Munisar shines in ODI defeat

In the shadow of a 90-run defeat to Australia in the second ODI, young West Indies off-spinner Ashmini Munisar offered a rare moment of brilliance that gave the home crowd at Warner Park something to cheer about on Sunday.

Australia posted 269 for seven, thanks largely to a rapid 64-run opening stand between Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield in under 11 overs. In reply the hosts were then bowled out for 179, falling well short of the target.

But for Munisar, a bright spot emerged when she got the ball first change.

The young Guyanese tweaker broke the dangerous opening stand when she had Voll caught at long-on for 23.

And then came the moment of the match. With her very next delivery, Munisar produced a stunning one‑handed return catch to dismiss Australian superstar Ellyse Perry for a first‑ball duck.

“I saw it, and it looked as if it was going over my head, so I think I jumped a bit early,” Munisar told CWI Media after the match. “But in the end, I still got it.”

The hat-trick ball brought its own tension and captain Hayley Matthews, who was the pick of the Windies bowlers with 3-40, had to settle her young spinner.

“I remember Hayley reminding me, ‘Oh, it’s a hat-trick,’” Munisar said with a smile. “I told her, ‘You know when you’re supposed to be nervous, like when you bowl to the big players? I’m so nervous to bowl this hat-trick ball.’ And she was like, ‘Just stay calm. You got this.’”

While the hat-trick didn’t materialise, Munisar was still pleased with her effort as she finished with 2 for 45 from her spell, while Afy Fletcher took 2 for 44.

“We bowled pretty well in partnerships to keep them down to 270,” Munisar said. 

“Knowing how strong the Australian batting lineup is, Afi got a couple, Hayley chipped in, and Ramas (Karishma Ramharack) bowled well too. It was a good day for the spinners.”

Chasing 270, the West Indies’ batting faltered, though Munisar remained upbeat about the fight shown.

“We all thought this was a game we could have crossed the line, but unfortunately, we didn’t,” she admitted. “We had a few positives. We saw Ramas and Afi in the back end with that key partnership to help us get past that 170 total.”

The third and final match is scheduled for Thursday.

(CMC)