Ireland achieved a historic victory in the Women’s T20 World Cup by defeating the West Indies by six wickets with 11 balls remaining. This win on Saturday marked Ireland‘s first-ever triumph in the tournament, ending a 0-21 losing streak that spanned five tournaments over 12 years. The outcome has significant implications for the West Indies‘ semi-final hopes, as their loss provided a lifeline to defending champions New Zealand.

The West Indies would have secured a semi-final spot with a win, but instead, their defeat means New Zealand could progress if they overcome England. If England, who are already semi-final bound, win their match, the West Indies would then advance. For Ireland, the victory means they return home free from the burden of their prolonged losing streak. This historic weekend also saw the Irish men’s team defeat India for the first time in a T20 match in Belfast.

Prendergast leads the chase

Orla Prendergast was instrumental in Ireland‘s chase, scoring 63 runs off 44 balls. Her performance helped limit the West Indies to a total of 7-128. Prendergast joined opener Amy Hunter in the fifth over, and the pair built a 62-run partnership, with Hunter consistently feeding Prendergast the strike. Prendergast reached her second fifty of the tournament off 36 balls. She was initially given out on 56 but successfully overturned the decision on review.

Although Prendergast was eventually caught at deep square leg in the 16th over, she had already done enough to set up the historic win. Rebecca Stokell and Louise Little then finished the chase, with Little hitting the winning boundary over mid-on to secure the victory at 129-4. Speaking after the match, Prendergast expressed her relief and happiness, stating, “(Winning) just means so much. We have had the belief throughout but it had not come together just yet. Just so much relief to have that win and so much happiness.”

West Indies’ struggles and other results

The West Indies faced difficulties on a challenging pitch, particularly against Irish bowlers Cara Murray and Aimee Maguire. Captain Hayley Matthews contributed 22 runs, and Deandra Dottin added 21. Chinelle Henry provided a quickfire unbeaten 27 runs towards the end of their innings. Despite some misfields by the Irish team that resulted in at least three boundaries for the West Indies, the Irish bowlers maintained pressure.

In another match between winless teams, Pakistan defeated the Netherlands by 37 runs. The Netherlands, making their debut, had aimed for a win in this match and managed to restrict Pakistan to 126-6. Opener Gull Feroza played a crucial role for Pakistan, carrying her bat to her first T20 World Cup fifty with an unbeaten 63 runs off 52 balls, including nine boundaries. She was dropped on 10 and capitalized on the opportunity. Feroza and Ayesha Zafar, who scored 32, put together a 79-run stand.

For the Dutch, Iris Zwilling took 2-19, Heather Siegers 1-28, and Hannah Landheer 1-19. However, Pakistan‘s bowling attack proved more effective, dismissing the Netherlands for 89 runs in 18 overs. Heather Siegers provided a strong start to the Dutch chase, but Nashra Sandhu, Tuba Hassan, and Zafar applied pressure after the powerplay. Zafar achieved a T20 career-best of 3-13. With the result secured, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana claimed three wickets, all bowled, in the 18th and final over, including the wicket of Dutch top-scorer and captain Babette de Leede, who made 30 runs.

Source: cricket.com.au

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