Jamaica thumps St Lucia

Stafanie Taylor struck 61 runs from just 46 balls as Jamaica destroyed St Lucia to book their spot in the semi-finals of the Regional Women’s Twenty20 Tournament.

Sunday at Progress Park in Grenada after winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Jamaicans lost Natasha Mc Lean cheaply for four.

But Taylor was joined by her West Indian teammate Shanel Daley and both batters set about laying down a solid score. They both took the attack to the St Lucian bowlers, ripping them apart. Taylor struck seven fours in her knock that lasted 59 minutes. At the other end, Daley was less aggressive but fed the strike over to her partner.

Daley struck two boundaries in her knock of 38 runs from 41 runs. In a match reduced to 15 overs a side, the Jamaicans had finished on a good score of 108 for one, scoring at 7.2 runs an over. Their bowlers then took over the show.

The St Lucians tried to keep wickets in hand and though they succeeded to some degree, they weren’t keeping up with the ever-increasing Required Run Rate. The Jamaican bowlers bowled tightly. Natasha Mc Lean finished with two for nine while Peta Gaye Hanson had one for 17.

St Lucia had batted out their 15 overs, but had fallen woefully short off their victory target, getting to 59 for four. They lost by 49 runs.

Maria David top scored for St Lucia with 28, Paulina Francis was the only other batter in double figures with 13.