Connell's opening burst subdues Pakistan Women in series opener

Nida Dar took 2 for 15, and during the process became the first Pakistan cricketer (male or female) to 100 T20I wickets, but Shamilia Connell's 3 for 21 proved more decisive as West Indies Women clinched the T20I series opener on Wednesday.

Connell bowled three of Pakistan Women's top four within three overs to set up the hosts' successful defence of 136 in North Sound. Hayley Matthews and Aaliyah Alleyne made further inroads to reduce Pakistan to 57 for 6 in the 13th over. Ayesha Naseem and Fatima Sana produced a late assault, adding an unbroken 69 for the seventh wicket at a run rate over nine, but it was not enough for the tourists to topple West Indies. Naseem hit 45 off 33 balls while Sana made 24 off 21 balls.

Mathews had also contributed with the bat, scoring 32 in a 65-run opening partnership with Deandra Dottin. Although both Dottin and captain Stafanie Taylor fell to Dar, cameos from the returning Knight sisters and Chedean Nation hauled West Indies closer to 140. Sana, too, picked up two wickets and later struck three fours, but her all-round effort ended in vain for Pakistan.

Connell won the Player-of-the-Match award for his second successive three-wicket haul.

"It feels great," she told the CWI media. "Coming off the last game I played in England I was Man of the Match also, so being able to start back my international series with a man of the match is a great feeling as well. My game plan was to just go out there and execute my areas hard and just try to contain as much as possible."

Notably, this was West Indies Women's first T20I victory after seven completed matches and first at home since the 2018 T20 World Cup. It also meant that Courtney Walsh won his first T20I in charge of the side.