St. John’s Antigua – The members of the West Indies Women Team have come in for praise for their good showing on the ongoing tour of India. Despite not winning the five-match One-Day Series, the Windies girls played some excellent cricket against their more experience opponents in foreign conditions. President of the West Indies Cricket Board, Dr Julian Hunte, commended the players for their effort and commitment.
"Our girls continue to make us proud. It was the first time playing in India for all members of the team and they adapted well to the conditions and played with great heart. The fact that they took on the much more experienced Indian team and took them to the wire again showed that the West Indies Women are making strides forward and improving with every match," Dr Hunte said. "Many people did not give them a chance before the start of the tour, but again they proved they have the tenacity, drive, skill and belief to take on the best teams in the world."
India won the Series 3-2. The Windies won the first match by nine wickets and the third match by three wickets. India won both the second and fourth matches by just 10 runs and the series-decider by 57 runs on Wednesday.
During the Series West Indies opener Stafanie Taylor made the most runs and took the most wickets as well. Off-spinner Anisa Mohammed took the second most wickets. The 19-year-old Taylor jumped to Number 2 in the ICC ODI batting rankings, she claimed second spot among the allrounders, and moved to Number 10 among the bowlers. Mohammed, the 22-year-old Vice Captain, climbed 11 places to now occupy 12th place in the bowling rankings.
Dr Hunte added: "I want to congratulate the players for their outstanding individual performances and it is great to see our girls making strides up the ICC rankings. Taylor and Mohammed have again demonstrated that they are team leaders and team players and they are reaping the rewards of their hard work. These are signs that the players are maturing and growing in stature and making their mark on the international stage. I urge everyone to continue to give of their best and play hard and fair in the upcoming T20 International Series."
The two teams travelled to Ahmedabad on Thursday where they will contest three Twenty20 Internationals on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.