Kuala Lumpur, Jan 23
Captain Samara Ramnath picked a four-wicket haul as West Indies secured their Super Six spot in the 2025 ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup with a convincing 53-run victory against hosts Malaysia at the Bayuemas Oval on Thursday.
In a must-win match for the West Indies, they were asked to bat first. But they did not have a smooth ride as runs were very hard to come by in the early stages of the game. By the time they reached the ten-over mark, West Indies were 37/1, with Nur Dania Syuhada, Suabika and Marsya bowling accurately and were backed up well in the field by their teammates.
Opener Asabi Callendar was the first to find fluency and struck four fours in a crucial innings of 30, before being dismissed by a beautiful ball from Nur Izzatul Syafiqa. Jahzara Claxton smashed a quick 19 to raise her side to 112/7, as the West Indies also benefitted from Malaysia conceding 27 runs in extras.
In the chase, despite offering stubborn resistance in the start, Malaysia were 38/3, before losing their remaining seven wickets for nine runs. Skipper Samara wreaked havoc by taking four wickets while conceding just six runs, and was backed up well by Erin Deane (2-7) and Naijanni Cumberbatch (2-14).
West Indies, now at third place in Group A, will see who between India and Sri Lanka finishes on top of the group when they face-off in the final group stage game of the tournament. They will play their Super Six game against Australia on Saturday, while Malaysia will now prepare to play Nepal in the playoff match on Friday.
Brief scores: West Indies 112/7 in 20 overs (Asabi Callender 30, Jahzara Claxton 19; Nur Izzatul Syafiqa 2-26, Nazwah 2-28) beat Malaysia 59/10 in 18 overs (Nur Dania Syuhada 12, Husna 8; Samara Ramnath 4-6, Erin Deane 2-7) by 53 runs.
- IANS