GEORGETOWN – Captain Stafanie Taylor has concerns about West Indies’ batting despite their convincing victory over Bangladesh in their opening match of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup in Guyana on Friday night.
The hosts were held to 106 for eight off their 20 overs on a slow, turning wicket at the Guyana National Stadium but rebounded to blow away Bangladesh for a record-low 46, to earn a 60-run win.
“[It was] not the best of batting performances that we would like but it’s good that we came out in the second part and finished the game,” Taylor said afterwards.
“The shot selection wasn’t good and I have to give it to the Bangladeshis, I thought they bowled excellent.
“The opening pacer (Jahanara Alam) bowled really good and got some early wickets – crucial wickets – and for me going out there, I tried not to think about myself but tried to get a competitive total on the board.”
Sent in, the exciting opener pair of Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin fell cheaply in the space of two balls in the third over, leading to a slide that left West Indies tottering on 50 for five in the 13th over.
Knight, however, came to her side’s rescue with a counter-attacking 32 off 24 balls, posting a critical 37 for the sixth wicket with Taylor whose 29 came from 44 deliveries.
“At a point I was talking to my partner and thinking we should try to get around 110-115, try to milk it and not think about boundaries,” Taylor explained about the partnership.
“Coming down to the end, hopefully we could go big because we can do that.”
West Indies have been installed in Group A of the tournament, and with looming battles against stronger sides like England, South Africa and Sri Lanka ahead, Taylor urged her batting group to lift their standards.
“[We] definitely [need to improve] our batting. I know what we can do, we’re strong, we can hit boundaries at any time,” she said.
“I just believe in the middle there and at the top, we need to rotate the strike a bit. For me, I think it is about working it (the ball) around some more and finding the gaps.”
West Indies clash with South Africa in their second match of the tournament in St Lucia on Wednesday.
CMC