West Indies' under-19 women's cricketers levelled their five-match Twenty/20 series versus USA at 1-1 on a rainy day on July 22 when they got an emphatic eight-wicket win at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, UWI, St Augustine.
After being restricted for a paltry score of 69 in the first T20 on July 20, the West Indies youngsters flipped the script on the visitors and skittled them out for a meagre score of 65 after opposing captain Anika Kolan won the toss and elected to bat first.
Kolan was one of only two players to get to double figures for the US, with middle-order batter Sasha Vallabhaneni top-scoring with 22 before being run out by Naijanni Cumberbatch.
Faced by overcast conditions and persistent medium-pace bowling from the Windies, the US batters never settled in St Augustine and they were reeling at 32 for six at the ten-over mark. Fresh from her impressive spell of three for 12 in the first T20, opening bowler Selena Ross (two for eight) gave her team the upper hand with a pair of early wickets in the power play, with Kenika Cassar (two for 17) also grabbing two scalps in consecutive overs.
Vallabhaneni and Poojah Shah (five) put together the only meaningful partnership of the innings when they added 27 runs for the seventh wicket. However, they were dismissed in quick succession as the hosts stamped their authority on proceedings to bowl out the US in the penultimate over. Trisha Hardat, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Women's Under-19 Championships, grabbed figures of two for 18.
Despite a brief rain stoppage, the Windies made light work of the target, getting to 69 for two in the 14th over. Opening batter Asabi Callender made 20 off 35 balls, with Cumberbatch hitting an unbeaten 26 off 27 balls to guide her team over the line. Cumberbatch shared in a 26-run stand for the second wicket with Callender, before icing the game with an unbeaten 27-run partnership with Brianna Harricharan (seven nout out).
Off-spinner Aditi Chudasama grabbed four wickets in the first game, and she was the lone wicket-taker for the guests in the second match – grabbing the scalps of Callender and Windies captain Samara Ramnath (nine).
With play being threatened by another shower, the right-handed Cumberbatch hastily wrapped up proceedings with a pair of thumping blows off Chudasama to see the West Indies comfortably over the line with 39 balls to spare.
The third T20 will be played in St Augustine from 10 am on July 24.
Summarised scores:
USA under-19 women: 65 from 18.1 overs (Sasha Vallabhaneni 22, Anika Kolan 10; Selena Ross 2/8, Kenika Cassar 2/17, Trisha Hardat 2/18) vs West Indies under-19 women: 69/2 from 13.3 overs (Naijanni Cumberbatch 26 not out, Asabi Callender 20; Aditi Chudasama 2/19). West Indies won by 8 wickets.
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