West Indies Edge Scotland in Thrilling T20 World Cup Encounter

T20 World Cup, Group 2, Headingley

West Indies 153-6 (20 overs): Taylor 47* (19); Fraser 2-34

Scotland 146 (20 overs): Carter 59 (62), Lister 33 (25)

West Indies won by seven runs

Scorecard. Tables

Scotland came agonisingly short of a famous victory at the T20 World Cup as West Indies somehow won a tumultuous game at Headingley.

Put on the back foot by Stafanie Taylor's 19-ball 47 not out and having lost four wickets for seven runs in their chase of 154, Darcey Carter, who was battling a calf injury, and Ailsa Lister took the Scots to the point of needing 22 from the last two overs.

Deandra Dottin was in tears while conceding 13 from the 18th over but Windies seamer Aaliyah Alleyne held her nerve through the tension to dismiss Carter for 59, Lister for 33 and Kirstie Gordon first ball in the penultimate over.

Still Scotland refused to go quietly. They fought on to the point of needing 13 from the last four balls with two wickets left, only for Qiana Joseph, who had previously dropped catches and bowled two horribly-timed no-balls, to close out a seven-run win - Scotland dismissed for 146.

Scotland were superb for much of the first innings - athletic in the field and clever with the ball - but veteran Taylor, playing her first match of the tournament at 35, hit three sixes in her last five balls to boost an innings that was floundering at 85-5 in the 15th over.

That, ultimately, was decisive.

Having beaten Ireland for their first World Cup win on Saturday, Scotland's hopes of progressing are not over but, after being denied a major scalp that would have given them a real shot at a semi-final place, they next play England on Saturday.

West Indies are back in action on Sunday against Sri Lanka in Bristol.

The quality, particularly from West Indies, was often questionable, but this was the best game of this World Cup so far.

Much of the Windies batting innings was pedestrian. Scotland gave them little to hit and Katherine Fraser brilliantly caught Joseph on the boundary, ran out in-form Shemaine Campbelle for 36 and bowled Hayley Matthews for 14.

They needed Taylor, who had not scored as many runs in a T20 international for three years but struck powerfully down the ground, to get them to a score.

Scotland raced to 51-0 in 5.1 overs – Matthews having to pull her team together for a huddle at one stage as catches went down.

From 51-0, Scotland were 58-4 with Sarah and Kathryn Bryce out for nought and four respectively.

Scotland looked done but Lister provided oomph and Carter batted through. When Dottin bowled three wides and was struck for two fours, Scotland were favourites and West Indies seemed overcome by the situation.

Immense credit has to go to Alleyne, who took one high catch to have Carter caught and bowled and, after another misfield gave away four, bowled both Lister and Gordon.

That Scotland got so close shows how far a team that had not won a World Cup match a week ago - one that first introduced central contracts for women's players in 2023 - has come.

The disappointment at the finish also showed a team who knew what almost was. They do not view themselves as underdogs at this tournament but this would have been one of the biggest wins in their cricketing history.