KARACHI, Pakistan, (CMC) - West Indies women’s coach Ann Browne-John has praised her team’s effort in their drawn one-off Test match against Pakistan that ended on Thursday at the Karachi National Stadium.
Forced to follow-on after being bowled out by the Pakistanis for 147 in the first innings, the inexperienced West Indies fought back gamely to post an all-time team best 440 to save the game.
“I am pleased with the performance of the team,” Browne-John told CMC Sport.
None of the West Indies players had previous Test experience and Ann Browne-John was pleased with how efficiently they eventually made the adjustment.
“They had all previously just been involved in One-Day Internationals and they had to change their whole mental approach towards this type of game.
“After the first two days, we were up against it, but the girls buckled down very, very well. Coming and scoring 440 runs was a really great achievement, being able to go into the record book and they will do well in the future in Test cricket," Browne-John added.
The highlights of the match were a world record innings of 242 from Pakistan opener and vice-captain Kiran Baluch and a haul of 13 wickets by the home team captain Shaiza Khan, with her leg-break bowling.
Kiran, in pushing Pakistan to their first innings 426 for seven declared, surpassed the previous women’s Test match highest score of 214 made by India’s Mithali Raj, against England at Taunton in England in the summer of 2002.
In the West Indies’ second innings, the St Lucian left-hander Nadine George hit a century (118) to become the first West Indies player to score a hundred in women’s Test cricket.
The previous West Indies highest was an innings of 72 by Beverly Browne, against England at Birmingham, back in 1979.
The two teams now embark on a series of seven One-day Internationals, with the first set for tomorrow at the Pakistan National Stadium.