Daley delighted with career-best figures

Shanel Daley was delighted after winning the Player of the Match Award for the West Indies against Pakistan.

 Daley took career best figures of 4-29 as the West Indies recorded a dramatic three-wicket win over Pakistan in the 5th/6th Play-Off.

“I surprised myself how well I bowled today as I didn’t start that well, but it developed into something good,” said Daley, the daughter of former Jamaican player Aaron Daley.

Although she had hoped that the West Indies would improve on its ranking of five in the world, she was still proud of her side’s efforts.

“I am very proud of the team and our performance. I don’t think we had a great tournament, as I think we could have done better, but that is how it goes,” said Daley.

“I am happy that we maintained our faith, as we haven’t been on the international scene for a while, so I am proud how we came back.”

Daley admitted she has greatly enjoyed her World Cup experience and is keen to gain more experience in Australia to further her cricket education.

“I love Australia and I am hoping to come back next summer to play some club cricket. It has been an amazing experience and I wouldn’t give it up for anything,” she said.

ICC Women's World Cup 2009  News- Saturday, March 21, 2009 4:03:02 AM

New Zealand upsets defending champion as West Indies takes giant step forward by defeating South Africa

Kate Pulford and Stafanie Taylor win player-of-the-match awards

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat joins teams, spectators and officials at NSO to observe a minute’s silence out of respect for those people killed or injured during Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Lahore

Photos from the NSO match available through Getty Images; images from Newcastle match available free of charge from the ICC FTP site

 
New Zealand overcame batting hiccups to upset defending champion Australia in a crucial ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 match in front of ESPN STAR Sports’ live TV cameras and 1,350 spectators at the picturesque North Sydney Oval on Sunday.

New Zealand, put into bat, was bowled out for 205 in 48 overs after being 171-3 in 40 overs with a batting PowerPlay in hand. The Kiwis then fought back gallantly to restrict Australia to 132-6 before the match was abandoned due to bad light and light showers to win the match by 13 runs, according to the Duckworth-Lewis method.

The victory has enhanced New Zealand’s chances of topping Group A with matches still to come against the West Indies and South Africa. As favourite to win both those games, it may well take four carry-over points in the Super Six stage which will boost its chances of making the 22 March final.

In another match, at Newcastle, the West Indies defeated South Africa by two wickets with eight balls to spare in a hard-fought match. With this victory, West Indies has all but sealed a place in the Super Six stage as both the teams will have matches against Australia and New Zealand. By contrast, South Africa, if it finishes at the bottom of the table from Group A, will be left to play in the seventh/eighth-place play-off against the bottom-placed team from Group B on 14 March.

Seventeen-year-old Stafanie Taylor was the star for the West Indies when she recorded impressive figures of 8.2-2-17-4 as South Africa, which elected to bat first after winning the toss, was bowled out for 116 in 45.2 overs after losing its last seven wickets for 22 runs.

Only opener Alicia Smith offered any significant resistance while scoring 46 that came off 109 balls and included four fours. She was the fourth batter out at the score of 94 in the 38th over.

The West Indies, in its turn at the wicket, made hard work of that target before achieving victory with two wickets and eight balls to spare.

The West Indies made a shaky start when it lost both the openers at the score of 16 but recovered through a 45-run third-wicket stand between Shanel Daley (26) and Stacy-Ann King (13). However, Afy Fletcher (nine off 70 balls) and Cordel Jack (19 runs off 52 balls) batted slowly and almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira was relieved and happy with the victory. “We are very happy and all the girls worked hard for this. We knew what we had to do and we came out and did it.

“We knew we could take our time (getting the runs), the girls didn't rush anything. Even though it took a long time at the end of the day we came away with the win.”

Player-of-the-match Stafanie Taylor said: “Yeah, I'm very pleased with my performance and happy with the win. We were very confident (in reaching the target), but while chasing small totals anything could happen.

“It was a pretty good wicket for batting, we would have liked to bat first but we came away with the win. There was a bit in it (the pitch) for the pace bowlers, the spinners didn't get much turn - I didn't get as much turn as I would have liked."

South Africa captain Sunette Loubser was disappointed with her team’s batting display. She said: “A little bit (disappointed) is not the word for it at the moment. We made a meal of the batting today. I think the bowlers did really well to almost defend that score. Our batting disappointed us a lot as we lost six wickets for 22 runs right at the end.

“No one’s to blame. It’s the whole team thing but we just need to score more runs to be able to defend it. The girls showed a lot of heart and passion to almost defend it like they did. They never gave up and I'm proud of that fact.”

