England Women clinch T20I series with big win over Windies

CANTERBURY, England (CMC):

West Indies Women produced a forgettable performance with both bat and ball and were thumped for the second straight match by England Women, this time by nine wickets in the second T20 International (T20I) yesterday.

There were no heroics from skipper Hayley Matthews this time around and the West Indies Women were restricted to a paltry 81 for nine from their 20 overs.

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt then scored an unbeaten half-century, and Sophia Dunkley made 24 not out, as the home side romped to 82 for one in 9.2 overs.

With the win, England Women secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with the final match to be played on Monday.

The visitors got off to a horrible start, losing Qiana Joseph to the third ball of the innings to a return catch by Lauren Bell with just four runs on the board.

Em Arlott then struck a crucial blow by snaring the important wicket of Matthews for just six runs to see West Indies slide to 17 for two in the fourth over.

With one run added, Arlott dismissed Zaida James for six and then Stafanie Taylor for a two-ball duck, to leave the visitors struggling on 29 for four.

Shemaine Campbelle and Shabika Gajnabi tried their best to rebuild the innings in a 34-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but once spinner Charlie Dean dismissed the former for the topscore of 26 the lower order folded.

Gajnabi was the only other batter to make it into double digits, scoring 22 off 29 balls.

Arlott led the way for England with 3-14, Bell grabbed 3-28 and Dean 2-12.

West Indies Women were buoyed when Zaida James bowled Danni Wyatt-Hodge with the first ball in the chase. However, Sciver-Brunt and Dunkley wasted little time in getting England over the line in an unbroken 82-run partnership.

Along the way, Sciver-Brunt cruised to her 17th ODI half-century off 27 balls when she hit Aaliyah Alleyne to deep midwicket for two runs.

She then sealed the deal with a boundary off Afy Fletcher through midwicket, to put the finishing touches on another dominant victory over the West Indies.