Prendergast stars as Ireland beat West Indies for historic T20 World Cup win

Orla Prendergast produced a fine all-round performance as Ireland registered their first-ever victory at the Women's T20 World Cup, beating West Indies by six wickets in Bristol on Saturday.

After helping restrict West Indies to 128 for 7 with figures of 1 for 29, Prendergast struck a match-winning 63 off 44 balls as Ireland chased down the target with 11 balls to spare. The result also kept New Zealand's semifinal hopes alive and they will go through if they beat England in their final group game. Meanwhile, West Indies' chances are directly tied to an England win..

Asked to bat first, West Indies never found any fluency on a slow, two-paced surface. They lost Shemaine Campbelle early before Hayley Matthews (22), Stafanie Taylor (16) and Deandra Dottin (21) all got starts but struggled to score quickly. Ireland's bowlers mixed their pace cleverly and squeezed the batters with disciplined lines, while the spinners were particularly effective.

Chinelle Henry's unbeaten 27 off 21 balls gave West Indies a late push, but they still finished with a below-par 128 for 7 after losing four wickets in the final eight overs.

Ireland made a confident start to the chase despite losing captain Gaby Lewis in the fifth over. Prendergast and Amy Hunter steadied the innings with a quick 62-run stand for the second wicket, keeping the required rate under control. Hunter contributed 28 before falling to Afy Fletcher, but Prendergast shifted gears through the middle overs, sweeping and pulling confidently to bring up a superb half-century.

West Indies briefly raised hopes when Hayley Matthews dismissed Prendergast for 63 with 21 runs still needed, but Rebecca Stokell remained calm with an unbeaten 16 and Louise Little struck the winning boundary as Ireland completed the chase in 18.1 overs.

Brief scores: West Indies 128/7 (Chinelle Henry 27*, Hayley Matthews 22; Cara Murray 2-13, Aimee Maguire 2-22) lost to Ireland 129/4 in 18.1 overs (Orla Prendergast 63, Amy Hunter 28; Ashmini Munisar 2-28) by six wickets.