With a 4-wicket win over Guyana Amazon Warriors on Saturday, Barbados Royals have stormed into the final of the inaugural Women's CPL. It was an all-round performance from Hayley Matthews & co, who dominated in all three departments to set up another clash against Trinbago Knight Riders in a final.
Earlier, Hayley won the toss and put the Warriors into bat first. Their openers Chamari Athapaththu and Rashada Williams got off to a breezy start, adding 34 runs in the first six overs. But Athapaththu fell on the final ball of the Powerplay, thanks to a classic LBW dismissal from Fatima Sana. Rashada was cleaned up by Shakera Selman in the 10th over, and some tight spells in the middle overs put the pressure back on the Warriors.
For the Royals, Shakera and Fatema stood out with the ball, picking two wickets each. They were well-supported by the rest of the bowling attack, keeping a lid on the run-scoring from one end. Britney Cooper and Fatima teamed up to affect two run-outs that further derailed the Warriors' innings. Despite captain Stafanie Taylor's unbeaten 32, they could only manage to score 100 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing a target of 101, the Royals started off strong but lost a couple of quick wickets in the 6th over. However, a middle-order rebuilding partnership between Chloe Tryon and Chinelle Henry ensured the runs kept coming and swung the momentum back in their favour. Qiana then took charge to ensure the team got over the line comfortably. Her 19-ball 30 blitz included one four and two sixes, the last of which propelled the Royals to victory in the 19th over.