However, the Australia and New Zealand game was the feature match of the day. It started with ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat joining the players, match officials and spectators in observing a minute’s silence out of respect for those people killed or injured during Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the convoy containing the Sri Lanka squad and the match officials.

Put into bat, New Zealand squandered a good start to score only 205 all out in 48 overs. 


Captain Haidee Tiffen provided her team with the platform on which New Zealand should have built on but some poor stroke-play and a tactical error led to the team to lose its last seven wickets for only 36 runs off eight overs. 

While the Australia team took its PowerPlay between 11 and 15 overs in which New Zealand scored 29 runs and lost one wicket, New Zealand delayed its batting PowerPlay until the 46th over and could use only three overs in which it scored 24 runs, including 14 off the 48th over bowled by Ellyse Perry, and lost both the remaining wickets. 

Tiffen finished as the leading scorer with a well played 57 off 113 balls with six fours. She received good support from Suzie Bates (29), Amy Satterthwaite (38) with whom she added 67 runs for the third wicket, and Sara McGlashan (29), with whom she put on 62 runs for the fourth wicket. 

Perry was the pick of Australia's bowlers with 3-40 despite dislocating the little finger of her right hand while Lisa Sthalekar and Erin Osborne bagged two wickets each. 

Australia, in its target chase, never got to the take-off point and kept losing wickets at regular intervals before rain and bad light stopped play with the home team requiring 74 runs off 112 balls with four wickets remaining. 

Kate Pulford caused maximum damage when he claimed 3-32 while new-ball opener Sophie Devine picked up 2-19. Pulford was later declared player of the match. 

Reflecting on today’s performance Tiffen said: “I am delighted with the victory over the world’s number-one team but I think we should have scored around 240 or 250. Losing seven wickets for 36 runs is not our standard and we certainly need to look at this area and try to not only bat all 50 overs but need to convert good starts into big scores. 

“Just before I got out, we were going to take our PowerPlay. In hindsight, we should have taken our PowerPlay before that over. With losing all those wickets, it certainly was not the plan to take it so late. But it is certainly a thing which we will look at and try to get it right next time.” 
Scores in brief:

At North Sydney Oval, Sydney, New Zealand 205 all out, 48 overs (Haidee Tiffen 57, Amy Satterthwaite 38, Sara McGlashan 29, Suzie Bates 29; Ellyse Perry 3-40, Lisa Sthalekar 2-35, Erin Osborne 2-37) 

Australia 132-6, 33 overs (Shelley Nitschke 27, Jodie Fields 26 not out, Karen Rolton 21; Kate Pulford 3-32, Sophie Devine 2-19)

New Zealand won by 13 runs (D/L method) 

At No 1 Sports Ground, Newcastle, South Africa 116 all out, 45.2 overs (Alicia Smith 46; Stafanie Taylor 4-17)

West Indies 117-8, 48.4 overs (Shanel Daley 26) 
West Indies won by two wickets 
 
Monday’s fixture: 

Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Manuka Oval, Canberra

ICC Women's World Cup 2009 - News  Sunday, March 08, 2009 6:44:31 AM

Taylor stars in thrilling victory

Four wickets from 17-year-old spinner Stafanie Taylor helped West Indies record an excellent two-wicket win over South Africa at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2009.

Taylor took 4-17 as South Africa’s batting order crumbled to 116 all out and despite a brave fightback from Sunette Loubser’s side, the West Indies stumbled across the finish line with eight balls to spare to record a decisive victory despite losing a series of late order wickets.


Opener Alicia Smith led the way for South Africa’s batting, top scoring with 46 off 109 balls, although it will have been disappointed by the way it folded having been 50-1 at one stage, with three run outs not helping Loubser’s team.

Two early wickets reduced West Indies to 16-2, before a 45-run stand from Shanel Daley (26) and Afy Fletcher (9) put Merissa Aguilleira’s side on the way to victory, before both batters fell within the space of three balls.

Some incredibly tight South African bowling kept the pressure on the West Indies, with off spinner Loubser recording figures of 0-12 in her 10 overs and Charlize van der Westhuizen, who bowled six maidens in her ten-over spell, taking 1-13.

But Cordel Jack (19) and Stacy-Ann King (13) helped it to 100-4 and despite losing four late wickets, including two when just one run was needed for victory, South Africa was left to regret failing to getting enough runs on the scoreboard.

The West Indies face New Zealand at Bankstown on Tuesday, while Australia plays South Africa at Newcastle in the other Group A game.

