Taylor, Dottin bat Sri Lanka out of match

A flamboyant knock of 171 from opener Stafanie Taylor helped West Indies Women crush Sri Lanka Women by 209 runs in a Group A match at the MIG Ground in Mumbai. Taylor’s hundred and a powerful, 20-ball 50 from Deandra Dottin took West Indies to 368 for 8, their highest ODI score. In reply, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 159 runs with ten overs to spare, giving the West Indies their first win of the tournament.

Taylor, who was named the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2012 and the Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2011, also broke her own record for the highest individual score by a West Indian batsman in women’s cricket, surpassing her innings of 147 against Netherlands in 2010.

West Indies got off to a flying start after Sri Lanka chose to field. Kycia Knight and Taylor scored 19 runs in the first two overs, helped partly by some wayward bowling from Sri Lanka. Medium-pacer Sripali Weerakkody conceded 25 runs in her first three overs. Taylor's partnership of 110 runs with the other Knight sister, Kyshona, steadied the West Indies innings. Taylor toyed with the Sri Lankan attack, scoring a flurry of fours and sixes before she brought up her fourth ODI hundred off 97 balls. It was a run-out which broke the partnership as Kyshona was dismissed for 44 by a direct hit from Deepika Ranasangika.The run-out didn’t fluster Taylor, who dispatched the next two deliveries for fours.

New batsman Deandra Dottin lived up to her reputation of a hard-hitting batsman coming into this World Cup, clobbering a huge six over long-on, off her first ball. Kaushalya was struck for 16 runs in that over.

Sri Lanka were sloppy, missing two run-out chances of Taylor in the 38th over, even as the overthrows and wides they bowled cost them 14 runs.  Needing more than seven runs an over, the Sri Lankan innings quickly fell into disarray. The opening partnership lasted just 25 balls and with the West Indies bowlers holding a steady line outside the off stump, the pressure kept mounting.