Cardiff [UK], June 8 (ANI): India made a strong start to their preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a 26-run victory over West Indies in their opening warm-up match in Cardiff on Monday.
Fresh from their success at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, the Indian team carried their momentum into Cardiff on Monday, producing a commanding all-round performance to make an early statement.
After a half-century, Bharti Fulmali helped India post 179/8, Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil led the bowling effort as West Indies were restricted to 153/8.
Put into bat, Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma (29) gave the team a brisk start, setting the tone for the innings, as per the ICC website.
In the first few overs, the West Indies bowlers struggled to find the right line and length. They strayed onto the leg side too often, and Mandhana, especially, was quick to punish them. The southpaw, captaining the side on Monday, struck eight fours for a quick 39 off 23 balls.
Aaliyah Alleyne snapped the 59-run opening stand as she had Mandhana mistime a shot to mid-on. India posted 70-1 in the power play and continued in that vein despite losing three quick wickets.
Yastika Bhatia and Bharti Fulmalli helped India recover from the wobble with a 60-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The former had compiled a confident 36 off 26 when the team management retired her out, in an effort to give more match time to players down the order.
It seemed to disrupt India’s rhythm, as the team lost Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav in the very next over. Fulmalli held the innings together with a well-paced half-century. She scored an unbeaten 56 off 40 balls, with the help of six fours and the lone six of the innings, to make sure India finished with a strong total.
Leg-break bowler Afy Fletcher was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies as she claimed 4/23 in her four overs.
While the West Indies experimented with nine bowlers, India stuck mainly to their lead bowlers to start the warm-ups on a winning note. The Caribbean side struggled against the slower bowlers, with Patil (4/36) and Yadav (3/25) claiming all the wickets – Shemaine Campbelle was retired out.
Chasing a challenging total, Deandra Dottin and Campbelle put on an opening stand of 63/1. But they mustered only 37 in power play and were left to play catch-up.
Like what happened in the Indian innings, Campbelle’s exit resulted in a collapse as West Indies slipped to 103/6. Dottin missed out narrowly on a half-century as she was dismissed for 49 off 41 balls. Despite a couple of big hits from Aaliyah Alleyne and Shawnisha Hector later in the innings, West Indies fell well short of the Indian total. (ANI)
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