ICC Women's World Cup 2009 - News  Sunday, March 08, 2009 1:02:20 AM

South Africa and West Indies could be vying for last place in Super Six

Australia and New Zealand renew rivalry at North Sydney Oval in one of the seven matches to be covered by ESPN STAR Sports 

Karen Rolton needs 350 runs to become leading batter in women’s cricket 

Defending champion Australia and two-time former winner New Zealand start off as favourites to qualify for the Super Six stage of next week’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 from Group A which also includes West Indies and qualifier South Africa. 

Australia has won the tournament five times – 1978 and 1997 in India, 1982 in New Zealand, 1988 in Australia and 2005 in South Africa – while New Zealand lifted the trophy back in 2000. 

The West Indies, by virtue of finishing in the top six of the 2005 tournament, qualified directly for the Australian event while South Africa and Pakistan sealed their places by reaching the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Stellenbosch, South Africa, when the home team won by eight wickets. 

The top four teams from the ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 will automatically qualify for the 2013 event to be staged in India while the fifth and sixth-placed teams will earn direct spots in the 10-team ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2011 where they will be joined by eight other sides – two each from Africa and Europe, and one each from Americas and East Asia-Pacific regions – who will qualify from their own regional qualifying tournaments. 

The Group A teams will be in action on the second day of the tournament on Sunday 8 March when Australia and New Zealand renew their rivalry and go head to head at North Sydney Oval in a match which, in all probability, will decide who tops the group. The match will also be the first of the seven matches which will be covered by ICC’s broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports. 

On the same day at Newcastle No. 1 Sports Ground, Newcastle, West Indies faces South Africa with the winner likely to join Australia and New Zealand in the Super Six stage from the group. 

Head-to-head, Australia and New Zealand have met 97 times with the reigning world champion winning 69 matches and New Zealand returning winners 27 times with one ending in a no-result. 

If there is a current player who knows how a World Cup is won, it is Australia captain Karen Rolton who was a member of the Australia sides that won in 1997 and 2005. She was also part of the side which lost the 2000 World Cup final to New Zealand by four runs. 

In her debut World Cup in India, she scored 115 runs at an average of 57.50, before finishing as the lead run-getter in New Zealand in 2000 with 393 runs at an average of 131. In 2005 in South Africa, Rolton was declared player of the final for her 107 not out and also won the player-of-the-tournament award for scoring 246 runs and taking 10 wickets. 

Rolton now has a big milestone waiting for her around the corner. The 35-year-old South Australian requires 350 runs to leapfrog her former captain Belinda Clark (4,844 runs) to become the lead run-getter in women’s cricket. 

Had Rolton continued to take her bowling seriously, she would have long time back became the first women’s player to complete a double of 100 wickets and 1,000 or more runs. But the captain hasn’t turned her arm over in the last 31 ODIs which means she still sits on 85 wickets besides her 4,495 runs. 

Besides Rolton, Alex Blackwell, Shelley Nitschke and Lisa Sthalekar are the other surviving members from the team that won its fifth World Cup in New Zealand four years ago. 

In the recent Rose Bowl Series, which ended in a 2-2 draw after the fifth match was abandoned due to rain, Nitschke led the series run scorers’ list with 144 runs, while fellow all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar was the leading wicket taker with seven. 

All-rounder Ellyse Perry is the youngest member of the Australia team at the age of 18 and is tipped to be one of the players to watch in the tournament despite a disappointing Rose Bowl Series by her high standards. The New South Wales all-rounder became the youngest Australia player ever when she made her debut in Darwin the 2007 Rose Bowl Series. 

The other two teenagers in the Australia side are fast bowler Delissa Kimmince and off-spinner Erin Osborne. 

New Zealand will be led by experienced Haidee Tiffen who was a member of Emily Drumm’s side that won its maiden title to date in 2000. In the four-run victory over Australia in the final at Lincoln four years ago, Haidee’s contribution was 14 with the bat and had bowling figures of 5-1-27-0 though she ended up scoring 187 runs and taking eight wickets in the tournament. 

Tiffen is 360 runs short of becoming the second New Zealander after Debbie Hockley and seventh in the world to score 3,000 or more runs. Tiffen sits on 2,640 and needs 204 runs to leapfrog former captain Emily Drumm (2,844) to become second most successful New Zealand batter. 

Vice-captain Amiee Mason, who replaced Drumm after the first two matches of the 2005 tournament, Nicola Browne and Sara McGlashan, besides Tiffen, are the other players who represented New Zealand in South Africa in 2005where it lost to India in the semi-final. 

Besides the experience of the quartet in the ranks, New Zealand has high hopes from left-hander batter Amy Satterthwaite and all-rounders Suzie Bates and Lucy Doolan who have performed well in the last few months, including the Rose Bowl Series against Australia. 

