PAARL: West Indies captain Hayley Matthews said a strong finish in their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign gave her hope for the future of the sport in the Caribbean.
The West Indies beat Pakistan by three runs at Boland Park in Paarl to finish their group fixtures with two wins out of four.
Although it is virtually impossible for West Indies to progress to the semi-finals, Matthews said the World Cup had been an important turning point.
They ended a 15-match T20 losing streak when they beat Ireland in their previous match and showed character in the win over Pakistan, defending a total of just 116 for six, which Matthews said was “20 runs short.”
“We had to be extra special in the field. We spoke about putting our bodies behind the ball,” she said.
The West Indies were hit by injuries during the tournament, notably to long-time star Stafanie Taylor, and Matthews admitted they had not performed well with the bat.
“When we get back home we need to get back on the training ground. We have a lot of young players in our squad and with our young players developing we are moving in the right direction,” added the skipper.
Matthews was inspirational in the field on Sunday, holding a stinging early catch and then taking two for 14 with her off-spinners as Pakistan could only manage 113 for five.
It was a bitter-sweet day for Pakistan veteran Nida Dar, who took two for 13 in four overs of accurate off-spin to equal former West Indies player Anisa Mohammed´s record of 125 wickets in women’s T20 internationals.
Dar scored 27 runs in Pakistan’s reply but couldn’t take her team to victory.
The result ensured that England, with three wins in three matches, qualified for the semi-finals.
Pakistan still have a mathematical chance if they can beat England in their final match and India, currently second in Group Two, slip up against Ireland, who have yet to win a match.
“It is a very important match for us,” said Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof.
“We have played good cricket and we will try to continue that.”
The batters found it difficult to score quickly on a slow pitch and there were only nine boundaries in the West Indian innings and eight when Pakistan batted.
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