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Barry O’Brien, former Glamorgan chairman, asked to head up panel looking into circumstances

George Dobell22-Apr-2020The ECB have asked Barry O’Brien, the former Glamorgan chairman, to lead a review into the circumstances around Ian Watmore’s appointment as chairman.The review comes after thereported that Watmore left his role as chief executive of the Football League following allegations of misconduct. Specifically, the paper suggests Watmore could have jeopardised the league’s broadcast deal with Sky – who are also the ECB’s key broadcast partner – by engaging in unauthorised talks about the possibility of a breakaway league.While O’Brien, currently a non-executive director on the ECB board, is respected for his career as a successful corporate lawyer, his appointment for this specific task is something of a surprise. He was on the ECB’s nominations committee which recommended Watmore’s appointment. As a result, O’Brien is, in the words of one county chairman, “marking his own homework”.If O’Brien’s review – the ECB are keen to avoid use of the word investigation – concludes that Watmore was less than forthcoming with necessary information during the recruitment process, or that his appointment could bring unnecessary baggage to the game, it could recommend the board reverse the appointment. At present, however, it seems the incident is seen more as one of the inevitable bruises sustained during a long career in the civil service and in sports administration.O’Brien is not a complete stranger to such slings and arrows himself. In 2007, he was fined by the Law Society for breaching his duty to a client and bringing his profession into disrepute. It emerged he had advised a consortium run by Philip Green over a proposed takeover of Marks & Spencer who had been a longstanding client of his employer, Freshfields. The episode did not prevent him becoming chair of Glamorgan CCC or joining the ECB board.Perhaps the crucial factor for O’Brien to resolve is when Watmore knew of any misconduct probe relating to his time at the Football League. It does not seem to be disputed that Watmore met representatives of football league clubs who advocated a breakaway, but it is far from certain that he was advocating such a move himself.ALSO READ: ECB to investigate claims of misconduct against Watmore“It sounds to me as if he walked into a divided situation at the Football League, sought to build consensus and reached a solution,” another county chair told ESPNcricinfo. “He sounds exactly the sort of person the ECB need.”It is understood the Football League have declined to provide the report to Watmore or the ECB. This has frustrated the ECB as extracts of it have been leaked to the . The review is unlikely to be completed ahead of the ECB board meeting on Thursday, but could be ready by the end of the month. Watmore, who denies any wrongdoing, has given no indication that he is considering standing aside.All things considered, it would be a surprise if the ECB’s decision to appointment Watmore was reversed. There is little evidence that either Sky, the key broadcast partner, or the counties, who are required to ratify Watmore’s appointment at the ECB’s AGM in May, are especially concerned by anything that has emerged so far. Crucially, there is little appetite among the counties for Colin Graves, the current ECB chair, to use the impasse to extend his tenure.There is a wider context to all this. As a maths graduate of Cambridge University and with a long career in the civil service behind him, Watmore is understood to be a calm, data-led pragmatist. And while the previous two chairs of the ECB have been entrepreneurs – self-starters with admirable levels of determination and self-assurance – Watmore has a reputation as a collaborative builder of consensus. After years of fairly robust leadership, many counties are crying out for such change.

He said that he had accepted Warner’s advice because he “just wanted to fit in and feel valued” in the team

