Day 15 Talking Points: Bangladesh have West Indies in a spin but Campbelle and Matthews lead a stirring comeback
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui - Match 17
The West Indies were away to a steady start as openers Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews pushed the score to 29/0 in the ninth over.
But after Jahanara Alam dismissed the dangerous Dottin the Bangladesh spinners restricted the flow of runs and skittled half of the West Indies batting line-up.
Nahida Akter swung the momentum with her first ball of the match, dismissing the in-form Matthews with the help of a brilliant catch by Nigar Sultana. The 22-year-old left-arm spinner finished with 2/23 off 10 overs that included 46 dot balls.
Fellow off-spinner Salma Khatun had identical figures of 2/23 from her 10 overs, while leg-spinners Fahima Khatun (0/19) and Rumana Ahmed (1/11) went for only 30 runs off their combined 14 overs in a superb display from the Bangladesh bowlers.
The West Indies wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle arrived at the crease with her team in trouble at 48/3 then had to watch on as the middle-order collapsed to 70/7.
Campbelle showed the way back by prioritising her own wicket over scoring quickly as the West Indies went at only a run an over through overs 15 to 35.
The patient approach worked for the West Indies as they batted through their 50 overs and posted a respectable total of 140, with Campbelle getting going late in her innings to finish with 53* off 107 balls and her second half-century of CWC22.
West Indies’ opener Hayley Matthews had been having plenty of influence on CWC22 with the bat and now has the fourth-most runs in the tournament with 225.
But the 23-year-old has also been steadily contributing with the ball and claimed six wickets in four matches before facing Bangladesh.
After the Bangladesh spinners triggered a mini-collapse and restricted the runs in the West Indies’ innings, the off-spinning Matthews was given the new ball from the first over of the second innings and struck with just her fifth ball.
Matthews went on to deliver an inspired spell and finished with career-best figures of 4/15 off her 10 overs to lead the West Indies to what had seemed at times throughout the match like an unlikely victory.
The star all-rounder is now the equal leading wicket-taker in the tournament and will be a key player as the West Indies continue their push for a top-four finish.