Leeds: Alia Allen and Hayley Mathews took three wickets each to top Darcy Carter’s brave half-century as West Indies beat Scotland by seven runs in the 12th match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Headingley on Thursday.
Chasing a target of 154 runs, Scotland scored 146 runs in 20 overs and suffered their first defeat in the 12-team tournament.
The European side got off to a brilliant start to their quest as the opening partnership between Katherine Fraser and Carter put up 51 runs in five overs.
Captain Mathews gave the West Indies a much-needed breakthrough with the first delivery of the sixth over as he cleaned up the retreating Fraser with 20 off 11 balls with 3 fours.
His dismissal sparked a slump that saw Scotland lose four more wickets at an alarming rate, slumping to 74/5 in 10.4 overs, needing 80 off 56 balls.
Following the collapse, Ailsa Lister joined key Carter in the middle and the duo batted bravely with a 48-run partnership to send Scotland into the hunt.
But Alliin dealt a decisive blow to Scotland’s hopes as he struck out both sets of bats and conceded just five runs in a pulsating over.
Carter was Scotland’s top scorer with a cautious 59 off 62 balls with 8 fours, while Lister scored 33 off 25 balls with 5 fours, including a six.
With 17 runs needed from the final over, Gianna Joseph held his nerve against Scotland’s Tailanders and conceded just 9 runs for the West Indies to spin out a stunning victory.
Mathews and Allen combined for three wickets in the West Indies bowling, Affi Fletcher took two wickets and Joseph chipped in with a scalp.
Scotland captain Kathryn Price’s decision to bat first was backfired by the anchor of wicketkeeper batsman Shemain Campbell and a late blitz by Stephanie Taylor as the 2016 champions piled up 153/6 in 20 overs.
West Indies, however, got off to a mixed start to their innings as they lost left-arm opener Joseph (13) for just 24 in the fifth over.
Right-arm opener and captain Mathews (14) then joined Campbell in the middle and the duo added 20 runs for the second wicket until Kathryn Fraser dismissed the former in the eighth over.
Campbell then put on a crucial 35-run partnership for the third wicket with Deandra Totin, both of whom were dismissed off subsequent balls, resulting in West Indies slumping to 80/4 in 13.1 overs.
West Indies suffered another setback to their batting journey in the next over, with Kirsty Gordon caught by Sinelle Henry (five) lbw, resulting in a further slip to 85/5.
His dismissal paved the way for Taylor to come out to bat at number 7 and the 35-year-old scored a 19-ball 47 with 4 fours and 3 sixes that earned him the man of the match award.
He was amply supported during West Indies’ late surge by middle-order batsman Jahsara Claxton, who scored 16 off nine balls.
For Scotland, Fraser took two wickets for 34 runs from her four overs, while Rachel Slater, Gordon and captain Price could each pick up a wicket.
The seven-run victory was West Indies’ second in as many matches and helped Scotland finish second in the Group 2 standings of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with four points, behind only hosts England due to a lower net run rate.