THE US Under-19 women's team got a commanding seven-wicket win in the fifth and final Twenty/20 versus West Indies' Under-19 women's team at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St Augustine on July 27 to level the series at 2-2.
Trailing the series by a 2-1 margin heading into the final contest, the visitors restricted the Windies team to 97 for seven after winning the toss and opting to bowl first.
Opener Asabi Callender (31 off 34 balls) and Naijanni Cumberbatch (25 off 23 balls) continued their good form for West Indies in the series and the team's innings was built around their second-wicket stand of 52.
Callender amd Cumberbatch came to the wicket after skipper Samara Ramnath (six) was dismissed in the fifth over, and they took the score to 62 before Cumberbatch was caught off the bowling of Sai Eyyunni (one for 23) to leave the West Indies on 62 for two in the 11th over.
Despite the solid platform set by Callender and Cumberbatch, the West Indies scored just 35 runs off the last 55 balls as the visitors tightened the screws. Off-spinner Aditi Chudasama (two for 15) led her team with the ball and picked up the wickets of Brianna Harricharan (12) and Amrita Ramtahal (golden duck) off consecutive balls in the final over.
The US lost the wicket of opener Aafia Khazi (duck) in the second over when she was bowled by Jahzara Claxton, but they took control of the game with a partnership between Disha Dhingra (46 not out off 43 balls) and captain Anika Kolan (23 off 35 balls).
Dhingra and Kolan put on a second-wicket stand of 49 before the latter was trapped lbw by Cumberbatch in the 11th over to leave the visitors on 67 for two. Dhingra hit four fours and a six in her knock, and she added 27 runs for the third wicket with Chudasama before the latter was dismissed by Harricharan in the 17th over.
By that stage, the US just needed four runs to win, and Dhingra fittingly got the winning runs in the subsequent over off Ramnath to guide her team over the line with 14 balls to spare and ensure a share of the spoils in the five-match series.
Summarised Scores:
WEST INDIES — 97/7 from 20 overs (Asabi Callender 31, Naijanni Cumberbatch 25; Aditi Chudasama 2/15, Lekha Shetty 1/8) vs USA — 98/3 from 17.4 (Disha Dhingra 46 not out, Anika Kolan 23; Brianna Harricharan 1/5). USA won by 7 wickets, level series at 2-2.
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