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West Indies 143 for 2 (Taylor 64*, Claxton 38, Mutasa 1-19) beat Zimbabwe 142 for 6 (Ndhlovu 63, Mutasa 24*, Taylor 2-8, Claxton 2-35) by eight wickets
Electing to bat, Zimbabwe posted 142 for 6 with opener Kelis Ndhlovu scoring her fifth half-century in T20Is. She scored 63 off just 48 balls with six fours and three sixes. Zimbabwe made 40 for 1 in the powerplay before Taylor came into the attack. She struck with her second ball to have Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano stumped for her 100th T20I wicket before returning later to trap Chiedza Dhururu lbw.
Despite the brief stutter in the middle overs, Zimbabwe could post a fighting total after they took 41 for 1 in the last four overs. Ndhlovu and Christine Mutasa added 40 off just 27 balls for the fifth to give the hosts a boost. Taylor’s 2 for 8 from four overs and Jahzara Claxton’s 2 for 35 meant Zimbabwe couldn’t run away with the bat.
Claxton then led West Indies’ strong response with the bat. She made 38 off 37 but, importantly, was involved in a 71-run second-wicket stand with Taylor to ensure the tourists faced no hiccups in a comfortable chase.
Taylor finished 64 not out from 39 balls, hitting 11 fours, and saw West Indies through with 18 balls and eight wickets to spare. The major difference between the teams was the middle overs (7 to 16), where Zimbabwe made only 61 for 3 while West Indies scored 85 for the loss of Claxton, who was bowled by Beloved Biza.
