West Indies 143 for 2 (Taylor 64*, Claxton 38; Mutasa 1-19) beat Zimbabwe 142 for 6 (Ndhlovu 63, Mutasa 24*; Taylor 2-8) by 8 wickets
A vintage Stafanie Taylor fifty helped the West Indies to an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the third Women’s T20 international in Harare on Wednesday, securing a series sweep for the Caribbean side.
The classical Taylor scorched 11 fours in her 39-ball unbeaten 64, anchoring West Indies’ chase of the hosts' 142 for 6. The total was Zimbabwe’s highest of the series and held a potential threat for the largely inexperienced Windies batting line-up.
Following the dismissal of Realeanna Grimmond (17) in the third over, Taylor joined Jahzara Claxton to fashion a nerve-settling and ultimately match-winning 71-run partnership for the second wicket.
Though the pair seldom rotated the strike, they found the boundary frequently in their 56-ball stand to stay ahead of the required rate.
When Claxton fell for 38, West Indies were still 53 runs away from victory. Taylor then accelerated alongside Jannillea Glasgow (15), with the pair scoring 53 in 31 balls to see the visitors home at 143 for two in 17 overs.
Jahzara Claxton & Stafanie Taylor (Zimbabwe Cricket)
India 172 for 2 (Shreyas 102*, Ishan 37*; Hosein 1-37) beat West Indies 171 all out (Rutherford 56, Hope 52; Naman 3-31) by 8 wickets
The West Indies suffered a humbling eight-wicket defeat at the hands of India in the first T20 International in Lucknow on Tuesday. Following an underwhelming batting display, the Caribbean bowlers failed to provide the wicket-taking spark necessary to defend a below-par total, conceding the required 172 runs in 14.4 overs.
India’s captain, Shreyas Iyer, scorched 102 off 43 deliveries to right the hosts’ chase after an early wobble. The right-hander cashed in after a measured start, with an array of shots square of the wicket on his way to a maiden T20I hundred.
His 68-ball unbroken 137-run third-wicket stand with Ishan Kishan (37*) batted West Indies out of the game. Opener Abhishek Sharma started like a house on fire, taking a maximum and two boundaries from Matthew Forde’s opening over, racing to 21 from 10 balls.
He was brilliantly caught by Shimron Hetmyer, with Roston Chase finding the breakthrough at 29 for one in the third. Partner Samson (11) followed six runs later, caught and bowled by Akeal Hosein at 35 for two.
Debutant Kamil Pooran was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh (BCCI)
Cricket West Indies (CWI) and new Caribbean-born brand SUPERFAN on Monday announced the launch of the first SUPERFAN x West Indies Cricket collection, a new line of licensed fan merchandise designed and produced by SUPERFAN.
SUPERFAN was created by Trinidad and Tobago entrepreneur and designer Nicolette Leacock, founder of Caribbean Carnival and lifestyle brand MRCH. After building MRCH around products designed specifically with the Caribbean consumer in mind, Leacock saw an opportunity to bring that same design-led approach to Caribbean sport and fan culture.
“I grew up seeing what West Indies Cricket means to the Caribbean. It is one of the few things that can make us forget which island we are from for a moment and collectively identify as West Indian,” said Leacock.
West Indies 108 for 2 (Biza 35, Ndhlovu 25; Jahzara Claxton 3-14) beat Zimbabwe 106 for 7 (Brathwaite 57, Grimmond 23*; Christine Mutasa 1-15) by 8 wickets
Eboni Brathwaite’s 23-ball 57 helped the West Indies chase 107 in 55 deliveries to claim an eight-wicket win in their second Women’s T20I against Zimbabwe on Monday. The result also gives the Caribbean side a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Brathwaite hit six maximums, two of which came in Nomvelo Sibanda’s 16-run opening over, setting the tone for the visitors' chase. The fall of Jahzara Claxton (4) in the third did not deter Brathwaite, who took Nyasha Gwanzura for three consecutive maximums to begin the fourth, followed by a boundary.
The 17-year-old brought up her maiden T20I fifty in 20 deliveries, the fastest by a West Indian woman. When Brathwaite departed with the penultimate delivery of the powerplay, the West Indies required 38 runs from 84 balls.
Hope led from the front with 162 not out, his 21st ODI hundred
West Indies 352 for 5 (Hope 162*, Jangoo 67; Naman 1-33) beat India 351 for 7 (Rahul 129*, Rohit 92, Seales 3-62) by 5 wickets
West Indies captain Shai Hope says he was confident at the halfway stage of the third One-Day International against India on Saturday, knowing the required 352 meant his team would need to complete their highest successful chase in the format to win.
“Honestly, in India you always feel you can chase any score down,” Hope began. “The conditions tend to get a little bit better for batting. It's a lot wetter; dew comes into play, and the ball tends to come off of the bat a lot nicer. We always had faith in our batters to get the job done.”
After being on the end of consecutive crushing defeats, Hope hit a masterful unbeaten 162, helping the Caribbean side to better their previous record chase—328 against Ireland in 2019—by a significant margin. They did so without the availability of Jewell Andrew and Vitel Lawes.
Andrew was taken to the hospital for an X-ray after sustaining a blow to his finger while taking the catch which dismissed Naman Dhir. Lawes was forced off the field after bowling just five overs.
