The West Indies women's cricket team put up a special performance with the bat to chase down defending champions Australia's imposing 148/5 with eight wickets in hand to win the 2016 World Twenty20 tournament in Kolkata on Sunday.
The Southern Stars, as the Australian women's team are known, chose to bat and were clinical in their effort. They benefited from some below-par West Indian bowling as both Elyse Vilani and captain Meg Lanning scored decisive half-centuries. However West Indies' Deandra Dottin bowled a brilliant final over, giving away only one run, to restrict Australia to 148/5.
But West Indies came flying off the blocks, thanks to a record 120-run opening partnership between captain Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews. Matthews, in particular, played a brilliant knock, confidently hitting boundaries and sixes at will to take West Indies very close to the target before being dismissed for a 45-ball 66. Captain Taylor took her team even closer, but was dismissed on 59 with West Indies still five runs away from the target.
However, fittingly Deandre Dottin and Britney Cooper kept calm and made the required three runs in the last over to clinch West Indies first ever women's World Twenty20 title. It was also their highest-ever successful chase in Twenty20 Internationals.
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