West Indies target Bangladesh scalp at CWC22
- Match 16: Bangladesh Women v West Indies Women
- Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
- Friday 18 March, 11:00 Local Time
Stafanie Taylor’s side produced stunning wins over England and New Zealand at the start of their campaign to give them a good chance of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.
But heavy losses to India and Australia have raised the prospect of a poor net run-rate potentially denying the Caribbean side a spot in the final four.
Three wins from their last three games would see the West Indies into the semis, while two wins may well be enough, and all-rounder Hayley Matthews says the squad aren’t feeling the pressure ahead of a game against Bangladesh that they would have targeted as a must-win prior to the start of the tournament.
“I don't think there is too much pressure,” Matthews said. “Coming into this tournament we knew our first four games were probably going to be our four hardest.
"I think we kind of said to ourselves, if we could get at least two or three wins over those first four games we will be in a really strong position and we've done exactly that,” Matthews continued.
“I think looking at the rest of the games, these are games that we should expect to win. It is still in our hands, if we go there and win all three of our games we will be qualifying for the semi-finals.
“So I don't think there's much pressure at the moment, we know that we have the kind of team once we go there and we play our best cricket we’ll get the wins. So yeah, no pressure, just a matter of going out there each and every day and taking it one game at a time, and just performing as best as we can.”
But beating Bangladesh at the Bay Oval will be no easy task, with the Tigers ranked a spot higher than the West Indies in the ICC ODI Rankings and likely to be on a high after recording their first ever Cricket World Cup win last time out with victory over Pakistan.
“We are looking forward to carrying this momentum throughout the tournament,” an elated Nigar Sultana said after that game.
“Winning gives us the confidence and this is the momentum we always wanted, we have a good side and already improving, we know that we are a very capable team.”
A win for Bangladesh would keep them in the hunt to pull off an unexpected qualification for the semi-final places, and the outcome of this match in Mount Maunganui may go a long way to determining the eventual make-up of the four qualifiers for the World Cup semi-finals.
THE TEAMS
Bangladesh Squad: Nigar Sultana (c), Salma Khatun, Rumana Ahmed, Fargana Hoque, Jahanara Alam, Shamima Sultana, Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni, Murshida Khatun, Nahida Akter, Sharmin Akhter, Lata Mondal, Sobhana Mostary, Fariha Trisna, Suraiya Azmin, Sanjida Akter Meghla
West Indies Squad: Stafanie Taylor (c), Anisa Mohammed (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Rashada William. Travelling Reserves: Kaysia Schultz, Mandy Mangru, Jannillea Glasgow
CWC22 DREAM11 FANTASY WATCH
Captaincy Pick – Deandra Dottin
One of the stars of the tournament so far, West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin has produced a number of memorable moments with bat, ball and in the field. But the biggest weapon in Dottin’s armoury is her power-hitting at the top of the order, and the explosive batter has yet to really unleash in the tournament. A 62 against India and a 31 against England showed her destructive potential, but there’s a sense that the 30-year-old is on the cusp of a tournament-defining knock.
Must have – Hayley Matthews
The West Indies all-rounder was in outstanding form in her team’s win over New Zealand on the opening day of the tournament. Her brilliant 119 at the top of the order showed the kind of touch that suggests she could have a big World Cup going forward, and she chipped in with ten overs and two handy wickets too.
KEY PLAYERS
Nigar Sultana - Much is expected of the Bangladesh captain with the bat and behind the stumps and it will come as no surprise to see the 24-year-old be a breakout star of this tournament. Sultana has already scored an international century in 50-over cricket and has shown the ability to compete well with the best attacks in the world on previous occasions.
Stafanie Taylor - The West Indies all-rounder is a proven match-winner on her day and is always the wicket that opposition teams want most. Taylor is just as adept with her slow off-spin and is definitely one to keep an eye on.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
All eight teams at the tournament will play each other across seven rounds in a league format.
The top four teams in the standings after the conclusion of the Group Stage will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be held in the final week of March.
THE VENUE
This is the last of seven matches that have been held at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui over the course of the tournament.
The 10,000-seater stadium has hosted international fixtures since 2014, nine years after it was officially opened in Blake Park, and has seen plenty of action during the group stage of the 2022 Cricket World Cup.
LATER FIXTURES
Bangladesh’s remaining tournament fixtures:
18 March v West Indies
22 March v India
25 March v Australia
27 March v England
West Indies’ remaining tournament fixtures:
18 March v Bangladesh
21 March v Pakistan
24 March v South Africa
