Southampton: West Indies beat defending champions New Zealand by seven wickets in their campaign opener of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at The Rose Bowl on Saturday.
Chasing 163 runs, Shemain Campbell’s fightback and captain Hayley Mathews’ key contribution made the Caribbean team chase down the target for the loss of just 3 wickets in 19.5 overs.
Campbell scored an unbeaten 90 off 62 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes, while Mathews added 48 runs off 37 balls including 6 fours and a six.
Opener Kiana Joseph was run out for 2, Diandra Todd’s six and Jahsara Claxton remained unbeaten with 5.
For the White Ferns, Jess Kerr was the only wicket-taker, taking 2 for 17 from his four overs.
New Zealand, who batted first, were restricted to 162-6 in the allotted 20 overs by pacer Aaliyah Allin, who bowled a brilliant spell to trouble the Kiwi batting line-up.
Brooke Holliday kept the scoreboard afloat for the defending champions after top-scoring with a 32-ball 40 with 5 boundaries.
Opener Isabella Gass gave her team a strong start but could not last long as she was dismissed for 39 off 29 balls with 8 fours.
Maddy Green led the innings forward with an unbeaten 35 off 22 balls with 4 fours and a six, playing a key role in New Zealand’s total of 150 runs.
However, the top order faltered as Georgia Plimmer was dismissed cheaply for 8 off 11 balls, including a boundary, while skipper Mellie Kerr managed just five runs.
Izzy Sharpe also took five, while Jess Kerr remained unbeaten off two balls.
Aaliyah Allineh led the Caribbean team’s bowling, finishing with impressive figures of 4/27 from four overs, while Deandra Tatin and Hayley Mathews picked up a wicket each.
For the uninitiated, New Zealand next take on Sri Lanka Women at the same venue on June 16, followed by the West Indies against Scotland in Leeds on June 18.