ICC Women’s World T20 …
TAUNTON, England (CMC) – Their batting, led by opener Stafanie Taylor, set them up before their bowling helped West Indies Women launch the inaugural ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Championship in exciting fashion with a four-run victory over South Africa Women yesterday.

Taylor struck half-dozen boundaries in 50 from 52 balls to be the cornerstone of the West Indies Women’s 123 for seven from their allocation of 20 overs in their opening Group-A match at the Somerset County Cricket Club.

Spinner Anisa Mohammed and new-ball bowler Debbie-Ann Lewis then collected two wickets apiece, and gained admirable support in the field, as Stacy-Ann King ran tail-ender Shabnim Ismail out with two balls to spare to formalise the result.

West Indies Women removed openers Trisha Chetty and Shandre Fritz cheaply to put South Africa Women under early pressure on 12 for two in the fourth over.

West Indies Women continued to build pressure throughout with wickets falling at regular intervals, but teenager Mignon du Preez kept the South Africa Women moving with six fours in 38 from 28 balls.

One of the critical points in the match for West Indies Women came when Shakera Selman ran du Preez out in the 13th over to leave South Africa Women 68 for five.

West Indies Women were put on their heels though, when South Africa Women’s captain Sunette Loubster joined Alicia Smith, and they added a valuable 22 for the seventh wicket.

Taylor bowled Smith for 14 in the 18th over, but the real turning point for West Indies Women came in the next over.

King effected the first of her two run-outs to dismiss Loubster for 19 to leave South Africa Women needing 13 from nine balls which proved too much.

Earlier, Taylor and fellow opener Pamela Lavine, who scored 24, were the only batters to pass 20, as they shared 44 for the first wicket, after West Indies Women chose to bat.

Juliana Nero, batting at three, made 15, and West Indies Women’s captain Merissa Aguilleira, batting at eight, got 11 not out to add some beef to the total, after a typical middle-order collapse.

Ismail and Dane van Niekerk ended with two wickets apiece for the South Africa Women.

West Indies Women face New Zealand Women tomorrow in their second match.