Matthews, Fletcher break Bangladesh hearts

This is officially the World Cup of thrillers. In the latest instalment, Bangladesh came within touching distance of a famous second win, only for their hearts to be crushed by Afy Fletcher and Hayley Matthews, who ripped through the batting line-up to take seven wickets. Then with five runs needed off four deliveries, Stafanie Taylor hammered the final blow as she dismissed No. 11 Fariha Trisna. At the other end, Nahida Akter, who backed herself to take the game deep and pull off a late heist, could barely hold back her emotions.

West Indies had stumbled and stuttered their way to 140 for 9 after being put in. That they got there was mainly due to Shemaine Campbelle's half-century, which gave their bowlers an opening. And they managed to carve out a thrilling win. At one stage, Bangladesh were comfortably placed at 60 for 2 in 21 overs , with their target just 81 away.

But into her sixth over, Fletcher , the legspinner, created a flutter by picking up three quick wickets in the space of seven balls to stun Bangladesh's middle order. Matthews then more than made up for her sedate returns with the bat, returning her ODI best of 4 for 15 with the ball. That was enough for West Indies to make up for their second batting failure in two games. The win placed West Indies at the third spot in the points table.

Needing ten off the final two overs, Deandra Dottin delivered the perfect penultimate over replete with slower balls to give just two runs away. Taylor had seven in the bank to defend. She gave away three before Trisna, who Akter didn't seem to trust for much of the final few overs, played on attempting a cross-batted swipe. That she was on strike was only because Akter wouldn't have managed to pick the two runs off the previous delivery as she would've planned when she slapped a short ball into the deep cover region.

It was Matthews who started Bangladesh's slide. In the first over, she trapped Shamima Sultana lbw. The other opener, Sharmin Akhter hit three fours before she tamely gave catching practice to the slips as Matthews had her second wicket. The experienced Fargana Hoque and Nigar Sultana, who had stitched a record partnership for Bangladesh in World Cups against Pakistan, got together to keep West Indies at bay for close to 13 overs.

They added 30 off 76 balls for the third wicket, in a bid to give the side a strong base for the chase. However, an attempted adventurous slog by Hoque off Fletcher gave West Indies the desired opening. The legspinner, who is one of the eight mothers in the competition, mock-dialled her seven-month old baby to register one of the sweet moments of the game. Fletcher then had Rumana Ahmed fall to her legspin before leaving Ritu Moni clueless with a googly to have Bangladesh reeling at 60 for 5.

Salma Khatun then walked out with an intent to score, hitting a four off Fletcher off the sixth ball she faced. She added 25 in nine overs with Nigar Sultana, who was happy to see Fletcher off. However, Matthews' return dented Bangladesh further, as she accounted for Nigar Sultana and Fahima Khatun in the three balls. Salma kept Bangladesh's hopes with her 23-run knock but Taylor ended her stay with Bangladesh needing 31. Akter then tried to narrow the gap, but it proved to just be a bridge too far. She was unbeaten on 25 in the end.

Bangladesh wouldn't have had a target in excess of hundred, had it not been for Campbelle's unbeaten 53. Though she struggled to get off strike for a large part of her innings - she faced 72 dots out of the 107 she played - she hung on and added 68 for the last two wickets with Fletcher and Karishma Ramharack.

On a dry pitch in sunny conditions, West Indies got their choice of batting first despite not winning the toss. But Bangladesh spinners, led Akter and Salma picked up four big wickets between them to restrict West Indies.

Dottin and Matthews were steady before falling as caution seemed to be West Indies' second line of defence. What then followed against spin was something they wouldn't have foreseen. Matthews mistimed a half-tracker from Akter to midwicket and Taylor was bowled behind her legs in the left-arm spinner's next over. Salma then had Williams, who had come in for Kycia Knight, caught at cover to have West Indies at 48 for 4 in the 16th over.

Campbelle and Chedean Nation only asserted the West Indies' mindset when they played out close to 13 overs together for just 12 runs. It concluded with Nation horribly misjudging a run to be short of the direct hit at the striker's end. It then took Campbelle her second half-century in this World Cup to help West Indies get to a total that was eventually enough.