Since the 2005 World Cup, New Zealand has played in eight series, winning only two –against India (4-1) in March 2006 and against England in England (by 3-1) in August 2007. New Zealand’s losses were against Australia in the Rose Bowl Series in October 2006, July 2007 and March 2008, women’s quadrangular tournament in India in February 2007 and against England at home in March 2008. 

The West Indies is the fifth-ranked team in women’s cricket and includes five players – Debbie-Ann Lewis, Pamela Lavine, Anisa Mohammed, Cordel Jack and Kirbyina Alexander – who were part of the side that finished fifth in South Africa in 2005 with two wins and three defeats. 

Pamela Lavine was West Indies’ batting mainstay in New Zealand when she contributed 145 runs at an average of 48.33. The other player who left an impression four years ago was Juliana Nero who scored 197 runs at 49.25 but has pulled out of next month’s tournament due to a hamstring injury. 

After being without a match in 2006 and 2007, the West Indies beat the Netherlands (4-0) and Ireland (2-0) but lost to England (1-0) and Sri Lanka (3-2) in 2008. Overall, the West Indies has played 58 matches, winning 25 and losing 31 while in World Cups, it enjoys a 31.25 per cent success-rate. 

Like the West Indies, South Africa is also underprepared as it has played only 20 ODIs since the 2005 World Cup, including nine in 2008. 

South Africa has a new captain in Sunnette Loubser who has replaced Cri-Zelda Brits. The 26-year-old Loubser made her ODI debut against Pakistan in 2007 and has played in 14 ODIs in which she has taken 18 wickets. She has played in one Test against the Netherlands in Rotterdam in where she recorded match figures of 54.3-22-59-8 to play a major role in her side’s first-ever victory at the highest level. 

Brits along with vice-captain Alicia Smith, Susan Benade, Ashlyn Kilowan, Charlize van der Westuizen and Claire Terblanche were in the 2005 squad that finished in seventh place in New Zealand where Brits was the fourth leading run-getter with 206 runs while Smith was her team’s leading wicket-taker with nine. 

There is very little to choose between the West India and South Africa as both the sides have met four teams and have won two matches apiece. The only time when two met in a World Cup was on 24 March 2005 which went down to the wire before South Africa held its nerves to win by one-run 

On that day, South Africa batted first and collected 169 in 49 overs. In turn, the West Indies fell short by one run when it was bowled out for 168 with two balls to spare. The match was dominated by Cri-Zelda Brits who followed up her 120-ball 71 with figures of 9.4-1-37-4. 

The West Indies, however, avenged that defeat immediately after the World Cup when it defeated South Africa 2-1 in a three-match series played in Pretoria. 

Group A squads 

AUSTRALIA – Karen Rolton (captain), Alex Blackwell (vice-captain), Sarah Andrews, Jessica Cameron, Leonie Coleman, Lauren Ebsary, Rene Farrell, Jodie Fields, Delissa Kimmince, Shelley Nitschke, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Leah Poulton, Emma Sampson, Lisa Sthalekar. 

NEW ZEALAND – Haidee Tiffen (captain), Aimee Mason (vice-captain), Suzie Bates, Nicola Browne, Abby Burrows, Sophie Devine, Lucy Doolan, Sara McGlashan, Beth McNeill, Katey Martin, Rachel Priest, Kate Pulford, Amy Satterthwaite, Sarah Tsukigawa. 

SOUTH AFRICA - Sunette Loubser (captain), Alicia Smith (vice-captain), Susan Benade, Cri-Zelda Brits, Trisha Chetty, Mignon du Preez, Shandre Fritz, Shabnim Ismail, Ashlyn Kilowan, Marcia Letsoalo, Charlize van der Westhuizen, Yolandi van der Westhuizen, Dane van Niekerk, Claire Terblanche, Marizanne Kapp. 

WEST INDIES – Merissa Aguilleira (captain), Kirbyina Alexander (vice-captain), Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Geneille Greaves, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Pamela Lavine, Anisa Mohammed, Debbie-Ann Lewis, Shakera Selman, Danielle Small, Charlene Taitt, Stefanie Taylor. 

Group A fixtures: 

Sun 8 March – Australia v New Zealand, North Sydney Oval; South Africa v West Indies, Newcastle No 1 Sports Ground, Newcastle 

Tues 10 March – Australia v South Africa, Newcastle No 1 Sports Ground, Newcastle; New Zealand v West Indies, Bankstown Oval 

Thurs 12 March – Australia v West Indies, Drummoyne Oval, New Zealand v South Africa, Bowral

ICC Media Release
Friday, February 27, 2009 12:36:46 PM

West Indies sets one eye on Super Six stage and other on the future

Captain Aguilleira hopes her team will play to its strength and avoid complacency 

The West Indies prepares for next month’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 with one eye on the Super Six stage and the other on the 2013 tournament to be staged in India. 

