Shemaine Campbelle's stormy 90* knock helps West Indies beat defending champions New Zealand by 7 wickets.
Chasing a target of 163 runs at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, West Indies had a poor start. Opener Kiana Joseph was out for just 2 runs.
After that, captain Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle took charge of the innings. They shared a crucial partnership of 74 runs for the second wicket. Matthews returned to the pavilion after scoring 48 runs.
However, Campbelle remained firm at one end. She attacked the Kiwi bowlers fiercely and took the team to the brink of victory. She hit 7 fours and 3 sixes in her innings.
"It's an incredible feeling. Winning the match for the team and contributing like this is always special. We played as a unit." - Shemaine Campbelle
Deandra Dottin (6) couldn't last long, but Campbelle, along with Jahzara Claxton (5*), secured the win for the team in 19.5 overs. She was also seen crying emotionally after the match.
New Zealand's bowlers looked helpless against Campbelle. Jess Kerr did take two wickets, but she proved to be very expensive. No other bowler could put pressure on the West Indies batters.
Earlier, after losing the toss and batting first, New Zealand had scored 162 runs for 6 wickets in 20 overs. Their start was not good either.
Captain Amelia Kerr (5) and Georgia Plimmer (8) got out early. Sophie Devine played a quick knock of 22 runs, but she couldn't convert it into a big score.
In the middle order, Brooke Halliday contributed 40 runs and Isabella Gaze scored 39. In the end, Maddy Green's unbeaten knock of 35 runs off 22 balls took the team to a respectable score.
Alia Alleyne was the most successful bowler for West Indies. She took 4 important wickets, giving away only 27 runs in her 4 overs. Besides her, Matthews and Dottin got one wicket each.
With this victory, West Indies have secured two important points in the tournament. This win over the defending champions will surely boost their confidence.
*Edit with Google AI Studio
जोगेन्द्र सिंह शेखावत
