ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Captain Stafanie Taylor stroked her sixth One-Day International hundred but first in eight years, to fire West Indies Women to an emphatic five-wicket victory over Pakistan Women in the opening affair of the five-match series in Antigua Wednesday.
With the home side asked to chase 206 at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Taylor carved out a sublime unbeaten 105 to take her side over the line with 13 balls remaining.
Entering at 42 for two in the 12th over, Taylor dominated several partnerships as West Indies Women overcame an uncertain start to cruise at the back end of the innings.
She posted 33 for the third with Kycia Knight (19), 46 for the fourth wicket with Deandra Dottin (9), a further 46 for the fifth with Chedean Nation (23) before adding a busy 42 in an unbroken sixth wicket stand with Britney Cooper (17 not out).
All told, the right-hander faced 116 deliveries and counted 11 fours and two sixes.
Sent in earlier, Pakistan Women squandered a great start to decline to 205 for nine off their 50 overs, with Nida Dar top-scoring with 55, Ayesha Zafar stroking 46 and opening partner Muneeba Ali chipping in with 36.
For the second straight game following her heroics in last Sunday’s final T20 International, Taylor flaunted her strong all-round skills by claiming three for 29 while fellow off-spinner Anisa Mohammed ended with two for 31.
Pakistan Women dominated the early going, Zafar and Muneeba putting on 70 off 96 deliveries for the first wicket to frustrate the hosts.
Zafar struck half-dozen fours off 70 deliveries while the left-handed Muneeba faced 51 balls and punched five fours.
Muneeba’s run out at the end of the 16th over triggered a slide which saw the visitors lose three wickets for 29 runs but Nida Dar lashed four fours and a six in an up tempo 71-ball innings to pull her side around.
She put on 22 for the fourth with Omaima Sohail (19) before adding 32 for the fifth with Aliya Riaz (12), helping Pakistan Women to scramble 33 runs from the last five overs.
In reply, West Indies Women lost left-hander Kyshona Knight for eight in the sixth over to a catch at the wicket with the score on 19, slashing at 19-year-old seamer Fatima Sana.
And when Hayley Matthews missed a charge at off-spinner Nida Dar and was stumped for 16 in the 12th over, West Indies Women were wobbling and in need of stability.
Taylor entered to provide exactly that, controlling the tempo of the run chase in a high class knock, which stunned Pakistan Women’s bowlers.
Positive from the outset, she moved into the 40s with a six over mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu before reaching her half-century of 62 deliveries in the 28th over.
Taylor required only another 52 deliveries to reach triple figures, racing to 95 with a swept boundary off left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal (2-47) and then gathering a couple and a scampered single off the first two deliveries of the 47th over, to bring up her landmark.
Cooper dazzled with three fours in a 21-ball cameo but it was Taylor who ended the game when she edged a slash at seamer Diana Baig through the gloves of Sidra Nawaz, to the third man boundary. (CMC)
