Chinelle Henry starred with an unbeaten 33 and bowling figures of 2/13 as West Indies cruised to a 25-run victory over Pakistan in the second match of the Ireland-hosted T20I tri-series at Castle Avenue in Dublin on Friday.
Set to chase a daunting 200-run target, the Green Shirts could accumulate 174/8 in their 20 overs and thus suffered in their opening match of the series.
Pakistan got off to a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost three wickets inside four overs with just 28 runs on the board.
Following the early stutter, Saira Jabeen attempted to counterattack with a 19-ball 30 but fell victim to Ashmini Munisar on the final delivery of the batting powerplay after sharing a one-sided 24-run partnership with Rameen Shamim.
Shamim then joined forces with fellow middle-order batter Iram Javed as they raised 32 runs for the fourth wicket before both got run out in quick succession.
With the scoreboard reading 112/6 in 13.5 overs, experienced all-rounder Aliya Riaz was joined by captain Fatima Sana in the middle, and the duo knitted a resilient 27-run partnership until the former was dismissed by Jahzara Claxton in the 17th over.
Aliya remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with a 28-ball 37, laced with eight boundaries.
Fatima, on the other hand, eventually perished on the second delivery of the final over and walked back after scoring a spirited 27 off 14 deliveries with the help of two sixes and as many fours when Pakistan needed 30 from four balls.
Shawnisha Hector gave away just four runs off the remaining four deliveries as West Indies comfortably defended the 200-run target and thus registered their second consecutive victory in the T20I tri-series, which consolidated their top spot in the standings.
For the West Indies, Hector and Henry picked up two wickets each, while Claxton and Munisar chipped in with one scalp apiece.
Pakistan, on the other hand, next face hosts Ireland in their second fixture of the tri-series, scheduled to be played at the same venue on Sunday.
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews’s decision to bat first proved beneficial as the former champions piled up 199/6 in their 20 overs despite none of their batters scoring a half-century.
The Caribbean side got off to a blazing start to their innings, courtesy of their captain Matthews’s quickfire 40 off just 20 deliveries, who was eventually dismissed by Diana Baig on the final delivery of the fifth over with 57 runs on the board.
Following her dismissal, West Indies lost two more wickets in quick succession as Nashra Sandhu and Rameen Shamim removed Deandra Dottin (17) and Qiana Joseph (four) in successive overs, and consequently slipped to 66/3.
After the brief top-order collapse, experienced Stafanie Taylor took the attack back to the Pakistan bowlers with a blistering 39 off just 23 deliveries, comprising four fours and two sixes.
Taylor also shared an important 44-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Jahzara Claxton, which culminated with the former’s dismissal in the 13th over. Claxton, on the other hand, followed suit in the next over, resulting in the West Indies slipping to 122/5.
But the back-to-back dismissals did not bother West Indies as Jannillea Glasgow and Chinelle Henry ensured retaining the scoring momentum in their favour with a 61-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Glasgow, who was the core aggressor of the crucial stand, had an agonising end to her brilliant knock as she got run out after scoring 42 off 25 deliveries, studded with seven fours.
Henry, on the other hand, remained unbeaten with a 17-ball 33, which featured four fours and a six.
For Pakistan, Sandhu and Shamim bagged two wickets each, while Diana Baig could pick up one for 58 runs in her four overs.