Daniel Brettig26-Dec-2018Cameron Bancroft has confirmed for the first time that David Warner encouraged him to try to tamper with the ball in Cape Town with the tacit approval of the captain Steven Smith, leading to a scandal that saw all three banned from the game while Cricket Australia dealt with a host of cultural repercussions.The week after Smith revealed he had been aware of conversation between Warner and Bancroft about possible ball-tampering and stated “I don’t want to know about it”, thus allowing the events that followed to take place, Bancroft said that he had accepted the then vice-captain’s advice because he “just wanted to fit in and feel valued” in the team.ALSO READ: Smith opens up on Newlands ‘leadership failure’
“Dave [Warner] suggested to me to carry the action out on the ball given the situation we were in in the game and I didn’t know any better,” Bancroft told . “I didn’t know any better because I just wanted to fit in and feel valued, really – as simple as that.”For me the decision was based around my values. What I valued at the time. I valued fitting in. And I guess you hope that fitting in earns you respect and with that I guess there came a really big cost for the mistake. At the time did I know any better? No. Because I valued this thing called fitting in, fitting in with the team, with my mates, earning respect from senior players and I guess that it led to an absolutely destructive situation, emotionally, personally and I lost cricket for that period of time.”But the really, really interesting thing…I’ve asked myself this question a lot. If I had said ‘no’, what would that have meant? And the thing that I’ve inquired and thought about so often is that if I actually said ‘no’, and I went to bed that night, I had the exact same problem. I had some the problem that I had using the sandpaper on the cricket ball.”And the problem was that I would have gone to bed and I would have felt like I let everybody down. I would have felt like I’d let the team down. I would have felt like I would have hurt our chances to win the game of cricket.”I take no other responsibility but the responsibility I have on myself and my own actions because I am not a victim. I had a choice and I made a massive mistake and that is what is in my control.”Having been handed a nine-month ban by CA, as opposed to the one year penalties given to Warner and Smith, Bancroft is due to make his return to domestic ranks in the Big Bash League game between Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston on December 30.In the intervening months he has worked to broaden himself, taking up yoga and reading widely in addition to the CA-imposed order to do community work and playing club cricket in The Northern Territory and also his home town of Perth.Towards the end of his suspension, Bancroft said that the cultural lessons of Cape Town and the subsequent Longstaff and McCosker cultural reviews would be lost on CA as an organisation if the governing body was not as honest and self-critical as he had been compelled to be.”The reason why it was painful is because the truth hurts. Maybe in that review there was some truths that were pretty hard to accept,” Bancroft said. “What does that bring? It brings an amazing opportunity to do something about it. Only Cricket Australia will know if they are being true to themselves, to be able to own up to some of those recommendations.”If they can look at themselves in the mirror and be really content and be really peaceful, and proud of the direction they’re going, that’s OK. If they aren’t, like me, that value will always come undone won’t it? It will present itself in the face to you and you’ll have to learn another lesson.”

Stephen Murdoch waltzed to his 13th first-class ton while Hamish Bennett bagged a match haul of seven wickets as Wellington prevailed by an innings and 43 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2017A century from Stephen Murdoch, coupled with Hamish Bennett’s seven-wicket match haul, propelled Wellington to an innings-and-43-run win over Otago inside three days of the Plunket Shield game at Basin Reserve. Wellington’s win amounted to Otago’s second consecutive loss this year, having finished at the bottom of the table last season.Wellington’s offensive with the ball helped them snipe out 15 wickets on the second day, bowling the opposition out for 184. A formidable lead of 185 meant Wellington could enforce follow-on and have an early shot at bringing up their second victory in as many games. The Otago line-up’s first-innings struggle – in which six of their batsman got starts but none could notch up a half-century – aggravated further in the second as only two players – captain Rob Nicol and Jimmy Neesham – went past the 30-run mark. Having been reduced to 107 for 6 at stumps on day two, it was only a matter of time before the remaining four batsmen were undone for only 142 runs inside the 20.3 overs bowled on the third day.Leading the charge for the Wellington attack in both innings was right-arm pacer Bennett who bettered his first-innings three-for with figures of 4 for 30 in the second. Bennett, who took his Shield tally to 12 scalps from two games, found ample support in fellow seamers Ian McPeake and Logan van Beek, who finished with a five-wicket match haul of his own.Wellington’s dominance in the match was, however, established early via Murdoch who waltzed to his 13thfirst-class century after his side lost the toss. The No. 3 batsman countered the loss of the two openers which had Wellington tottering at 33 for 2 in the 11th over. Murdoch put on 113 runs for the third wicket with captain Michael Bracewell, who struck an 83-ball 43. After Bracewell’s dismissal, Murdoch added another 66 runs with wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, before holing out to Jacob Duffy off Anaru Kitchen in the 66th over. Two fifty-plus partnerships – anchored by Jeetan Patel’s 64 – for the seventh and the eighth wickets subsequently took Wellington to 369, before being bowled by Neil Wagner, allowing him to complete his four-for. Kitchen and Michael Rae finished with three wickets each.

