U19 Women’s T20 World Cup: West Indies start campaign on winning note

West Indies registered a victory in their opening encounter, as Ireland was left to rue their lack of control with the ball.

Guided by Zaida James (52 from 57), the West Indies top three accumulated 106 runs in the first 17 overs.

And Ireland’s occasionally wayward bowling, which saw them concede 24 extras, helped West Indies reach 125/3 in their full quota of overs.

The total could have been higher but for Freya Sargent’s double-wicket 18th over which accounted for James and Djenaba Joseph. Sargent finished with impressive figures of 2/9 from her four overs.

Though Amy Hunter (21 from 25) and Annabelle Squires (42 from 38) kept Ireland competitive, disciplined bowling ensured a win for the West Indies.

James proved to be the difference yet again, her slow left-arm bowling ripping through the Ireland line-up. She finished with 4/20 as Ireland finished seven wickets down and seven runs short.

Zaida James told Cricket West Indies Media, “It’s certainly a great feeling to have an all-round performance like this, and even better that we had a team victory. Our focus is one game at a time and to finish the group stage strong, then we will look at the remaining stages of the tournament.”

The victory sees the West Indies move to the top of the table in Group C, with two points and a Net Run Rate of +0.350.

They play Indonesia on January 17 at North-West University Oval, Potchefstroom – 7:45 am Eastern Caribbean/6:45 am Jamaica.