Confident New Zealand women target series win

WELLINGTON: Clean-sweep in the ODI series followed by a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I rubber.

Now, it turns out to be the impressive report card of New Zealand women’s team against the struggling Caribbean side. The Suzie Bates-led side will look continue their winning run and seal the T20I series when they take on the embattled Windies set-up in the third match in New Plymouth on Tuesday. Just like the ODI rubber, New Zealand have mostly dominated the proceedings in the shortest format of the game. They thumped the visitors in the second game with a clinical 106-run victory. The first match turned out to be a closely-fought one before the tourists went down by just eight runs.

Katey Martin, who before the start of the series had struggled to make an impact in the shortest format, has led the way with 117 runs and two fifties. Amy Satterthwaite, who essayed her highest individual score in T20Is in the second game, has also been among the runs. Meanwhile, Sophie Devine, the aggressive all-rounder, has been the chief wicket-taker for them, snaring five scalps. Leigh Kasperek, known for imparting considerable revolutions on the ball, has also been among the wickets with five scalps. Incidentally, the off-spinner bowled the penultimate over in the first game and picked up a couple of crucial wickets.

On the other hand, the Windies camp would be worried after their batting efforts. Just like the ODI series, most of the batters have struggled to make their presence felt. The point can be capsulised by the fact that only Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews have essayed a fifty each. Even in the ODI rubber, Taylor had to mostly carry the burden of West Indies’ batting. On the bowling side, Windies have not been able to stem the run-flow is capsulised by the point that their opponents have compiled 167 for 6 and 185 for 3 in the two games played so far. Deandra Dottin, the experienced all rounder, and Shamilia Connell, the quickest bowler in the side, have been the only two bowlers to pick up more than a wicket. The Windies need to lift themselves in all three departments of the game to stay alive in the series.

Squads: New Zealand (probables): Suzie Bates (c), Katey Martin, Sophie Devine, Natalie Dodd, Maddy Green, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Anna Peterson, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Kate Heffernan

Windies (probables): Stafanie Taylor(c), Anisa Mohammed, Merissa Aguilleira, Britney Cooper, Reniece Boyce, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Akeira Peters, Tremayne Smartt.