What price Somerset for their first Championship? Their rush through the division has been a sideshow at best as Middlesex and Yorkshire have flexed muscles like a couple of rival bodybuilders ahead of their clash at Lord’s next week.

David Hopps at Headingley12-Sep-2016
ScorecardSomerset made all the running on the opening day at Headingley•Getty Images

What price Somerset for their first Championship? Their rush through the division has been a sideshow at best as Middlesex and Yorkshire have flexed muscles like a couple of rival bodybuilders ahead of their clash at Lord’s next week. It looks a whole lot different now.Somerset started the penultimate round of matches 18 behind Yorkshire with the leaders Middlesex a further point ahead, but they suddenly have the potential to throw calculations into disarray after dismissing Yorkshire for 145 at Headingley and settling their own innings in reply, losing only Tom Abell for a second-ball nought before Marcus Trescothick and Chris Rogers cut the deficit to 38 runs at stumps.There is much cause for satisfaction in the West Country. Somerset’s pace attack swung the ball on a clammy day, there was a bit more in the pitch than might have been expected – both sides would have batted on it – and Craig Overton and Jim Allenby prospered with three wickets each as they never relinquished the pressure.Faced by consistent probing, Yorkshire exacerbated their problems with some ill-judged strokes. Gary Ballance, Jake Lehmann and Andrew Gale, among the top six, should all be disappointed by the manner of their dismissal. This was more a case of too many slack dismissals than general irresponsibility.As a bonus, Somerset would love to see Middlesex’s match at Old Trafford develop into a stalemate and, with draw points suiting Lancashire’s attempts to retain their first division status, such an outcome would not be altogether surprising.

‘We need some true Yorkshire grit’

Andrew Gale, Yorkshire captain: “It wasn’t a great day from start to finish. We were poor with the bat – it wasn’t a 145 wicket. Somerset bowled well but we didn’t put a price on our wickets. There is no reason why we cannot fight our way back into the game. I’ll back us not to bat that badly twice. We need some true Yorkshire grit.”
Jason Kerr, Somerset bowling coach: “There is a little bit in the surface and the guys were outstanding – they did the little things brilliantly. We squeezed and put a lot of pressure on the batters and the overhead conditions also played a part.”

