The West Indies Women endured a significant setback on Tuesday night, losing to Bangladesh Women by 60 runs in the second One Day International (ODI) at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts. This marked the first time the West Indies Women have been defeated by their Bangladeshi counterparts.
Batting first, Bangladesh posted a total of 184 runs in 48.5 overs, led by an impressive 68 from captain Nigar Sultana. The West Indies bowlers had moments of brilliance, with off-spinner Karishma Ramharack claiming career-best figures of 4-33 and Barbadian pacer Aaliyah Alleyne delivering a stellar 3-24. However, the hosts faltered in their chase, bowled out for a disappointing 124.
This victory propelled Bangladesh to seventh place in the ICC Women’s Championship points table, level with New Zealand on 21 points. They are now just one win—or a non-result—away from securing direct qualification to this year’s ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, a potential historic first for the team.
Bangladesh’s disciplined bowling effort was pivotal, as they struck early to dismiss key players. West Indies captain Hayley Matthews managed only 16 runs, while all-rounder Deandra Dottin fell cheaply for two. Wicketkeeper-batter Shemaine Campbelle top-scored with 28, but no other batter reached 20, as familiar frailties in the batting line up resurfaced.
Reflecting on the win, Nigar Sultana emphasised the importance of resilience following their nine-wicket loss in the opening match.
“I think it was great to see how we bounced back in such a short turnaround time,” she said. “Of course, the two points are priceless, but we also want to achieve a series win by taking the next game. We haven’t won an overseas series before, and that would mean a lot to us.”
Sultana, who anchored the innings with her half-century, expressed satisfaction with her contribution. “I took my time to settle in the middle, played out a lot of deliveries, but the runs turned out to be important. It was a team performance; we gave an outstanding effort out there,” she added.
Ramharack, despite her exceptional bowling effort, lamented the lack of application from the West Indies batters.
“I guess we didn’t apply ourselves in the middle. Losing wickets in clusters really put us under pressure,” she admitted.
She remained optimistic, however, highlighting positives from the match. “We had some bowling targets as a group, and we were able to hit those early. Aaliyah (Alleyne) and Cherry (Fraser) batted well, which is a good sign for the batting group. We’ll revise and aim to come back stronger in the next game.”
The West Indies Women are already into World Cup qualifiers but will be looking to bounce back ahead of the final ODI to avoid losing their first ever series to Bangladesh.
After this series they will take on Bangladesh in three T20Is starting January 27 before finishing the series on January 29 and 31.
