, coming back in that first game tomorrow is going to be something really good to see.

“We’ve had a couple of injuries over the last couple of weeks, but we know that we can go there, hopefully with a much stronger side and put on a good performance.”

With thanks to the ICC

This was a historic moment for the team, as it was the first time, we had won a major ICC Women’s tournament. Nevertheless, we now have a renewed hunger to get our hands on the trophy once again. With many new faces, as well as many of the experienced core making up the squad, everyone is gearing up to get going again in yet another year’s edition.

As a team we have big aspirations of playing a high level of competitive cricket. One of the main objectives we have is to expectantly showcase our improvements upon our first-round exit from the tournament in 2020.

We’ve had time to regroup and make developments to both our individual and team game which can hopefully assist us in creating some upsets, to take us along a path to the finals. In a contentious tournament like this, we believe consistent performances are vital to a successful run. As a result, we believe a confident run can also bring about the breakout of budding talent within the squad.

Heading into this tournament, our immediate preparation has been very strategic and calculated. It has given us the opportunity to acclimatize to the conditions in South Africa, an entire month early. This comes through our Tri Nation series against India and the hosts themselves, who are both world class opponents going into a tournament like this.

South Africa has a reputation for having good cricketing conditions and is known for producing fast, bouncy pitches that assist fast bowlers but can also have a bit in it for the spinners as well. The ball tends to come on to the bat nicely, making it a good place for batters to score runs. The teams that are able to adapt to the conditions in South Africa and make the most of the pitches will have an advantage. I can tell the fans to expect some high-scoring matches, but also, don’t be surprised if there are some low scoring games, due to bowlers liking the conditions here.

Getting back into us, however, when you hear the West Indies, you think of a unique sense of Caribbean energy and vibrancy, which we take pride in bringing with us whilst out on the park.

At the moment, our squad comprises a mixture of experience and youth, providing balance to the charismatic aura of our team. Our bowling has proven to be our strength over the past year, which when paired with our exciting fielding, can help us to rally close games. With dependable veterans, like Shakera Selman, Afy Fletcher and Stafanie Taylor leading the way with the ball, there is always a shot at defending almost any total set.

With that being said, small totals have now become much harder to defend on a regular basis. Women’s T20Is have come a long way in recent years and the standard of play has improved significantly. The game has become more competitive, with more teams having the ability to beat any other on a given day, and the gap between the top and bottom has narrowed.

The introduction of more T20 leagues and more opportunities for women to play professional cricket has helped to improve the standard of play. The increasing popularity of the game has also led to more investment in women’s cricket, which has helped to improve facilities and provide better support for players.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup has also helped to raise the profile of the game and showcase the talents of the best players from around the world. The tournament has been held every two years since 2009 and has grown in popularity and prestige. With all things considered, my hope is that we, the West Indies Women can give a good account of ourselves and our talents and make our region and families proud by winning another world title.

Lead photo shows Hayley Matthews in 2022

With thanks to the ICC

Charlie Dean will recall this match with pleasure. She celebrated her 22nd birthday on December 22, 2022 and at one point had an analysis of 2-2 off 2 overs. Will she be altering her lucky number?

At last the series came to an end. After three ODIs and four T20s, both teams might have been forgiven for thinking of other things, perhaps even Christmas.

But first a fifth and final T20 beckoned. Could the Windies finally wrestle a win from the ashes of a losing tournament? The answer was a resounding NO, England dismissing them for their lowest ever total in T20s, a whole 16 runs short of their previous mark (59-9).

Courtney Walsh had been introducing new young hopefuls (18 and 19-years-old), but none of them could turn a game, despite their obvious promise. The pity is the performances of the senior players couldn’t show them the way. They may be looking over their shoulders now, as the visitors inflicted their longest losing run ever on them.

The Windies have a tri-series in January with India and S Africa, but the coming U19 World Tourney will prove more useful for Walsh and his staff as they continue their rebuild.

By the half-way stage the Windies had descended to 28-6. The lower order did a shade better, helped in the knowledge that they had to hang around to use up all the overs available. They failed by 3.4 overs.

Djenaba Joseph was the only batter to reach double figures (11). By the twelfth over (35-8) the bowlers had already achieved four maidens.

Heather Knight’s captaincy was masterful throughout; she set two slips for her quicks and even for Dean. Attack! was the dish of the day.

The Reply

The English openers will be annoyed at the two wickets that fell, Danni Wyatt in particular departing when one shot short of the target. For the first time in the series Sophia Dunkley didn’t reach double figures, misreading Hayley Matthews’ slower ball. All the same, the 14.3 overs left unused rank as an all-time record for them.

Once more the bowlers didn’t help their cause. In the 5.3 overs completed, they offered five wides while five fours were struck.