Somerset have had to make do with three second-placed finishes in the Championship and they would also be excluded from any T20 city league should it come to pass, leaving a dubious outcome in that Cardiff, a city with a comparatively big ground but a limited interest in the game, would be viewed as more strategically important than Taunton, the county town of a region where cricket is talked about as avidly as anywhere in the country: Yorkshire included. To win their first Championship in this of all years would be one of the finest two-finger responses in cricket history.In Jason Gillespie’s first Division One game at Headingley, in 2013, Yorkshire were dismissed by Sussex for 96 and went on to lose the game. It remains the only Championship match that Yorkshire have lost at Headingley in Gillespie’s reign, but there is a danger that he could finish as he started – and a possible hat-trick of titles could disappear in the process.This was the day when Somerset needed their pace attack to retain their conviction and Overton set an example from the outset, removing the in-form Alex Lees for a duck with the assistance of Allenby at first slip.Gary Ballance’s obsession with the guide wide of slips is becoming more of a caricature shot than a signature shot. His mental muddle occurred in Overton’s fifth over with the slips still heavily populated; Lewis Gregory, at third slip, fumbled, but the ball slowed after deflecting off his body and he rescued it by his bootstraps.If Overton was industrious, Allenby’s economy was even more startling as he took three wickets and went for barely one an over. Lyth, who scrapped more than most, was the first, a decent delivery and a keeper’s catch, and he was to produce two more later: Adil Rashid transfixed as the ball left him and a wonderful delivery to unpick Andy Hodd for nought as nipped away to strike off stump.In between, Lehmann and Gale would have left with self-admonishment. They had rebuilt Yorkshire’s innings with a stand of 49, but Lehmann, after some sumptuous off-side drives, pulled Peter Trego to midwicket on the stroke of lunch and Gale, who had looked solid alongside him, cut weakly at Overton.Had Lehmann been held by Gregory at third slip off Tim Groenewald before he had scored, Yorkshire’s plight would have been worse. As it was, Tim Bresnan batted staunchly for an unbeaten 38 to give them some chance of pulling the match round.Evening sunshine did not help those chances as conditions eased somewhat and Trescothick and Rogers met the challenge with aplomb. Yorkshire have rarely needed Headingley to live up to its reputation as a haven for swing bowling more than they do now. Never mind the forecast September record of 25C: what about the cloud cover?

West Indies embark on a 44-day tour of Sri Lanka, which includes two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is in October and November, an SLC press release said

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2015West Indies embark on a 44-day tour of Sri Lanka, which includes two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is in October and November, an SLC press release said.The first Test begins in Galle on October 14, where West Indies have played only two matches in 2001 and 2010. They will only have three days to acclimatise to the venue.The SLC interim committee had earlier said that the board was trying to reduce the costs it will incur by hosting games in Galle, as well as at other venues for the tour. That could be the reason West Indies will spend much of their time ahead of the first Test in Colombo – seven days of training at the Sinhalese Sports Club, followed by a three-day game at the venue.Following the Galle Test, West Indies return to Colombo for the second Test at P Sara Oval, where they have never played red-ball cricket before. Three days’ practice at the venue will lead them into the match starting on October 22.West Indies have never won a Test series in Sri Lanka. They drew with the hosts in 1993 and 2010, and lost in 2001 and 2005.The ODIs start in November and will be day-night affairs. The first two ODIs will be held at the R Premadasa stadium on November 1 and November 4. Pallekele will host the final ODI on November 7 and the teams will stay back for the first T20 two days later. The final T20 will take the teams back to Premadasa on November 12.These T20s are the only confirmed matches that West Indies play before the World T20 in India in March 2016. Sri Lanka have two more on their docket when they visit New Zealand in December 2015-January 2016.

A century from Sheldon Jackson and handy contributions by the lower order helped Saurashtra post a challenging first innings total of 477, and put Punjab under pressure with three days remaining

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Rajkot17-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Siddarth Kaul was the most impressive Punjab bowler for the second successive day•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

