Scotland fall short of famous win over Windies
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- West Indies edged Scotland by seven runs in a T20 World Cup Group 2 thriller at Headingley, finishing on 153-6 from their 20 overs as Scotland were bowled out for 146.
- Stafanie Taylor, playing her first match of the tournament at 35, smashed 47 not out off just 19 balls, including three sixes in her last five deliveries, to rescue a West Indies innings that had stumbled to 85-5 in the 15th over.
- Darcey Carter, batting through with a calf injury, anchored Scotland's chase with 59 off 62 balls and combined with Ailsa Lister (33 off 25) to take the score to the point where Scotland needed just 22 from the last two overs.
- Aaliyah Alleyne broke the game open in the penultimate over, dismissing Carter, Lister and Kirstie Gordon first ball to halt Scotland's momentum under extreme pressure.
- Qiana Joseph, who had earlier dropped catches and bowled two badly-timed no-balls, recovered to bowl out the final over and seal the win, with Scotland still needing 13 off four balls with two wickets in hand.
- Scotland, who beat Ireland on Saturday for their first-ever World Cup win, now face England on Saturday with their semi-final hopes still alive despite the near-miss against a fancied opponent.
Why it matters: The seven-run margin masks how close Scotland — a team that only introduced central contracts for women's players in 2023 — came to one of the biggest wins in their cricketing history, and a scalp that would have given them a genuine shot at the semi-finals. Their fightback from 58-4 against a full-strength West Indies side signals Scotland are no longer viewing themselves as tournament underdogs.
