Taylor steers Storm to eight-wicket win

International captains Stafanie Taylor and Heather Knight moved Western Storm a significant step closer to Finals' Day in the Kia Super League at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton. Chasing 138 to win, the pair added 65 for the second wicket as the Storm won by eight wickets with 13 balls to spare.

West Indies allrounder Taylor was once again the player of the match, with an unbeaten 78 off 51 balls. It is now three wins in four matches for these two sides, who qualified for the inaugural Finals Day on August 21 after Lancashire Thunder's defeat to Yorkshire Diamonds later in the day.

Batting first, the Vipers, who came into the game on the back of three successive victories, made a decent start courtesy of former England captain Charlotte Edwards and New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates. Each was dropped, on on 7 and 8 respectively, but they took advantage of some slipshod fielding from a Storm side led by England captain Knight.

The pair reached 50 in the ninth over and carried on regardless as the Storm struggled to find an answer. It took Bates almost 10 overs to hit her first four, but when she did, off the bowling of Jodie Dibble, she struck two in as many balls.

Edwards, who had ridden her luck, eventually picked out Anya Shrubshole, off the bowling of Knight, for 30, at 73 for 1, and though Bates continued to attack, the wicket certainly put a check on the Vipers' progress. However, once Kiwi Sara McGlashan settled, the visitors added 37 for the second wicket, in exactly five overs.

Bates struck a six over midwicket, having brought up her half-century with a sixth boundary four, and the pair took the total to 110 in the 16th over when Bates was trapped lbw by Knight, for 57 off 50 balls. McGlashan fell to Georgia Hennessey's medium pace at 126 for 3, thanks to a decent catch by Dibble at long leg, and one or two lusty blows later, the Vipers wound up their innings on 137 for 3.

The Storm lost opener Rachel Priest, caught by Bates off the bowling of Tash Farrant for 0, at 10 for 1, but in Taylor and Knight, had two international players capable of winning any game.

Taylor had done exactly that against Surrey Stars in Bristol earlier in the week, and the West Indies captain looked in decent touch again. Quick to punish anything short or full, the pair reached their 50 partnership in the 10th over with Taylor hitting Fi Morris for successive straight boundaries before being dropped at cover by Arran Brindle on 41.

Knight chipped Morris to Edwards at midwicket at 75 for 2, off the final ball of the 12th over, but with Taylor passing 50 off 36 balls and still going strong, the game was always within the Storm's grasp.

Taylor and Fran Wilson pulled out every shot in the book in an attempt to stay up with the rate and won the day off the penultimate ball of the 18th over with Taylor unbeaten on 78 and Wilson 24 not out.