Scotland left to rue late collapse as they fall eight runs short of a famous victory in T20 World Cup nail-biter
Stafanie Taylor’s heroics with the bat and Aaliyah Alleyne’s death bowling saw the West Indies squeeze past a spirited Scotland by seven runs at Headingley.
Taylor’s 19-ball 47 rescued the West Indies after they had slipped to 5-85, helping the Caribbean team reach 6-153.
Scotland’s Darcey Carter survived cramp and being dropped twice to post 59 but it proved in vain as she was the first of three Alleyne wickets in the penultimate over as the Windies held on for their second win.
After the Windies were put in, Katherine Fraser took a stunning high catch to land just inside the boundary and dismiss Qiana Joseph for 13.
Fraser then bowled the dangerous Hayley Matthews for 14, the same score made by Deandra Dottin before she was stumped by Sarah Bryce off sister Kathryn’s bowling.
Taylor, playing her first game of the tournament, brought a change in momentum, clattering three sixes, including one off the final ball.
Needing their biggest chase in T20Is, Scotland made a fast start as Fraser crunched the second ball to the boundary.
Carter joined in on the act by smacking Dottin for three fours before being dropped on 19 by Joseph.
Scotland were then pegged back as Matthews took two wickets in three balls to bowl Fraser then have Kathryn Bryce chip a simple catch to mid-off.
Megan McColl was also dropped by the Windies but it mattered little as she departed having added only one run, LBW for Matthews’ third.
Scotland had slipped to 5-74 but Carter remained a threat, picking up Scotland’s first boundary in seven overs before being dropped again on 42, this time by Taylor.
Carter’s maiden World Cup fifty came from 53 balls, and she put on 48 with Ailsa Lister before Alleyne held onto Carter’s third offered chance off her own bowling.
Alleyne (3-11) proved destructive also getting Lister for 33, and Kirstie Gordon for a first-ball duck in a crucial 19th over.
Needing 17 off the final over from Joseph, Scotland were dismissed for 146, eight runs short.
Injury blow for India
Shreyanka Patil has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup with an ankle injury and replaced in the squad by Prema Rawat.
Patil rolled her right ankle while fielding a ball off her own bowling during India’s big win against Netherlands earlier this week, and the off-spinning allrounder had to be stretchered off the field.
Patil has had poor luck with injuries. She missed the 2024 T20 World Cup with a broken finger, then spent most of the following year sidelined dealing with shin splints and a wrist issue.
Rawat, a 24-year-old leg-spinner, has been called up to the national side for the first time. She was already in England with the India A squad that is due to play a series of white-ball matches starting this weekend. She took eight wickets at an economy of 4.27 for India A in their win in the youth women’s Asia Cup tournament, and has played two seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the WPL.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 standings
Round 1
Group 1
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
Drawn
D
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Bowling Bonus
Bowl
Total points
PTS
1
IND
2
2
0
0
0
0
3.975
0
0
0
4
2
AUS
2
2
0
0
0
0
3.875
0
0
0
4
3
SA
2
1
1
0
0
0
-1.097
0
0
0
2
4
BAN
2
1
1
0
0
0
-1.79
0
0
0
2
5
PAK
2
0
2
0
0
0
-2.263
0
0
0
0
6
NED
2
0
2
0
0
0
-2.611
0
0
0
0
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
Group 2
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
Drawn
D
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Bowling Bonus
Bowl
Total points
PTS
1
ENG
2
2
0
0
0
0
2.763
0
0
0
4
2
WI
2
2
0
0
0
0
0.233
0
0
0
4
3
SCO
2
1
1
0
0
0
0.825
0
0
0
2
4
SL
2
1
1
0
0
0
-2.04
0
0
0
2
5
NZ
2
0
2
0
0
0
-0.2
0
0
0
0
6
IRE
2
0
2
0
0
0
-1.492
0
0
0
0
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
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