England’s women completed a 5-0 T20 series sweep with an eight-wicket thrashing of West Indies in a one-sided tour finale in Bridgetown that saw the hosts bowled out for a meagre total of 43.
Freya Davies and Alice Davidson-Richards made the most of a rare opportunity in the starting XI to rip through the hosts’ batting lineup; Davies had figures of 3-2 while Davidson-Richards had 3-5.
The pair were ably backed up by Charlie Dean, who took two wickets for eight runs. Djenaba Joseph top-scored for West Indies with 11 before her side were all out after 16.2 overs.
England then made quick work of the paltry run chase as openers Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley set about their task before Nat Sciver (20 from 12 balls) helped knock off the total in just 5.3 overs.
England’s dominance in the T20 series comes after Heather Knight’s team secured a 3-0 sweep in the one-day international series. Earlier in the week, Knight warned that women’s international cricket must be protected, revealing her side’s tour of the West Indies has felt like “going back in time” due to its low-key nature and lack of DRS technology.
The Caribbean trip has been a resounding success but Knight has been unable to shake the idea that while things have been moving forward for her side on the field, the trip has represented a backwards step in other ways.
The West Indies do not have the financial or administrative resources to match the rapid acceleration of professionalism of the women’s game seen by the likes of England, Australia and India and the contest has failed to draw the levels of interest Knight has become accustomed to at home.
“On the pitch it’s been brilliant but we haven’t massively been challenged which is a shame,” she said. “It’s felt weirdly like a very low key tour, no media here and not a huge amount of coverage. And not having third umpires and DRS feels really strange, almost like going back in time a little bit.
“With those things, you just become accustomed to it, you have those things in domestic competitions back home. But ultimately it’s all about money being available to put into those resources.
“With the T20 World Cup coming it’s going to be very different and very much in the spotlight.”
Knight’s concerns go well beyond a quiet month in Antigua and Barbados, though. She knows how precarious the landscape can be for some nations and believes work must be done to preserve the primacy of international cricket amid the rise of T20 leagues.
She added: “It’s so important to keep the international game really strong. There’s a lot of changes on the horizon with the [women’s] IPL and PSL kicking off, so it’s really important international cricket is looked after and is strong in all countries, that it’s still the pinnacle of the game.
“You see the changes happening in the men’s game and the changes in the women’s game could affect things even more if people decide to just go down the franchise route – playing less cricket for more money.
“It’s a little reminder that international cricket needs to be looked after and invested in.”