Though the series was so one-sided, it had its uses for England. Jon Lewis had a first glance at his options; players old and young made advances, led by Charlie Dean with her eleven wickets. Such was England’s bowling dominance (Davies 3-2, Davidson-Richards 3-5, Dean 2-8, Sciver 1-4) that Sophie Ecclestone almost looked like a fill-in bowler – almost. She took only three wickets in the series but was as mean as ever, causing batters to misread line, length and speed of delivery.

So the Caribbean tour finished as an 8-0 drubbing, leaving the hosts a million miles from their glory days of 2016 as world champions.

Result:

West Indies 43 (16.2 overs)
England 44-2 (5.3 overs)
England win by 8 wickets

Player of the Match: Freya Davies (2.2-1-2-3)
Player of the Series: Charlie Dean (11 wickets in her first T20 series)

Teams:

West Indies:
Hayley Matthews (captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Djenaba Joseph, Rashada Williams, Shabika Gajnabi, Trishan Holder; Kyshona Knight, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, Karishma Ramharack

England:
Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Nat Sciver, Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones, Alice Davidson-Richards, Maia Bouchier, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Issy Wong, Freya Davies

A very rum game. England’s batting performance depended worryingly on an 8th wicket partnership between Katherine Brunt and Charlie Dean of 45 (a new national T20 record) to reach the paltry total of 131-8. They were parted only as Dean attempted an extra run off the last available ball.

Some face-saving was needed as another middle-order batting collapse saw them struggle to 86-7 in the 14th.

Sophia Dunkley’s 35 had seen her side off to a reassuring 73-3 at the halfway stage, but Cherry-Ann Fraser turned the game with her first over: three wickets for a single in four balls!

The West Indian bowling showed improvement in this, the seventh game of a long series, but the batting revealed its weakness yet again.

Lauren Bell is fulfilling all the high hopes placed on her. She picked up two early wickets, then returned at the end to deliver two telling yorkers. 4-0-12-4 was another match-winning performance. It was the sort of day you were happy to be standing at the other end.

England played all their three spinners in this match, and each had her part to play. Hypocaust spotted that Sophie Ecclestone overtook Poonam Yadav’s world record of 55 wickets in a calendar year; here 2-13. Dean was equally productive (2-16) and Sarah Glenn chipped in with 1-16.

So despite recording their lowest total yet this trip, England came away with what looks like a sweeping margin of 49 runs.

Courtney Walsh has brought younger hopefuls into his side in order to halt the slide they have been experiencing, but no-one has yet found a means of swinging a game their way.

This weakness can’t be helping the English either. As I suggested after an earlier game, they can sense they will win every game, no matter how few runs they score. That’s not the best preparation for a major tournament like the World T20 which is just around the corner. Batters, bowlers and fielders all need to feel the sharp edge of competition to be at their best.

In both the ODIs and the current T20s the batting has been far too inconsistent for comfort.

At least Jon Lewis has seen some of his young hopefuls stepping up and producing the goods, most obviously Charlie Dean and Lauren Bell.

Scores:

England 131/8 (Dunkley 35; Fraser 3-15, Grimmond 3-33)
WI 82-9 (16 overs; Bell 4-12)

England win by 49 runs

England Women continue their fine form in the West Indies, taking their 5-match-series 4-0 ahead of their final fixture on Thursday 22nd December.

Another day, another toss win for the England captain, Heather Knight, who elected to put her team into bat first up. A slightly slower wicket and strong home side bowling attack restricted England’s batters to 131 at the end of their innings.

Lauren Bell had another career best performance, this time in the T20I’s, with her 4 for 12. Backed up by the spinners, Sarah Glenn (1-16), Charlie Dean (2-16) and Sophie Ecclestone (2-13) who has now taken the most women’s international wickets ever in a calendar year.

England Women’s spinner, Sophie Ecclestone, said: “I’m really loving this tour, the new head coach coming in has really changed things up a bit and it’s been great to have everyone back together. After being in the Big Bash it feel’s great to be back in an England shirt.

“It was a bit of a tricky wicket today, but playing thee spinners with Glenny [Sarah Glenn] and Deano [Charlie Dean] is great for me and great for us three and I’m glad we’re doing well together. Deano obviously played a T20 in the Ashes and didn’t bowl a ball or field a ball so I think it’s great that she’s shown how great she can be.”

“Looking ahead to the World Cup, they’re always incredible to be a part of and the event itself will be amazing, I think the up and coming team that we have now is amazing and I can’t wait to see what we can do.

“Jon Lewis has been great for us, I think we needed someone to come in and freshen things up and to be in a position to be able to go out and be positive and give everything to the team and not have any worries if it goes wrong and to leave it all out on the pitch.”

