CAMPBELLE rings the winning bell for WINDIES in a thriller

 ICC 10th WOMEN's WORLD CUP - Match 4 – West Indies vs New Zealand at Southampton on 13th June 2026. 

Result - Australia beat Scotland by 65 runs

Points – West Indies 2(2), New Zealand 0(0)

Toss – West Indies

Umpires – Anna Harris, Vrinda Rathi, Kerrin Klaste (TV)

Player of the Match – Shemaine Campbell

Match Centre Link - You can view the scorecard, watch highlights and engage more at Match Centre of ICC. The match can be accessed here. 

NEW ZEALAND INNINGS

POWER PLAY – IZZY FEELS
The 4^rd match of the 10th Womens T20 World Cup featured defending Champions New Zealand and former champions West Indies. The match was historic as it was the 100^th T20I for NZ skipper Amelia Kerr. However in the absence of two legends (who had featured in all past World Cups, Suzie Bates and Stafanie Taylor) from playing XI indicated that a slice of history was also missed. Windies won the toss and put NZ to bat. Zaida James began with a wide and had a mixed bag comprising 4 dots and 2 boundaries hit well by Isabella Gaze. Shawnisha Hector kept the NZ batters quiet for the first 4 balls before Izzy came back for her 2 boundaries an over quota. Skipper Hayley brought herself in the 3^rd over and stemmed the boundaries. She could have taken a brilliant return catch to send off Izzy but fortune favoured the latter. World Boss Deandra Dottin came in next but Izzy and Georgia Plimmer found a boundary each to keep the NZ scoreboard going fast. Izzy packed a punch in the 5^th over where she succeeded in scoring 3 successive boundaries of Hayley. Aaliyah Alleyne, the 5^th bowling option in the 6^th over kept NZ batters quiet by mixing her deliveries She reaped her reward by claiming Georgia Plimmer who couldn’t muscle her pull over Deandra at the mid on. At 49/1 in 6 overs, NZ and Izzy seemed ahead of Windies

MIDDLE OVERS – A SEE SAW BATTLE
Afy Fletcher showed her variations in the 7^th over and NZ could score only a couple of runs. Skipper Melie scooped Aaliyah for a 4 in the first ball of the 8^th over but tonked the next ball straight to the hands of Karishma Ramharack at mid on. Two balls later, Izzy Gaze played an action replay of Melie’s shot and the result was same – caught by Karishma at mid on. The veteran of 10 World Cups Sophie Devine and the crisis player Brooke Halliday had quite some work to do as NZ were reeling at 56/3 after 8 overs. The duo showed their experience by playing out the next 2 overs and quietly finding a boundary each to put NZ at 73/3 at half way mark. They kept running and scored a couple of boundaries in the next two overs of spin by Karishma Ramharack & Qiana Joseph. As they reached 100 in 12.1 with 44 coming in 4 overs, NZ seemed to have seized the momentum. However a stupendous catch by Jahzara Claxton ended Sophie Devine’s run. Afy & Karishma kept things tight & despite a six from Maddy Green, NZ slumped to 121/4 after 16 overs.

DEATH OVERS – GO GREEN
Hayley bowled her last in the 17^th and conceded just 8 runs including a boundary by Brooke. Aaliyah’s final over saw a couple of boundaries before she finished her spell with her 4^th wicker, another catch at mid on - Brooke the batter & Shawnisha the fielder this time. NZ were 140/5 with 2 overs to go. Maddy Green began the penultimate over with a four but Karishma didn’t provide any room for further boundaries. Deandra bowled the final over & Maddy began explosively with a couple of boundaries, one straight and one square. The third ball was a full toss and Karishma stumbled a quick catch at point. The ball was signaled a no ball by the square leg umpire but Windies reversed it using DRS. Izzy Sharp was run out at the strikers end in the 4^th ball and Jess Kerr facing the next two balls could only ensure 2 more runs. NZ had to settle for 162/6 a run & wicket higher than the score of Scotland in the first match of the day.

WEST INDIES INNINGS

POWER PLAY – POWER TO BOWLERS
Qiana Joseph and Hayley Mathews opened the batting for West Indies while Rosemary Mair opened the bowling for New Zealand. The stadium is called Rose Bowl Stadium and Rose bowled a beautiful first over conceding just 4 runs by ensuring that the two gifted hitters were not gifted any room or pace. Bree Illing came in from the opposite end and the results were quite the opposite. Hayley smacked two boundaries in the 2^nd & 3^rd ball before a poor mix up ended in Qiana being run out at the strikers end. Qiana was livid with rage & made it known to her captain Shemaine Campbell walked in first down. A veteran of more than 150 T20Is over 17 years, she started as a fast bowler and is now a keeper as life travelled a full pitch for her. The 3^rd over was a Rose bowl squared and the 2^nd ball was a top edge from Hayley which was there for the taking. However Izzy Sharp wasn’t sharp on field as the ball popped out of her hands. Jess Kerr replaced Bree and breezed another low scoring over. Windies at 23/1 after 4 overs were offered spin from Nensi Patel. There was no spin in fortunes except for a Shemaine boundary of the 5^th ball. Jess sneaked in another 4 run over as Windies finished power play at 35/1.