If the first day of Saurashtra’s Ranji Trophy semi-final at the Khandheri stadium was good for the home team, the second turned out to be better. A century from Sheldon Jackson and handy contributions by the lower order helped Saurashtra post a challenging first innings total of 477, and put Punjab under pressure with three days remaining.When Jackson and Kamlesh Makvana walked out to the crease on a chilly morning, with the score at 274 for five, Saurashtra needed the last recognised pair of batsmen to bat on as long as they could. Jackson, who was batting on 70, converted his fifty to a hundred.On the opening day, Jackson, who is playing his first full season, had displayed patience in abundance. On the second day, he showed his ability to switch gears with ease. Once he survived a close leg-before shout in the second over of the day, he decided to go for his shots. The first loose ball he was offered was in the fourth over, bowled by Siddarth Kaul, who was easily the best of the Punjab bowlers for the second day in succession. The half volley was dispatched through covers for a boundary.It prompted Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh, who opened the proceedings on the day with his offspin, to opt for the new ball. It didn’t help much, as Jackson drove Kaul through point.Forty-five minutes into the day’s play, he rocked on to the backfoot to hit Sandeep Sharma through point for his fifth boundary that fetched him a deserving century. Jackson was applauded by his team-mates and a bunch of school kids, who had their first real experience of watching first-class cricket from close quarters. Even before the applause had died down, Jackson, having scored his third century of the season and second in back-to-back matches, thudded the next ball past the bowler for another boundary.He was ably supported by Makvana, the under-rated allrounder, also grew in confidence at the other end, flicking Kaul through square leg for a delightful boundary.Kaul, eventually, had the last laugh. At the stroke of the day’s first drinks break, he got one to nip back and slip past Jackson’s defence, crashing into off and middle stump. It ended Jackson’s four-hour stay at the wicket. Despite the sixth-wicket stand of 106 runs between Jackson and Makvana, Saurashtra were far from challenging Punjab’s batting. However, Makvana and Vishal Joshi – primarily an off-break bowler – frustrated the Punjab bowlers with sensible batting.The Saurashtra duo were helped by Harbhajan’s tactics as he chose to bowl himself and legspinner Sarabjit Ladda in long spells instead of short bursts. The tired bowlers offered many scoring opportunities to the batsmen, who duly capitalised. Bipul Sharma, who was brought in as an additional spinner, was hardly utilised for the second successive day. The left-arm spinner, who gave his side the vital breakthrough of Jaydev Shah in his first over on the opening day, was given just two of the 68 overs Punjab bowled in the day.Makvana was unfortunate to be given out on the verge of his second century of the season. He misread a good length ball from Ladda but instead of connecting with the ball, the bat hit the pad as the ball lobbed off wicketkeeper Uday Kaul’s gloves into the slip cordon. Umpire Rob Bailey gave the decision in the bowler’s favour, denying Makvana of a deserving ton.Joshi, though, continued his march and raised his maiden fifty before he ran out of partners. By the time Harbhajan ended the innings, forcing a nick off Siddharth Trivedi for his second wicket, Saurashtra had already reached a strong total. The Punjab batsmen will have to chase a 400-plus target for the second time in as many weeks.The Punjab dressing room had a reason to be optimistic about their chances of making it to the final. The opening combo of Jiwanjot Singh and Ravi Inder Singh played the Saurashtra bowlers with ease before bad light forced them to end the day’s play 15 minutes into the extended period of play.

Fifteen wickets tumbled on the second day at the MCG, to better the 13 on the first, and at the end of it all Tasmania were in a commanding position against Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2011
Scorecard
Fifteen wickets tumbled on the second day at the MCG, to better the 13 on the first, and at the end of it all Tasmania were in a commanding position, leading Victoria by 337 runs with two second-innings wickets intact. Their advantage was built by a strong bowling performance led by Jackson Bird, who took 5 for 35, as Victoria were routed for 94 in their first innings, conceding a lead of 123.Victoria began the day on 3 for 18, with Bird having taken three wickets in four balls on the first evening. He went on to scalp two more – both David Hussey and Cameron White were caught behind – to reduce the hosts to 5 for 55. Xavier Doherty then dismissed Rob Quiney, whose 33 was Victoria’s only double-figure score until then, without another run being added to the total.Andrew McDonald contributed 26 but the tail didn’t fight, and Victoria were dismissed before lunch for their lowest Sheffield Shield total since the 91 against New South Wales in 2004-05.Tasmania’s attempt to build on their lead did not have a happy beginning, though, and they were 46 for 4 after Evan Gulbis was dismissed for his fourth consecutive duck. James Faulkner, however, resisted with a half-century and he put on 65 for the sixth wicket with Mark Cosgrove, who made 36 off 34 balls and helped wrest the momentum. Both of them were dismissed in quick time but wicketkeeper Tom Triffitt scored 46 off 40 balls to lead Tasmania to 8 for 214.Jayde Herrick took 4 for 68 for Victoria, boosting his season tally to 26 to overtake Ben Cutting (23) as the season’s top wicket-taker.

