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Australia have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in their ODI series against West Indies with a 90-run win in the second match at St Kitts’ Warner Park.
New captain Sophie Molineux rested her recent back injury and watched on as veteran Beth Mooney (65 off 104 balls) top-scored for the visitors, who managed 269-7 after winning the toss.
Spinners Georgia Wareham (3-29) and Ash Gardner (3-34) were key with the ball as the hosts rued a collapse of 7-34 on the turning deck in reply.
West Indies were all out for 179 after 46 overs on Monday (AEDT).
Ninth on the ICC’s ODI rankings, West Indies had looked up for the fight against the world No 1 Australians, who fell to 82-4 in the 16th over of their innings.
Ashmini Munisar (2-45) notably struck twice in two balls to topple heavyweights Georgia Voll (23) and Ellyse Perry, out for only her third golden duck in 166 ODIs.
Mooney and stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath (24) got the visitors back on track with a 58-run stand before a valuable knock of 39 from Wareham at No 7.
In reply, West Indies star Hayley Matthews had the hosts tracking nicely at 1-92 through 23 overs, only to become the first victim of their almighty collapse
Matthews (45 off 73 balls) was dropped by Alana King on 44 but could only add one more run before Megan Schutt’s hands proved safer in the same McGrath (2-15) over.
In the next over, player of the match Wareham tickled the off-stump of the other set batter, Stafanie Taylor (18), and then sent Deandra Dottin packing for a fourth-ball duck.
Gardner had caught-and-bowled Matthews’ fellow opener Qiana Joseph (29) among her three wickets.
Australia struggled for the final wicket after exhausting Wareham and Gardner’s overs, allowing Afy Fletcher (32no) and Karishma Ramharack (14) to add some respectability to the scorecard.
McGrath ended the game and broke the 49-run partnership for the 10th wicket when Ramharack holed out to Voll.
Having already swept the three-match Twenty20 series, Australia face their hosts in the final ODI on Friday (AEDT) for the chance to claim six wins from as many matches on tour.
