NEWCASTLE, Australia (CMC):

Stafanie Taylor has described as 'amazing' her feeling about playing the lead role on her World Cup debut as West Indies beat South Africa on Sunday.

The 17-year-old off-spinning all-rounder returned splendid figures of four for 17 off 8.2 overs with two maidens, to set up the Caribbean side's victory in their opening Group A match of the ICC Women's World Cup.

"This is a great feeling. Amazing ... my first World Cup match and I was really pleased with the way I bowled and the way the team performed," said the Jamaican teenager.

"Everyone in the camp is happy," added Taylor, who won the Player-of-the-Match award for her career-best figures.

Playing at the No.1 Sports Ground, the Windies limited the South Africans to 116 off 45.2 overs and then made 117 for eight off 48.4 overs to move to the top of Group A standings alongside New Zealand, who upset defending champions Australia in the day's other game.

"The pitch was very good for batting and it did not take much turn. I knew I had to attack the stumps and try to flight the ball. It worked really well and we came away with a very important victory," said Taylor, who also opened the batting.

One of two 17-year-olds - the other Deandra Dottin - in the West Indies squad, Taylor said she was 'very nervous' the night before the game, but she turned on the television to watch Chris Gayle bat in the ongoing Test match against England in Trinidad and that helped to calm her down.

"It was my first match and I was very nervous. I could not even sleep. I was thinking about the game and what I would have to do. I decided to watch the Test match and I saw Chris Gayle taking the attack to England. I decided the best way to handle to the situation would be to have a similar approach ... be positive," said Taylor, the 2006 West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) Women's Cricketer-of-the-Year.

The result was crucial for the West Indies, putting them in pole position to get into the Super Six round as one of the top three of the four teams in Group A competition.

Immense pressure

With both West Indies and South Africa still to play the powerful Australia and New Zealand teams, the South Africans are now under immense pressure to avoid finishing bottom of the table, which would relegate them to the seventh/eighth-place play-off against the bottom-placed team from Group B.

"We went into the match full of confidence and this victory will help to lift us even more. We knew it would not be easy, we knew we would have to work really hard for the victory so we were mentally prepared.

"We will go into the next match looking for another victory when we meet New Zealand on Tuesday (last night Caribbean time). We know we will have to put in another big performance to make the people in the West Indies proud," she said.