Northern Districts joined Auckland at the top of the points table after they comprehensively beat Canterbury by eight wickets at in Hamilton

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2010Northern Districts joined Auckland at the top of the points table after they comprehensively beat Canterbury by eight wickets at Seddon Park in Hamilton.Northern Districts won the toss and chose to field, after rain delayed the start of play and the match was reduced to 18 overs. It looked like James Marshall had made the correct decision when Robi Nicol, coming off a match-winning half-century against Otago, was dismissed by Graeme Aldrige in the second over. Canterbury were 37 for 3 at the end of six overs and looked in danger of collapsing cheaply. However, Ryan ten Doeschate combined with Shannan Stewart and Carl Anderson for handy partnerships of 44 and 38 to steady the innings. But once ten Doeschate was dismissed on 119, the Canterbury innings fell away and they could only reach 138 for 8.Opener Daniel Flynn blasted 45 off 19 balls to get Northern Districts’ chase off to a cracking start. Flynn and David Warner added 54 runs before Flynn was dismissed. South African import Herschelle Gibbs at No. 3, together with Warner, cemented Northern Districts’ win with a 79-run partnership. Warner was unbeaten on 52 as Northern Districts completed an easy victory in just under 14 overs.

Stuart Broad can now remember Durban for the good times. His fourth-afternoon spell put England on course for their crushing innings-and-98-run victory

Andrew McGlashan in Durban31-Dec-2009Stuart Broad can now remember Durban for the good times. His fourth-afternoon spell of three wickets in 15 balls helped put England on course for their crushing innings-and-98-run victory and it was far cry from his previous experience on his ground. During the 2007 World Twenty20 he was clobbered for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh and has been reminded about it many times since.Now, though, after ripping out Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy in a dramatic post-tea session there is a different Kingsmead story to talk about. “I made sure I bowled at the other end,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a very different format of the game – and I can’t remember what happened yesterday, let alone years ago.”But I’ve learned a lot since back then and I’m feeling confident with where my game is at the moment. It was nice to get six wickets in the game at a ground I didn’t have too many fond memories of. To have won one of the best Test matches abroad that I’ve been involved in will certainly diminish the memories I had left of that poor day.He also believes that such experiences have helped him develop on the world stage, although that may have been quite hard to see while Yuvraj was launching him towards the ocean. “I’ve always been a big believer that you learn most from your mistakes,” he added. “It was a pretty brutal way to be introduced to international cricket. I’m pleased the way I’ve reacted to failures in the past, and it’s up to me to keep doing that.”For a bowler who was on the verge of being dropped four Tests ago, Broad has made significant strides to now be a key part of England’s four-man attack. He has ended 2009 as the third-highest wicket-taker for the year with 47 wickets at 28.36, six behind his destroyer-in-arms, Graeme Swann. Still, if it hadn’t been for Andrew Flintoff’s omission at Headingley due to injury Broad would have been left out after a poor start to the Ashes series.Instead he took 6 for 91 – a flattering analysis as Australia romped to victory, but still career-best – and then there was his day in the sun at The Oval. What people really wanted to know, though, was could he do it again?His most recent spell provided the answer. In 15 balls he extracted three high-class batsmen as Kallis, de Villiers and Duminy each departed to a variety of leaves. Kallis’ was the most dramatic as the off-stump went cart-wheeling then de Villiers padded up and Duminy dragged on.Stuart Broad can treasure the memory of Jacques Kallis’s flying off stump from Kinsgmead•Getty Images

