Natasha McLean, Stafanie Taylor help West Indies women go 1-0 up

A three-wicket haul from captain Stafanie Taylor helped West Indies defend 124 at Kensington Oval and take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series against a South Africa side featuring four debutants.

It was a mixed day for the new faces. Robyn Searle (14 off 30 balls) and Faye Tunnicliffe (14 off 29) struggled to force the pace during the chase. This, along with the regular loss of wickets, hampered South Africa, for whom only Chloe Tryon (23 off 16) and Marizanne Kapp (30 off 22) passed 20. Taylor was both incisive and frugal with her offspin, finishing with figures of 3 for 16 from her four overs.

The other two South Africa debutants had a decent outing, with the seamer Tumi Sekhukhune (4-0-12-1) and the offspinner Saarah Smith (3-0-17-2) doing their bit to keep West Indies to a manageable total. Aside from Natasha McLean (38 off 41) and Deandra Dottin (22 off 19), no one in the top six got into double figures, and at the 17-over mark West Indies were 98 for 6, their run rate below six an over. Then came a brief but vital partnership, with Merissa Aguilleira and Kycia Knight adding an unbroken 26 for the seventh wicket in 18 balls.