Stafanie Taylor ... claimed three wickets for 10 runs. - File

DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka (CMC):

West Indies Women made a confident start to their trip, when they completed a 40-run victory in the first one-day international against Sri Lanka Women yesterday at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

Stacy-Ann King paved the way for the victory with eight fours and two sixes in 70 from 100 balls that lifted the visitors to a respectable 167 in 49.5 overs.

Offspin bowlers Afy Fletcher and Stefanie Taylor then shared six wickets between them to send the home team crashing to 127 in 42.4 overs.

Fletcher formalised the result, when she bowled wicketkeeper/bat Dilani Weerakkody for eight, but she already had an early effect on the outcome.

The 21-year-old Fletcher, the sister of West Indies and new Stanford Superstars millionaire batsman Andre Fletcher, struck twice in the space of four overs.

She dismissed Dedunu Silva for 23 in the eighth over and the home team captain Shashikala Siriwardene lbw for five in the 12th over to leave Sri Lanka Women 51 for two.

Steadied the ship

But the visitors were kept at bay when Hiruka Fernando joined Chamari Kumarihami and they steadied the ship with a stand of 40 for the third wicket before things started to unravel for the home team.

Anisa Mohammed made the breakthrough for West Indies Women with two vital strikes, when she had Kumarihami adjudged lbw for the top score of 29 in the 27th over and Fernando caught and bowled in the 29th over.

Taylor tightened West Indies Women's grip when she bowled Suwini de Alwis for seven, and added Eshani Kaushalya in successive balls.

West Indies Women were helped down the stretch when Chamani Seneviratna and Chamika Bandara were needlessly run out before Taylor bowled Sripali Weerakoddy in the 40th over.

Taylor was the pick of the West Indies Women's bowlers with three wickets for 10 runs from eight overs and Fletcher snared three for 21 from 7.4 overs; Mohammed took two for 33 from 10 overs.

Earlier, West Indies Women were under pressure from early, and slumped to 50 for five in the 17th over before King led the revival along with Danielle Small and Kirbiyina Alexander.

Tighter

Small made 11 and added 31 for the sixth wicket with King before Kumarihami snared her in the 25th over, but Alexander added a vital 55 for the seventh wicket with King to beef up the West Indies Women's total before she was adjudged lbw to de Alwis for 13 in the 35th over.

Things got progressively tighter for the West Indies Women in the closing overs and they lost their last four wickets for 30 runs in the space of 15 overs.

Weerakkody collected three for 26 from 10 overs, and de Alwis took three for 33 off 10 overs.

The second ODI will be contested tomorrow at the same venue.