West Indies' Campbelle survives and sinks defending champions New Zealand
Shemaine Campbelle's unbeaten 88 helped West Indies chase down 163 in a last-over thriller, handing defending champions New Zealand an early setback after a costly display of dropped catches and missed chances.
Brief Scores: West Indies (163/3 in 19.5 ovs) beat New Zealand (162/6 in 20 ovs) by 7 wickets in their Women's T20 World Cup 2026, Group B match at Southampton. Highlights | Scorecard
Shemaine Campbelle struck an unbeaten 88 as West Indies pulled off a stunning four-wicket victory over defending champions New Zealand in their opening Women's T20 World Cup match on Sunday.
Campbelle's 59-ball knock helped West Indies chase down 163 with one ball to spare, overcoming a series of early setbacks to hand the Caribbean side a dream start to the tournament and inflict an immediate blow on New Zealand's title defence.
The wicketkeeper-batter held the innings together after captain Hayley Matthews fell for 48 and accelerated at crucial moments, finishing unbeaten as West Indies reached 163/3 in the final over.
New Zealand will be left to rue a costly combination of dropped catches, missed stumping opportunities and wayward fielding that allowed West Indies to stay in the chase despite periods of pressure.
The White Ferns had earlier posted 162/6 after contributions throughout the batting order. Isabella Gaze top-scored with 39 off 29 deliveries, while Brooke Halliday made 40 and Maddy Green added a quickfire 35 from 22 balls to provide late momentum.
New Zealand appeared set for a much bigger total after Gaze and Georgia Plimmer guided them to 49/0, but West Indies clawed their way back through Aaliyah Alleyne.
The seamer delivered the defining spell of the innings, returning figures of 4/27. Alleyne removed Plimmer, Amelia Kerr and Gaze in quick succession before dismissing Halliday late in the innings to halt New Zealand's progress.
In reply, West Indies suffered an early blow when Qiana Joseph was run out following a mix-up with Matthews. However, Matthews and Campbelle rebuilt steadily before increasing the scoring rate during the middle overs.
Matthews fell two runs short of a half-century when she was caught at long-on off Jess Kerr, leaving Campbelle with the responsibility of guiding the chase.
The experienced batter responded brilliantly.
Campbelle attacked New Zealand's spinners, particularly Amelia Kerr, against whom she struck three sixes. She brought up her half-century before taking control of the chase in the final overs as the required rate continued to climb.
With 14 needed from the last two overs, Campbelle found the boundary at a crucial moment and kept West Indies in touching distance of the target.
New Zealand had opportunities to close out the contest but failed to capitalise. Several dropped chances and missed opportunities behind the stumps proved costly as Campbelle made the most of the reprieves offered to her side.
The equation eventually came down to four runs from the final over. Despite the pressure, West Indies held their nerve and crossed the finish line with a delivery to spare.
The result gives West Indies an early boost in the tournament and underlines their credentials as contenders, while New Zealand face immediate questions after a disappointing start to their bid to retain the Women's T20 World Cup title.
Brief Scores: West Indies (163/3 in 19.5 ovs) beat New Zealand (162/6 in 20 ovs) by 7 wickets in their Women's T20 World Cup 2026, Group B match at Southampton. Highlights | Scorecard
Shemaine Campbelle struck an unbeaten 88 as West Indies pulled off a stunning four-wicket victory over defending champions New Zealand in their opening Women's T20 World Cup match on Sunday.
Campbelle's 59-ball knock helped West Indies chase down 163 with one ball to spare, overcoming a series of early setbacks to hand the Caribbean side a dream start to the tournament and inflict an immediate blow on New Zealand's title defence.
The wicketkeeper-batter held the innings together after captain Hayley Matthews fell for 48 and accelerated at crucial moments, finishing unbeaten as West Indies reached 163/3 in the final over.
New Zealand will be left to rue a costly combination of dropped catches, missed stumping opportunities and wayward fielding that allowed West Indies to stay in the chase despite periods of pressure.
The White Ferns had earlier posted 162/6 after contributions throughout the batting order. Isabella Gaze top-scored with 39 off 29 deliveries, while Brooke Halliday made 40 and Maddy Green added a quickfire 35 from 22 balls to provide late momentum.
New Zealand appeared set for a much bigger total after Gaze and Georgia Plimmer guided them to 49/0, but West Indies clawed their way back through Aaliyah Alleyne.
The seamer delivered the defining spell of the innings, returning figures of 4/27. Alleyne removed Plimmer, Amelia Kerr and Gaze in quick succession before dismissing Halliday late in the innings to halt New Zealand's progress.
In reply, West Indies suffered an early blow when Qiana Joseph was run out following a mix-up with Matthews. However, Matthews and Campbelle rebuilt steadily before increasing the scoring rate during the middle overs.
Matthews fell two runs short of a half-century when she was caught at long-on off Jess Kerr, leaving Campbelle with the responsibility of guiding the chase.
The experienced batter responded brilliantly.
Campbelle attacked New Zealand's spinners, particularly Amelia Kerr, against whom she struck three sixes. She brought up her half-century before taking control of the chase in the final overs as the required rate continued to climb.
With 14 needed from the last two overs, Campbelle found the boundary at a crucial moment and kept West Indies in touching distance of the target.
New Zealand had opportunities to close out the contest but failed to capitalise. Several dropped chances and missed opportunities behind the stumps proved costly as Campbelle made the most of the reprieves offered to her side.
The equation eventually came down to four runs from the final over. Despite the pressure, West Indies held their nerve and crossed the finish line with a delivery to spare.
The result gives West Indies an early boost in the tournament and underlines their credentials as contenders, while New Zealand face immediate questions after a disappointing start to their bid to retain the Women's T20 World Cup title.