MIDDLE OVERS – DROP IN CATCHES AND CHANCES
Windies came to their own after the drinks break as Bree Illing’s 7^th over yielded 3 boundaries, 2 for Hayley and 1 for Shemaine. The highlight of the over was Maddy Green dropping Hayley at covers after she did well to get her hands on a low catch. Skipper Melie introduced herself in the 8^th over and her opposite skipper Hayley was on strike. Hayley cut her through backward point for four first ball to draw the first blood in the MI battle. Melie came back well conceding just 4 more in next 4 balls. A DRS for a not given LBW for Hayley cost NZ a review. Sophie Devine graced the bowling and the first 2 balls were a tough encounter involving her, Shemaine and keeper Izzy Gaze on the leg side – a missed toughie catch and a messed toughie boundary. Melie bowled a quiet over which once again involved a DRS for a given LBW. Windies reviewed it successfully. At half way mark, Windies were 69/1 and needed a heavy turn around in their favour.

The 11^th over bowled by Nensi was full drama. Hayley brought out the shot of the tournament so far as she picked her nice and strong for a super six over long off. The very next ball, she hit one fine of Nensi in leg side. Nensi did well to get her hands on it but couldn’t hold on. The very next ball, Shemaine offered a dolly to Melie but NZ were in a dropping spree. In the final ball, Hayley added salt on her wounds depositing her to backward square leg for a four. Jess Kerr was brought in to stop the momentum and she did exactly the same. She had Hayley trying to hoist over long on and Maddy who started the dropping spree finally caught one before the boundary. After the wicket, Shemaine took the charge even though the World Boss Deandra Dottin was in the opposite end. She hoisted Sophie for four in the 1^st ball of 13^th over and stomped Melie for six in the 1^st ball of 14^th over. She hit the 3^rd ball hard at Melie who could once again just lay a hand but couldn’t hold it. Shemaine thanked her by tonking the last ball for a huge six on leg side to bring her fifty (1^st in 155 matches & a new world record for maximum matches to first 50). The score was 109/2 in 14 and during the drinks break, NZ and WI were pondering the equation of 54 from the final 6 overs. Rosemary came in to bowl the 15^th over which was expensive by her standards as she conceded a boundary to Shemaine and 10 in total. Jess was roped in for the 16^th & Rosemary dropped a catch offered by Deandra at fine leg. However NZ had the last laugh when Maddy produced a stunner just in front of the ropes for the catch of the match. Windies needed 37 from the death overs with 7 wickets & a set Shemaine. NZ needed to bowl good & catch better.

DEATH OVERS – THRILLING FINISH
Jahzara Claxton joined Shemaine and they saw off the first 4 balls of battle hardened Sophie before Shemaine sent one straight over Sophie for a boundary. She nearly found another boundary in the cow corner before Maddy’s another fielding brilliance saved NZ 2 runs. Melie started the 18^th over and a misfield of the 1^st ball gave WI 3 runs. Shemaine clobbered her 2^nd ball for a six. Shemaine swung once again in the 3^rd ball and to her fortunes found 2 of the mis hit as the ball landed in the gap between deep square leg & deep midwicket. Melie kept them to singles & dots but the 13 run over had given WI more than a glimmer of hope. Rosemary was brought in for the penultimate over with WI needing just 14. The first ball wide of Rosemary was an indication of the side with pressure. Shemaine found her much needed boundary in the 2^nd ball & both the batters ran at everything and snatched 10 from it. WI needed just 4 runs but NZ had Sophie who has a history of snatching last over low scorers with the ball. Sophie’s first ball was sliced by Shemaine through backward point and it looked all set to reach the boundary before and Izzy “Sharp” effort saved 2 runs. Sophie bowled the next full length and stopped it on her followthrough to save a single. Sophie sent the next down the leg side and it skidded Shemaine’s pads for a leg bye. The scores were level with 3 balls to go. Sophie changed the angle and beat Jahzara for pace. With just 2 balls to go, the nerves were running high. Jahzara couldn’t put bat to ball in the 5^th ball as well but Shemaine ran for her life from the non strikers end to the strikers end and beat Izzy by more than a jiffy. The defending champions couldnt defend 162 as a Shemaine Campbell special ensured a win for Windies. 

(Images Courtesy - ESPN Cricinfo)