England Women v West Indies Women

CG United One-Day Series

Sunday December 4: 1st CG United ODI. England Women win by 142 runs.

Tuesday December 6: 2nd CG United ODI. England Women win by 142 runs.

Friday December 9: 3rd CG United ODI. England Women win by 151 runs.

T20I Series

Sunday December 11: 1st T20I. England Women v West Indies Women. England Women win by 8 wickets.

Wednesday December 14: 2nd T20I. England Women v West Indies Women. England Women win by 16 runs.

Saturday December 17: 3rd T20I. England Women v West Indies Women. England Women win by 17 runs.

Sunday December 18: 4th T20I. England Women v West Indies Women. England Women win by 49 runs.

Thursday December 22: 5th T20I. England Women v West Indies Women (Kensington Oval, Barbados).

With thanks to the ECB

Charlie Dean (4-19) rattled through the West Indies line-up leading England to a 3-0 win of the T20I series in Bridgetown.

Yet another win of the toss brought the fierce opening partnership in Lauren Winfield-Hill (24) and Sophia Dunkley (44) to the crease, who quickly saw England to 60. Heather Knight (43) and the rest of the tourists’ batters had fun utilising their skills hitting all around the Kensington Oval, scoring their highest score ever in the West Indies.

The home side put up a fight but were no match for Charlie Dean, who was yet again, the pick of the bowlers with her 4 for 19 from her 4 overs.

England Women’s captain, Heather Knight, said: “I definitely enjoyed today! In T20 it’s all about trying to find the boundaries and play to your strengths and I felt on that wicket that my strengths were being a bit funky and hitting square of the wicket so it was nice to contribute to a team win and nice to feel in good form.

“I think the way Sophia [Dunkley] started us off today was a great tone setter for the whole innings. She was so composed, knew her options really well and always nice to get off to a flier, it means you don’t have as much work to do down the order and you can keep going hard throughout the innings.

“On the bowlers, we’ve obviously mixed up the team a little to offer opportunities and work out a bit about a few different players and someone like Charlie Dean has really come in and grasped hers. We’re so lucky we’ve got such depth in the spin department.

“I don’t think we’re too far away from knowing our best team is and knowing potentially what that T20 World Cup squad looks like. It’s all been a bit of a fact finding mission and getting to know a few people and how they work in slightly different places.”

England Women v West Indies Women

CG United One-Day Series

Sunday December 4: 1st CG United ODI. England Women win by 142 runs.

Tuesday December 6: 2nd CG United ODI. England Women win by 142 runs.

Friday December 9: 3rd CG United ODI. England Women win by 151 runs.

T20I Series

Sunday December 11: 1st T20I. England Women v West Indies Women. England Women win by 8 wickets.

Wednesday December 14: 2nd T20I. England Women v West Indies Women. England Women win by 16 runs.

Saturday December 17: 3rd T20I. England Women v West Indies Women. England Women win by 17 runs.

Sunday December 18: 4th T20I. England Women v West Indies Women (Kensington Oval, Barbados).

Thursday December 22: 5th T20I. England Women v West Indies Women (Kensington Oval, Barbados).

With thanks to the ECB

1st T20, Antigua

The first of five T20s, but the difference in class and experience was clear from the start. England chose to bowl first. Both Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver took a wicket in their opening over. Katherine Brunt added the vital wicket of Hayley Matthews, who attempted an unwise scoop and was bowled.

A first sign of Courtney Walsh’s reaction to events: the Under 19 prospect, Djenaba Joseph, came in at No 5. But Windies were already suffering at 19-3. She was hit on the helmet by a ball from Brunt, and fell for 8 despite bravely carrying on.

Heather Knight gave herself the eighth over, but Brunt dropped a lofted drive. Undismayed, the skipper deceived Joseph through the air, and Amy Jones whipped the bails off. Sarah Glenn dropped an easier chance off Sophie Ecclestone; it was a loop to her at cover; did the lights affect her sight?

By halfway the Windies had struggled to 46-4, only Rashada Williams looking the part with 18 off 20. But a careless run-out added to the Windies’ woes. As so often happens in cricket, another wicket fell the very next ball. (60-6!) Chinelle Henry and Shabika Gajnabi added a brave 29 for the seventh wicket, but Bell came up trumps with a third wicket, a skier into the hands of Sciver. But Sciver dropped another catch in the final over, bowled – was it inevitable? – by Brunt. Henry’s aggression (21* off 22) and fallible English hands allowed the Windies to top a hundred.

Ecclestone 4-1-6-0! Every delivery from her looks like a exploding bomb. Do the umpires need to check the ball more often?

