The Sri Lankans had no remedy for Shanel Daley. So just for good measure, she gave them a double dose.
Daley struck her second half-century of the series and then returned to snare three wickets as the West Indies women’s team defeated Sri Lanka by 45 runs via the Duckworth/Lewis method to take the third and final One-Day International at Windward Cricket Ground yesterday.
In a match that had to be reduced to 40 overs after early morning showers threatened to wash out the day’s play, West Indies scored 168 for seven in their 40 overs, before bowling out their opponents for just 131, still some way short of the revised target of 177.
The win enabled the regional side to take the three-match series 2-1, after winning the first match at Kensington Oval by 88 runs and then going down to the visitors by one wicket in Friday’s thrilling encounter that was also played at Windward.
West Indies almost didn’t get the opportunity to win the series though, when, with the score on 51 for one in the 15th over, heavy showers forced the players off the field and led to more than two hours being lost.
When the game finally resumed just after noon, Daley, whose 63 from 105 balls was decorated with four boundaries, and opener Stafanie Taylor, who made 44, set about adding 74 runs for the second wicket after the early loss of Juliana Nero, who fell for four.
From 85 for two in the 23rd over, Windies lost their way, suffering a middle-order collapse that saw them slump to 147 for six, mainly through the bowling efforts of offspinner Shashikala Siriwardena, who claimed the scalps of Deandra Dottin, Daley and Stacy-Ann King in quick succession.
A cameo knock of 20 from captain Merissa Aguilleira off just 16 deliveries helped West Indies to their eventual target, before nine further runs were added through the use of the Duckworth/Lewis system.
Siriwardena was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, finishing with four for 40 from her eight overs.
Sri Lanka were in trouble from as early as the second over when Subrina Munroe sent Yashoda Mendis back into the pavilion for a duck, also doing the same to Deepika Rasangika, to leave them reeling on eight for two.
It quickly became 11 for three when opener Inoka Galagedara was run out by a direct throw from Shakera Selman.
The visitors struggled to get the ball off the pitch and it was highlighted during Dilani Manodara and Sandamali Dolowatta’s struggles at the crease.
They managed only 23 runs in 12 overs.
The introduction of Player Of The Match and Player Of The Series Daley, who scored 150 runs and took six wickets, signalled the end of both players with Manodara holing out to mid-off where Taylor took an easy catch before Munroe held on to a good catch running in from the midwicket boundary to account for Dolowatta.
With the score on 71 for six in the 27th over, a 39-run partnership between Siriwardena and Sripali Weerakkody helped to give Sri Lanka some hope of a miraculous comeback. But Siriwardena would lose her wicket trying to up the tempo for the top score of 34, and Windies held on for a comfortable victory.
