Sri Lanka paid a hefty price for letting West Indies off the hook from a vulnerable position as their quest for a first win in this Women's World Cup continued. Having looked on course to restrict West Indies to well under 200, they allowed their opponents to mount a late recovery through Merissa Aguilleira, who top scored with an unbeaten 46. It meant West Indies batted out their 50 overs for the first time in this tournament and put up 229, a total that proved 47 too many for Sri Lanka on a Derby surface that got considerably slower as the game progressed.
It wasn't as if Sri Lanka bowled badly. In fact, their spinners held West Indies back by finding turn consistently. But it was in the simpler, more basic aspects that let them down. On a pitch that demanded application, West Indies showed a serious lack of it, attempting extravagant strokes and gift-wrapping their wickets. Sri Lanka, though, were generous in returning the favour, a series of misfields, dropped catches and fluffed stumping chances towards the latter stages allowing West Indies to claw back.
Rather unsurprisingly, West Indies opened the chase with a spinner; they would use five of them through the course of the innings - Deandra Dottin offering the only spell of pace - to snuff out Sri Lanka's reply in 48 overs
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