Lewis opted for Dunkley to open with Wyatt. Only a recurrent failure of hers, incautious running, spoiled her strong start, 25 off 21. When Wyatt was allowed the strike, she lobbed Matthews over the straight boundary, then produced her trademark shot, the lofted off-drive. She was in magnificent form, reaching 50 off only 29 balls (6 fours; 2 sixes).

In the powerplay England motored at over 8 per over. Lauren Winfield-Hill (15/14) fell victim to another over-ambitious run-out. We’ll find out (sooner or later) what the new management’s reaction is to this weakness.

It was all too easy, the winning run coming with more than seven overs unused. The bowlers failed to take a single wicket. But the latest game between India and Australia shows the heights England still need to reach.

Scores:

West Indies: 105-7
England: 106-2 in 12.4 overs

Player of the Match: Lauren Bell

Teams

West Indies XI:

Aaliyah Alleyne, Hayley Matthews (captain), Kycia Knight, Rashada Williams, Djenaba Joseph , Shemaine Campbelle, Chinelle Henry, Shabika Gajnabi, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Karishma Ramharack, Afy Fletcher

England XI:

Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Nat Sciver, Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones, Maia Bouchier, Sophie Ecclestone, Katherine Brunt, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell

Notes

Nat Sciver is the fourth English player to reach 100 T20s (after Danni Wyatt, Katherine Brunt and Jenny Gunn.)

Jon Lewis is taking the opportunity to inspect the candidates for further advancement to the T20 World Cup squad. Danni Wyatt reacted to the challenge as he must have hoped.

A back injury has ended Freya Kemp’s tour. This is all too common a fate for quick bowlers, especially young ones. England’s medics will carefully monitor her recovery.

The remaining four T20s switch to sunny Barbados.

Despite another overwhelming win, we can’t claim England frightened their main rivals around the world. In the two previous ODIs two batters made fifties; this time only Nat Sciver produced the goods (85). She had a productive stand of 90 in 13 overs with Danni Wyatt, but for once Wyatt couldn’t match her scoring rate.

The Windies bowling was much improved. Shakera Selman celebrated her 100th ODI with the splendid analysis 9-1-29-3. But the fielding was no sharper than before. Wyatt was dropped off two consecutive deliveries.

Once more England scored at a good rate, the openers Emma Lamb (29) and Tammy Beaumont (26) putting on 63 off 11 overs, but neither went on to the big time.

Sciver was in total command again. She became the first England batter to top 800 runs in a calendar year, and she hasn’t had the advantage of taking strike at the start of the innings. She added two esrly wickets to enhance her all-rounder status.

The batting order looks so strong, with Amy Jones, captain today as Heather Knight hasn’t thrown off all the effects of her injury, coming in at No 7. She remained 32* at the end, limited only by being denied the strike.

Alice Davidson-Richards replaced Knight, but couldn’t profit from a rare appearance (2), but she had the pleasure of taking a wicket.

On the bowlng front Freya Davies came in for the rested Lauren Bell. One distinguished pundit called the new opening attack of Kate Cross and Davies the right one – at last! After ten overs Davies had conceded over twice as many runs as Cross. She is already 27; Bell 21. Case dismissed?

Charlie Dean has a neat trick: she bowls straight. She started with a couple of maidens and a sharp stumping by the skipper. In her third over she carelessly allowed a single to be scored. The Windies batters were quite incapable of increasing the scoring-rate. Early on it struggled to reach four per over, then collapsed to under three.

Ecclestone had an answer for Sciver’s run-scoring record: she took her 50th wicket of 2022, the first English bowler to achieve this mark.

The two spinners had a field-day:

Ecclestone 9-6-9-3 (barely credible) Dean 8-2-16-1

Fear, what Fear?

‘Play without fear’ is the English mantra, but without fear of what?
Of getting out?
Of being dropped?
Of losing the game through your rashness/over-caution?

Psychologically, England’s problem was they knew the Windies wouldn’t outscore them, however low their target. As it turned out, the visitors returned a run of descending totals and were bowled out each time.

Hayley Matthews has a great burden to bear at the moment. In this game she opened the batting. Sophie Ecclestone stuck her right hand out at slip and took a blinder; that was the end of the Windies’ main scoring hope. With Aaliyah Alleyne at the other end toiling for 38 balls to score 8, their problems were laid bare. The Under 19 World Cup will be a chance for Courtney Walsh to assess the quality of the next generation.

This was a sad outcome on Antigua’s national day.

Result:

England: 256 (Sciver 85)
West Indies: 105-9 (Selman dnb, injured)
England win by 152 runs and take the ODI series 3-0

Player of the Match and Series: Natalie Sciver

Next fixture: 11 December, 1st T20, Sir Viv Richards Stadium, Antigua
The remaining games move to Barbados