The women from the Caribbean are short on experience, match practice and international exposure after having played only 17 ODIs since the 2005 World Cup in South Africa, including three immediately after the tournament and 14 last year. In 2006 and 2007, the West Indies did not play a single match. 

Captain Merissa Aguilleira, commenting on her team’s shortcomings, said: “We have had some tough times with the bat but I believe we are getting things in place. What we have to make sure is we are in the right mindset and know how we deal with pressure situations. We want to put our best foot forward. 

“We have a very young team so we will be building for the future as well. The main events this year will present wonderful opportunities to plan for 2013 when we would come back knowing more and putting the systems in place.” 

The average age of the side is just 23.66 and includes four teenagers with the youngest member being hard-hitting batter Deandra Dottin from Barbados who will celebrate her 18th birthday on 21 June. Right-handed batter Pamela Lavine is the oldest member of the team and will celebrate her 40th birthday on 12 March, the day the West Indies plays defending champion Australia at Drummoyne Oval. 

At 23, Aguilleira herself is the youngest captain in the tournament, beating Pakistan’s Urooj Mumtaz by just 74 days. She has represented the West Indies in eight matches and took over the reins of the team after the retirement of Nadine George who hung up her boots after the tour to Sri Lanka where the home team won 3-2. 

“We had a good camp in Barbados at the end of January before we dispersed but continued the hard work individually. Once we get to Australia, we will have more training sessions as well as warm-up matches. We will be playing as a team, keeping our focus and aiming to do the West Indian people proud,” she added. 

The West Indies, which finished fifth in 2005, is pooled with defending champion Australia, former champion New Zealand and South Africa in Group A while Group B is made up of India, two-time winner England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. 

The West Indies opens its campaign against South Africa at Newcastle No. 1 Sports Ground in a match which Aguilleira says is crucial to her team’s chances. 

“The first match of any tournament is always very important and this will be no different. It is vitally important to our chances and we are looking forward to this game very anxiously,” she said. 

“We have been preparing for this match while we have waited years for this tournament. We want to start on a winning note, go out there and do it in the first match, and try to make a statement. 

“Our strengths are our bowling and fielding. We have some excellent spinners who can win matches for us. Our batting is on the up and we must keep improving to put up good scores for the bowlers to defend. 

“In Sri Lanka, we learned what complacency can do as we lost the series after leading it at one stage. 

“We are definitely looking to reach the Super Six stage and take it from there. But we all know it will be tough going,” said Aguilleira. 

The West Indies includes five players – Debbie-Ann Lewis, Pamela Lavine, Anisa Mohammed, Cordel Jack and Kirbyina Alexander – who were part of the side that finished fifth in South Africa in 2005 with two wins and three defeats, including a one-run defeat against South Africa at Pretoria. 

“Some of the players from the last World Cup are still in the team. We will be depending on them to offer experience and leadership. 

“We will be positive from start to finish and you are well aware, a match is only finished when that last ball is bowled,” she said. 

Aguilleira picked teenagers Stefanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin and 21-year-old vice-captain Kirbyina Alexander as the players to watch. “Stefanie is a young and talented opener. She knows what she wants and is always willing to learn. 

“Deandra is another excellent young batter with awesome power and the ability to hit the ball very far while Kirbyina, our vice-captain, is mentally very strong, never gives up, she always tries to push herself to the top and is a real team player.” 

Taylor has scored 276 runs in 10 ODIs besides taking nine wickets while Dottin has scored 240 runs in 12 matches. Fast bowler Alexander has bagged 12 wickets from as many matches and her best bowling figures of 10-6-6-3 was in the match in which the Netherlands was bowled out for 22 at Sportpark Het Schootsveld, Deventer last July. 

“I feel very excited. I will be playing in the ICC Women’s World Cup for the first time, representing my people and playing against some of the best players in the world. 

“It is an honour to be the captain of the West Indies cricket team and leading the team to such a prestigious event. At the moment I am fully focussed on doing the job and I am looking to giving my all,” she said. 

WEST INDIES – Merissa Aguilleira (captain), Kirbyina Alexander (vice-captain), Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Geneille Greaves, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Pamela Lavine, Anisa Mohammed, Debbie-Ann Lewis, Shakera Selman, Danielle Small, Charlene Taitt, Stefanie Taylor.

ICC Media Release
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 11:03:46 AM