West Indies women 102 for 1 (Natasha McLean 42*, Stafanie Taylor 35*) beat South Africa women 101 for 8 (Dane Vane Niekerk 36, Mignon du Preez 27, Anisa Mohammed 5 for 24) by 9 wickets
Late strikes including a last-over hat-trick from Anisa Mohammed and a 72-run second-wicket stand between Natasha McLean and captain Stafanie Taylor ensured West Indies women continued their dominant run over their South African counterparts with a nine-wicket win at Tarouba. They now lead the five-match T20I series 2-0, following a closer 17-run victory in the first match.
Having elected to field, Stafanie’s decision was rewarded early by offspinner Hayley Matthews who dislodged both Lizelle Lee and Sune Luus for ducks. West Indies maintained their stranglehold over proceedings, even as captain Dane Vane Niekerk and Chloe Tryon added 28 for the fourth wicket, with the run-rate only marginally above three, before Tryon was removed by Taylor for 21 to leave South Africa in further trouble at 32 for three in the 10th over.
Niekerk, who batted deep into the innings for her painstaking 36 off 48 balls was then involved in their most lucrative stand of exactly 50 with Mignon du Preez, who contributed 27 of those, before becoming Anisa’s first victim. Anisa, who finished with figures of five for 24, got the rest of her wickets, including the ninth hattrick in women’s T20Is, in the final over of the innings.
Niekerk was the first to go in a four-wicket final over, and Marizanne Kapp, Saarah Smith and Masabata Klaas were the hattrick victims as South Africa were restricted to 101 for eight.
Needing just over five runs an over, West Indies began sedately with an opening stand of 30 at close to a run-a-ball, before Hayley was out caught off Luus for a 21-ball 17. There were, however, no further hiccups, as McLean and Stafanie picked up the run-rate and shrugged off the remaining runs themselves in an unbroken 72-run stand, completing the chase in the 16th over.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo