England beaten by West Indies in World Cup thriller

Heather Knight's side remain without a point after coming up seven runs short against Stafanie Taylor's team in Dunedin

Dunedin: West Indies 225-6, England 218 - West Indies win by seven runs

England's hopes of retaining the Women's World Cup were dealt a blow as they were beaten by seven runs in Dunedin by West Indies.

Heather Knight's side were below their best, dropping several chances – including one off the first ball of the match – and haemorrhaging extras with the ball, before losing wickets at regular intervals with the bat in an uncharacteristically poor display.

That they came so close to victory was down to a lower-order rearguard that began with a counterattacking partnership between Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley. Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross then added 61 for the ninth wicket, only for Anisa Mohammed to deflect a sharp return catch opportunity onto the stumps at the bowler's end to run out Cross, before bowling Anya Shrubsole to complete a memorable victory for Courtney Walsh's charges.

Earlier, the tone had been set when Deandra Dottin's leading edge was shelled at mid-off by Lauren Winfield-Hill with the game just a single delivery old. Dottin responded by smashing Shrubsole, who would drop two catches herself, for six over midwicket.

Despite her well-known power, Dottin mostly played second-fiddle to Hayley Matthews, who hit two sixes and played beautifully, carrying on from her hundred against New Zealand in the tournament opener.

For 20 overs, West Indies were relatively untroubled; it was only when Ecclestone was introduced that England were able to take some control. The left-arm spinner dismissed Matthews and Stafanie Taylor in the space of five balls, with Dottin run out in the same over after a miscommunication with Kycia Knight.

But even after West Indies had lost their experienced engine room, they kept on coming. Knight was well caught by Wyatt at cover, but wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle made 66 and Chedean Nation finished unbeaten on 49, dragging their side to a final total of 225 for 6 on a pitch that was offering significant turn but was still good for batting.

^{England shelled several chances in the field in a poor display (Sanka Vidanagama/Getty Images)}

England had helped them in the process, taking their extras tally for the tournament past 50 in just two matches, while adding 23 wides to the 21 they bowled in the defeat by Australia. Between them, Shrubsole, Cross and Katherine Brunt have taken a single wicket in two matches.

Having batted so well against Australia, England would still have fancied themselves to knock off the target, but the momentum turned on an astonishing catch from Dottin, who leapt to her left and clung onto a one-handed screamer at backward point to dismiss Winfield-Hill for just 12 in the ninth over of a powerplay that was only otherwise remarkable for the several wides unfurled by Shamilia Connell and Chinelle Henry.

Knight soon followed, feathering behind to Matthews' off-spin, albeit she was unfortunate in that there had been no suspicion of an edge until an optimistic stumping appeal resulted in a check from Ultra Edge.

West Indies made the most of that fortune, though; Nat Sciver, England's centurion against Australia, clothed an attempt to clear mid-on to be dismissed for just two, before Amy Jones' poor run with the bat continued when she edged Aaliyah Alleyne to Matthews at slip.

The big wicket was Tammy Beaumont, however; the opener, so often England's rock in 50-over cricket, had already been given a life when Mohammed shelled her at slip, but the veteran off-spinner came into the attack to trap her in front as she looked to advance down the pitch.

A recovery ensued, with Dunkley and Wyatt adding 60 in double-quick time from 94 for 5, but they departed within three balls of one another: Dunkley mishitting a pull to short mid-on and Wyatt attempting to clear mid-off when a period of consolidation was perhaps required. In the same over, Brunt scythed Connell to Dottin who, having already taken a far harder chance, was never going to miss this one.

Cross and Ecclestone did all they could and looked to be on the verge of completing a fine recovery, but Mohammed had other ideas, with England falling seven runs short.