West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor in action batting against New Zealand in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2009 Group A match.
Action Images / Paul Harding, file
The West Indies Women need a stronger bowling performance to bounce back against Australia in the ongoing ODI series.
Australia dominated the opening match at Warner Park on Friday, securing a convincing 103-run victory to take a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Their batting lineup proved too powerful, with six of the first seven batters all scoring above 40. This collective effort powered the visitors to an imposing total of 341, putting the West Indies under immediate pressure.
In response, the West Indies struggled to build sustained partnerships despite a standout performance from Stafanie Taylor. The experienced all-rounder scored an unbeaten 105 — her eighth Women’s ODI century — and also contributed with the ball, taking two wickets with her off-spin. However, she received little support from the rest of the batting order, with no other player reaching 40, as the team finished on 238 for eight in their 50 overs.
After the match, Taylor said the bowling must be more disciplined and accurate to level the series against the world’s top-ranked ODI side.
“With Australia batting first, they are going to come hard at us. I think we need to bowl well, and I think that’s going to be the key.
“Their batters are in good form, hustle between wickets, and push us. We must deliver with the ball,” Taylor said.
“…We’ve won a few games against them and especially at home, so hopefully if we can get a few wins here at home, it would be really nice.
Despite the result, Taylor admitted that it felt good to finally score a century against Australia.
She said that while a win would have made it even more special, it still felt good to spend time at the crease.
“I literally said to myself, ‘ long overdue.’ I think against Australia, I’ve gotten close to making a 100 but never really crossed the line, so it was nice to spend some time at the wicket.
“We didn’t get the win that we wanted. I’m a bit disappointed in that. I wish we had someone in the middle to boost the middle with me batting through, but nevertheless, a 100 is a great feeling,” Taylor said.
