TODAY, I MUST salute the West Indies’ women’s cricket team for triumphing in the recent Tri-Nation Twenty20 Series against England and New Zealand at Kensington Oval.
The secret about the strength of the West Indies women’s cricket team is now out in the public domain and the 3000-strong crowd which packed the 3Ws Stand, the lone one which the authorities felt was required to accommodate the spectators, was testament to their growing popularity.
If the doubting Thomases thought reaching the final of the 50-over World Cup in Mumbai in February, when they lost to Australia, was a fluke, they must now admit the West Indian women are no push-overs and can compete and conquer the leading teams in the world.
What is now also crystal clear is that there are a number of world-class cricketers in the regional side, which has been improving by leaps and bounds in both T20 and One-Day Internationals.
The success of the West Indies team, admirably led by wicket-keeper Merissa Auguilleira, who struggled with the bat during the series, is a testimony of the hard work done by the players, the coaching staff and management team.
After winning the ICC Women World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh in November 2011, when Dottin scored 95 and Anisa Mohammed took 7-14 in the final against Pakistan, the squad have continue to make strides.
The West Indies beat India 2-1 in St Kitts in 2012 and followed up with a 2-1 triumph over Sri Lanka in Barbados.
Already this year, they have drawn a home series 2-2 with South Africa; beaten Sri Lanka and New Zealand by 2-1 margins in ODI series.
The standard of play during the Tri-Series was quite high as the majority of the women displayed good batting technique while their stroke play was a joy to watch.
The quality of the bowling, fielding and catching was also of a good level. This was definitely no mock-sport cricket but serious stuff with women taking pride in their performances.
The West Indian women certainly won scores of admirers, who were lured to “The Mecca” by their winnings ways; defeating England in all three matches, including Saturday’s final while splitting their two matches with the White Ferns.
There is a saying that you don’t beg for respect, you earn it and the West Indian women truly gained their stripes from the cricket-loving fans here and beyond the Barbadian boundaries.
Led by their two outstanding 22-year-olds, Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin, they ruthlessly rolled over England in the final by eight wickets, making light work of their victory target.
In women’s cricket, Dottin is like the Kieron Pollard in the various T20 leagues around the world.
She has struck more sixes, 52 of them than any other woman in the T20 format. She leads Australian Jessica Cameron, who is next in line with 18.
Local girl Dottin, still holds the record for the fastest T20 International century by either man or woman, achieving the landmark off just 38 balls, when she smashed 112 not out against South Africa in St Kitts in 2009.
To my knowledge, only Pakistani Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi, with a 37-ball 102 against Sri Lanka in an ODI in 1996, has scored an international century, faster than Dottin and by a single ball.
Dottin aside, in Taylor, the West Indies can boast of the world’s best all-round female cricketer.
Ahead of the three-match ODI series versus England, which was due to start yesterday at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago, the Jamaican, who is a right-handed opener and an off-spin bowler, was the top ranked player across the Reliance ICC Women’s Player Rankings for ODIs.
She leads all three rankings’ tables – batting, bowling and all-rounder – and is the only player in history – man or woman – to ever be No.1 in both batting and bowling rankings in either Test or ODI cricket simultaneously. Taylor is also the No.1-ranked T20 all-rounder in the world.
Following her unbeaten match-winning unbeaten knock of 51 in the final, Taylor now has the most half-centuries – 11 – in T20 Internationals.
She is also third, behind England’s duo Charlotte Edwards (1789) and Sarah Taylor (1425) in the all-time list of run-scorers in T20 cricket with 1321 runs. Dottin (1120) is fifth on that list.
Mohammed leads the bowling charts in T20 Internationals with 71 wickets while left-arm spinner Shanel Daley (61) is third and Taylor (53) is fifth.
Just like Darren Sammy’s side won the ICC World Twenty20 title in Colombo last year, West Indians cricket fans will now be hoping the women can emulate the men and win next year’s T20 title in Bangladesh.
In the meantime, we must continue to support the girls. I’m also hopeful that the next time they play a Tri-Series, it would attract sponsors and the girls would benefit from prize money or some sort of bonus for winning.
Who knows, the time may not be far away when there is a franchise-based Caribbean T20 League for women.
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