Mooney and Perry’s 99-run stand the difference between the sides
Australia 164 for 6 (Mooney 79, Perry 36; Dottin 3-35) beat West Indies 121 for 6 (Joseph 45, Taylor 28; King 3-14) by 43 runs
The West Indies went down to Australia by 43 runs in the first Women’s T20 International at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday evening. Despite an encouraging bowling performance, the hosts failed to capitalize on an uncharacteristically untidy fielding display from the Aussies to go one-nil down in the three-match series.
Needing 165 for victory, the West Indies scored 15 runs from the first four overs of the chase. Captain Hayley Matthews needed eight balls to get off the mark before she was cleaned up by Alana King in the 7th over for a 17-ball 11. Up until the 12th, they’d only lost the one wicket. Qiana Joseph crunched seven 4s and a six in her 39-ball innings of 45. Australia had put down as many as six catches.
In a tale as old as time, however, the Caribbean side had chewed up 34 dots in the first 66 balls of the innings. When Gardner finally held on to one to dismiss Joseph off the bowling of Kim Garth, the West Indies needed 89 runs from 59 balls at 76 for 2.
Australia essentially sealed victory in the 13th as King delivered a double-wicket maiden, removing Shemaine Campbelle (15 from 15) and Dottin for a duck on either side of a short rain break, leaving the West Indies grasping at 76 for 4. The wrist-spinner finished with figures of 3 for 14.
West Indies head coach Shane Deitz is eager for a bounce-back showing in their upcoming T20 International series against Australia. Ahead of Thursday’s start to the three-match contest, which is set to be played exclusively in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Deitz expressed his desire for the Caribbean side to execute in areas they “didn't quite do against Sri Lanka."
“We've got to express ourselves, show our skills, and back ourselves against the very best, and that will be a bit of a mental shift,” Deitz began. The West Indies lost both the T20I and ODI home series to Sri Lanka last month after repeated top-order failures across both formats.
Despite this, Deitz, an Australian himself, does not want his team to fall into the trap of playing timid cricket, even against the number one side. “It's great to test yourself against the best, to see where we're at, individually and collectively, so we’re looking forward to the contest," he said.
“The intensity and the aggression of the Aussies will come at us,” he stressed. “We've got to match that; we can't be too complacent or too within ourselves.” The West Indies were semi-finalists at the most recent edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024. They have lost eight of their 14 games since then.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Barbadian Javon Searles for breaches of its Anti-Corruption Codes as well as that of Cricket West Indies (CWI).
In a statement released on Thursday, the ICC revealed that the charges are in relation to the 2023/2024 season of Barbados' Bim10 Tournament, a competition that falls under the jurisdiction of the CWI Anti-Corruption Code.
The 39-year-old never represented the West Indies at the senior level but was a member of the West Indies Under-19 team. He played 42 matches for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League from 2014 to 2019.
The charges extend to team officials Chitranjan Rathod and Trevon Griffith. All three have been provisionally suspended from all cricket with immediate effect and have 14 days (from 11 March) to respond to the charges.
The investigation into the Bim10 led to USA player Aaron Jones being charged with five breaches of the CWI and ICC Anti-Corruption Codes in January.
Offences brought against Searles, Rathod and Griffith:
Breach of Article 2.1.1 of the CWI Code – Fixing, contriving to fix or otherwise influencing improperly, or being a party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly,the result, progress, conduct or other aspect of matches in the Bim10 tournament in 2023/24 (or attempting to do so).
Breach of Article 2.1.4 of the CWI Code – Soliciting, instructing, encouraging or facilitating Players and/or Player Support Personnel to commit offences under the CWI Code.
Breach of Article 2.4.4 of the CWI Code – Failing or refusing to cooperate with a reasonable investigation carried out by the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (or his/her designee) in relation to possible offences under the CWI Code.
The West Indies named an unchanged squad for their three-match Women's T20 International series against Australia from March 19 to 23. According to Head Coach Shane Deitz, the series could not have come at a better time. “It's just before the World Cup, so it's a great opportunity to see where we are in our preparation,” he said.
The series will be played exclusively at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before the teams travel to St. Kitts and Nevis to contest three One Day Internationals. Deitz continued, “We're really excited about the opportunity to play the number one ranked ODI and T20 team in the world."
West Indies Squad for Women’s T20Is against Australia:
Cricket West Indies has confirmed that “ongoing uncertainty” surrounding the charter flight organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) has prompted members of the West Indies squad to opt for commercial travel out of India.
In a statement from the board, released earlier on Tuesday, CWI insists the decision was taken “in the interest of the well-being and safety of its players and support staff” after the flight, which was also meant to transport the South African team, was “repeatedly delayed.”
CWI, its players, and other partners "coordinated with the ICC” to complete the arrangements. While some Windies players and staff have already departed India, the remaining members are scheduled to depart today, Tuesday, Mar. 10, and tomorrow, Wednesday, Mar. 11.
International airspace restrictions arising from security concerns in the Gulf region had left several teams stranded in India following their elimination from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, including the Caribbean side, who were knocked out at the Super Eight stage on Mar. 1.
The ICC had finally confirmed a Mar. 8 departure date for both the West Indies and South Africa, which was subsequently delayed.