“It was pleasing to get Kallis with one that nipped back when the seam was wobbling,” he said. “One thing that helped me before this series was to watch a bit of footage on Shaun Pollock because he’s the sort of bowler I want to be like.”He seemed to get the ball to talk when the seam wasn’t exactly perfectly bolt upright, when it was just wobbling slightly. It just nipped either way, on the South African wickets. It was a very happy moment when I saw Kallis raising his arms – because I knew it was not missing the off-stump; I just felt like it was tailing back.”Broad’s development as a Test cricketer mirrors, in many ways, that of the team from an inconsistent performer capable of occasional glimpses of something special to a consistent threat on the world stage. People still point to an average the wrong side of thirty, but it’s on the way down and as batsman’s averages have climbed over the last decade so have bowler’s. Broad has been the only ever-present in the England attack this year, which shows a wise investment from the management and they are now getting the rewards.”I’m fortunate at my age to have experienced quite a lot of different conditions round the world,” he said. “We’re learning as a bowling unit that pressure is getting us wickets. We’re not necessarily bowling huge, reverse-swinging yorkers. It’s the pressure we’re building from both ends.””We’re improving all the time. It’s crucial that we don’t get carried away, though. It was a great lesson in the Ashes series in the Test where we could have won the Ashes but were terrible at Headingley. It just shows we shouldn’t look too far ahead. We’re always a better team when we’re talking about winning the next hour or the next session.”The shorter targets are really helping us as a team, and that’s something we’ll take into Cape Town. We’ve got a great opportunity over here in South Africa – one of the hardest places to come and win Test cricket – and that first hour at Newlands will be crucial, whether with bat or ball, that we strike the first blow.”

South Africa’s batters were unable to convert starts which kept them to an under-par score at the Three Ws Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2025Hayley Matthews’ unbeaten 63 and two wickets each from Afy Fletcher and Karishma Ramharack helped West Indies beat South Africa and level the series 1-1 ahead of the decider on Monday. Six of South Africa’s batters got to double figures but no one scored more than 21, which helped West Indies keep the score down to 113 before Matthews iced the chase at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados.Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits got South Africa off to a good start after being put into bat. Wolvaardt hit Jahzara Claxton and Shawnisha Hector for boundaries in a 30-run opening stand before being dismissed for 16. Matthews, who had opened the bowling, returned in the sixth over to knock over Marizanne Kapp for a duck.Fletcher, the pick of West Indies bowlers, bowled five dots in her first over and dismissed Brits for a 21-ball 14 in the seventh, as South Africa lost 3 for 10. She kept Nadine de Klerk quiet but the batter got the tempo up at the other end. De Klerk hit the only six in the innings off Aaliyah Alleyne and put on 29 off 26 balls for the fourth wicket with Karabo Meso, taking South Africa to 69 for 3 in the 13th over.Fletcher got de Klerk’s wicket in her final over, which caused another slump of 3 for 10 as Ramharack got wickets in successive overs. Annerie Dercksen joined Meso and they had an unbeaten 34-run stand which picked up pace gradually. Both boundaries in the stand came in the final two overs that went for 18, taking South Africa to 113 for 6.Qiana Joseph started the West Indies chase with two boundaries off Nonkululeko Mlaba. Matthews, with 9 off 17, was slow to start but saw off Kapp’s three-over opening spell. Ayabonga Khaka came on in the eighth to get Joseph for 17 and end the 41-run opening stand.Matthews was stable in the middle overs but her partners either got stuck or fell cheaply. Mlaba and Khaka contained Hector before she was dismissed by Masabata Klaas for 3 off 12 balls. Matthews hit three fours in the next six balls before Mlaba, the pick of South Africa’s bowlers, got Shemaine Campbelle (7) and Chinelle Henry (3) in successive overs to leave West Indies on 77 for 4, needing 37 off 35 balls.Jannillea Glasgow and Matthews kept West Indies ticking despite there being no boundary between overs 13 and 18. With 16 needed off 12, Matthews – fresh off a run-a-ball 50 – whacked Khaka for a six and a four. The 13-run over was the most expensive of the innings. Glasgow then hit the winning runs off de Klerk.