| Australia 148-5 (20 overs): Villani 52, Lanning 52, Dottin 2-33 |
| West Indies 149-2 (19.3 overs): Matthews 66 |
| West Indies won by eight wickets |
West Indies won the Women’s World Twenty20 for the first time with an eight-wicket win over Australia.
Australia, seeking a fourth successive world T20 title, chose to bat and made 148-5, with Elyse Villani making the first half century in a final.
But 18-year-old Windies opener Hayley Matthews hit a stunning 66 off 45 balls with three sixes, in a stand of 120.
The Windies won with three balls to spare and will hope for a T20 double in the men’s final with England later.
West Indies had lost all eight previous T20 encounters with Australia and in their first final they made a nervous start bowling, Villani seizing on some wayward full tosses to reach fifty from 34 balls.
Australia skipper Meg Lanning hit three successive fours in her 52 and Ellyse Perry dispatched two glorious straight drives for six in a cameo 28.
Having fought back by conceding only a single from the final over they bowled, the Windies made a slow start to their reply, scoring three from the first two overs.
But Matthews and skipper Stafanie Taylor hit 16 from the fifth over, bowled by Perry, and recorded their century partnership in the 14th over.
Matthews was caught with 29 more runs required from 26 balls and Taylor’s 59 ended with only five left to score from eight deliveries.
Three were needed from the final over and victory was secured after a routine run-out opportunity turned into an overthrow, to cue exuberant West Indian celebrations, joined by the men’s team who were arriving for their final with England
Meanwhile, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President Dave Cameron, said that the “the people of the Caribbean/West Indies are extremely proud of the achievement of the women’s team for its emphatic win over Australia to take the 2016 ICC World T20 crown. The region is celebrating the victory”.
“The women displayed grit and determination throughout the entire tournament and ended in a thrilling overall win. Congratulations to the player of the tournament and Captain, Stafanie Taylor and player of the match, Hayley Matthews. We also offer all-round praise to the team management and all the persons who worked with this unit in preparation for this tournament. We look forward to the delegation returning home to celebrate,” Cameron said.
