Dependable middle order batter Stafanie Taylor says West Indies women batted sensibly to recover from a tentative start to beat Sri Lanka Women by 18 runs under Duckworth/Lewis, in the third One-Day International of the four-match series on Monday.

Taylor hit the top score of 86 not out and Deandra Dottin supported with 69 not out to set up the win in the rain-affected match in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo.

Taylor said she was happy to play a leading role in the victory.

“I am very pleased. Dottin did extremely well also. Both of us stayed at the wicket and, stick it out and the Sri Lankans they have been playing some good cricket and we know that we have to put a big target on the board in order to defend that,” said Taylor.

“We thought we batted sensibly and that is what we needed. We needed a big partnership and we knew that the partnership we needed was between both of us.”

Taylor and Dottin shared 151 unbroken for the fourth wicket, as the visitors reached 215 for three from their allocation of 50 overs on a slow Premadasa Stadium pitch.

Spin bowlers Afy Fletcher and Anisa Mohammed then grabbed two wickets apiece, as the Sri Lankan Women were restricted to 170 for eight in 40.2 overs following a rain delay in the middle of their innings.

Taylor said she was highly satisfied with her innings due to the challenging condition of the pitch.

“The conditions …I don’t feel we have adjusted as yet. Sometimes we don’t know how it will be,” said the West Indies women vice-captain.

“It’s totally different from the Caribbean, the pitches are slow and the Sri Lankans are even slower so we have a lot to adopt to and we pretty much like the ball coming on and they have, spinners so we really have to work through that”.

The victory handed West Indies a 2-1 lead in the four-match series, and also gave them their first ICC Championship points of the campaign.

“We knew it was very important. We knew that we had to play catch up and no team like to play catch up”.

The result also meant that the Windies Women drew level 1-1 in the second match of three between the two sides in the ICC Women’s Championship, after the Sri Lankans drew first blood last Friday with a six-wicket victory.

Both teams have played eight matches in the Championship—the Windies Women currently have eight points—three more than the Sri Lankans.
(Trinidad and Tobago Guardian)