Kingstown, March 20 (IANS) Opener Beth Mooney struck a fluent 79 off 55 balls while Alana King picked up three wickets as Australia defeated the West Indies women’s cricket team by 43 runs in the first T20I of the three-match series played at the Arnos Vale Ground on Friday.

Coming to bat after winning the toss, Australia had a shaky start and were reduced to 34/2 inside the powerplay. Opener Georgia Voll fell early, followed by young star Phoebe Litchfield, leaving the visitors under pressure.

Mooney then showed her experience and anchored the innings along with Ellyse Perry, who scored 36. The pair added 99 runs for the third wicket, shifting gears after a cautious beginning. Australia collected quick runs in the second half of the innings, with Mooney bringing up her half-century off 42 balls.

Deandra Dottin finally broke the partnership in the 17th over by dismissing Perry. Mooney soon followed, scoring 79 runs. Despite back-to-back wickets, Australia had built a solid platform and went on to post 164/6 in 20 overs.

West Indies made a steady start while chasing a challenging target, reaching 33 without loss in the powerplay courtesy of Australia’s fielding, which was far from sharp, with Hayley Matthews dropped twice early in the innings.

King, who had earlier missed a return catch, made up for it by dismissing Matthews soon after the powerplay. Qiana Joseph kept the chase alive with a 39-ball 45, as West Indies reached 69/1 at the halfway stage.

West Indies prime batter Shemaine Campbelle also survived multiple chances, with three catches put down by the Australians. Despite the sloppy fielding, the West Indies failed to build momentum.

Joseph was eventually caught in the deep, while King trapped Campbell lbw to reduce the hosts to 76/3 in 12.2 overs. A brief rain interruption did little to change the course of the match, as King struck again immediately after play resumed to remove Dottin.

Stafanie Taylor and Jahzara Claxton showed some fightback with a 45-run partnership, but they could not keep the required run rate in check and fell in the last over as the team finished on 121/6 in 20 overs, falling well short of the target.

King was the most successful bowler for Australia, as she finished with figures of 3-14 in four overs, while Georgia Wareham also took two wickets.

Brief scores: Australia 164/6 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 79, Elyssa Perry 36; Deandra Dottin 3-35, Chinelle Henry 2-28) beat West Indies 121/6 in 20 overs (Qiana Joseph 45, Stafanie Taylor 28; Alana King 3-14, Georgia Wareham 2-14) by 43 runs.

–IANS

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