West Indies have made a strong start to their ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign, beating defending champions New Zealand by seven wickets in their opening match at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Shemaine Campbelle was the star of the show, scoring an unbeaten 90 to lead West Indies to a convincing victory.
The New Zealand team, who were looking to retain their title, were bowled out for 162 in 19.3 overs. West Indies' openers, Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle, put on 73 runs for the first wicket, setting the tone for the rest of the innings. Campbelle's innings was studded with 10 fours and a six, and she remained not out until the end of the match.
West Indies' victory was their first in a major international tournament, and it sets them up nicely for the rest of the competition. The team will look to build on this momentum as they take on Pakistan in their next match.
Shemaine Campbelle was delighted with her team's performance, saying: 'It was a great team effort from the girls. We knew it was going to be a tough match, but we stayed focused and played some great cricket.'
Campbelle's innings was praised by West Indies' coach, Courtney Walsh, who said: 'Shemaine played a fantastic innings. She was very aggressive and took the game away from New Zealand.'
New Zealand's captain, Sophie Devine, was gracious in defeat, saying: 'We didn't play to our potential today. West Indies were the better team and deserved to win.'