Australia’s winning run in the Caribbean showed no sign of abating after a comfortable nine-wicket victory in the second Twenty20 secured the three-match series against the West Indies.
Set just 98 to win after restricting the hosts to 97-9 with sterling performances with the ball and in the field, Alyssa Healy was in a hurry from the outset of the run chase with the threat of rain in Barbados looming.
Healy clobbered an unbeaten 58 from 43 balls – her fourth half century from five innings this tour – while Meg Lanning chipped in with 22 not out to wrap up victory with 5.3 overs remaining. Beth Mooney was the sole wicket to fall, for eight.
Lanning won the toss and, after rain delayed the start, Jess Jonassen was the pick for Australia, finishing with figures of 2-19. The other wickets were shared between Ashleigh Gardner, Megan Schutt, Delissa Kimmince and Georgia Wareham. Three of those wicket takers – Jonassen, Gardner and Wareham – were involved in the running out of three other West Indian batters.
Opener Britney Cooper (39 from 33 balls) top scored for the hosts, but when she was unfortunately run out the rot set in. Cooper was backing up too far at the non-striker’s end when right-arm spinner Gardner, bowling around the wicket, got a fingertip to a straight drive by Stacy-Ann King which crashed into the stumps.
A horrible mix-up resulted in the run out of Natasha McLean, who hadn’t faced a delivery, while Sheneta Grimmond (five) was also run out as the Windies slumped from 2-55 to 7-64 within three overs. Only some late resistance from Chinelle Henry (21no) and Shabika Gajnabi (11) got the Windies close to the century mark as eight batters failed to reach double figures.
Having already secured the one-day international series 3-0, Lanning’s side remain on course for another whitewash; they play the final T20, again at Kensington Oval, on Thursday AEST before heading back to Australia for the start of the home summer, which begins with another three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka.