KARACHI, Pakistan (CMC) — Karishma Ramharack had a day to remember when she followed up a penetrative spell with a boundary off the last ball to hand West Indies Women a thrilling, two-wicket win against hosts Pakistan Women in their second ICC Women’s Championship One-Day International (ODI) on Sunday.

Ramharack got the last ball of the match from pacer Fatima Sana to edge past the left of wicketkeeper Najiha Alvi and into the boundary for four, enabling the Caribbean side to wildly celebrate a successful chase of 224 for victory in the 50 overs-a-side match at the National Stadium.

The visitors again got off to a sluggish start, reaching 37 for one at the close of the first Power Play, and they continued to struggle to increase the scoring tempo throughout the chase against the heavily spin-biased attack of their opponents.

They still appeared to be on track for victory at 159 for two, though, with former Captain Stafanie Taylor and newly appointed Vice-Captain Shemaine Campbelle in firm control during a third-wicket stand of 88 with 65 required and 13 overs remaining.

But six wickets — three of them to Pakistan Captain Nida Dar, including Afy Fletcher off the penultimate ball of the match — put West Indies Women on the brink of a disastrous finish before the stroke of good fortune for Ramharack.

Taylor hit the top score of 73 from 90 balls for the Caribbean side to earn the Player of the Match award, Campbelle made 52 from 73 balls, their Captain Hayley Matthews supported with 44, and fellow all-rounder Chinelle Henry got 23, while Dar was the pick of the home team’s bowlers in taking four for 52 from nine overs with her off spin.

The result means that the visitors take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, and earned two more points in the 10-team ICC Women’s Championship table towards direct qualification for next year’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup to be staged in India.

Matthews’ side now have 12 points from 14 matches, and they are still ninth in the standings with plenty of work to do to try to become one of the five teams that directly qualify for the World Cup, along with the hosts.

Consequently, the bottom-four teams in the Women’s Championship, and the two teams ranked at 11th and 12th in the ICC ODI rankings, will progress to a qualifying tournament — the details of which are to be announced later — from which the top two will complete the line-up for the global showpiece.

Earlier, pacer Henry took three for 37 from eight overs and a ball, Ramharack bagged three for 47 from her allotted 10 overs with her off spin, and leg-spinner Afy Fletcher captured two for 46 from her 10 overs to lead the West Indies Women’s bowling.

The bowlers of the Caribbean side fought back and bowled out Pakistan Women for 223 in 48 overs and a ball, after the hosts won the toss and decided to bat.

The visitors appeared to be on their heels when the Pakistanis were cruising on 91 for one, with Bismah Maroof and Sidra Ameen at the height of a second-wicket stand of 80.

Fletcher trapped Ameen lbw for an even 50 (off 70 balls) in the 21st over, and Pakistan Women lost their last eight wickets — including Maroof for the top score of 65 (off 105 balls) — between the 26th and penultimate overs of the innings in the hunt for quick runs.

West Indies Women were unchanged, while the Pakistanis brought right-handed batsman Sadaf Shamas and off-spinner Umm-e-Hani in to replace Diana Baig and Nashra Sandhu.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN WOMEN

Muneeba Ali b Henry 2

Sidra Ameen lbw b Fletcher 50

Bismah Maroof c Matthews b Ramharack 65

Sadaf Shamas c Fletcher b Ramharack 9

*Nida Dar run out 15

Aliya Riaz lbw b Fletcher 6

Fatima Sana lbw b Ramharack 11

+Najiha Alvi c Matthews b Henry 25

Tuba Hassan lbw b Matthews 1

Umm-e-Hani lbw b Henry 3

Sadia Iqbal not out 6

Extras (lb9, w21) 30

TOTAL (all out, 48.5 overs) 223

Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Muneeba Ali, 1.3 overs); 2-91 (Sidra Ameen, 20.4); 3-106 (Sadaf Shamas, 25.1); 4-128 (Nida Dar, 29.3); 5-140 (Aliya Riaz, 32.5); 6-165 (Fatima Sana, 37.2); 7-196 (Bismah Maroof, 41.5); 8-198 (Tuba Hassan, 43.2); 9-201 (Umm-e-Hani, 44.1)

Bowling: Connell 4-1-13-0 (w2); Henry 8.5-1-37-3 (w7); Alleyne 3-0-11-0 (w2); Matthews 10-0-41-1; Fletcher 10-0-46-2 (w10); Ramharack 10-1-48-3; James 3-0-18-0

WEST INDIES WOMEN

*H. Matthews c (sub) Diana Baig b Umm-e-Hani 44

+R. Williams c Muneeba Ali b Nida Dar 7

S. Campbelle c Safa Shamas b Umm-e-Hani 52

S. Taylor c Fatima Sana b Sadia Iqbal 73

C. Nation lbw b Nida Dar 6

C. Henry c Umm-e-Hani b Nida Dar 23

A. Alleyne b Nida Dar 2

A. Fletcher c Sidra Ameen b Fatima Sana 2

Z. James not out 1

K. Ramharack not out 4

Extras (b1, lb6, w4) 11

TOTAL (8 wkts, 50 overs) 225

S Connell did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-32 (Williams, 9.2 overs); 2-71 (Matthews, 19.3); 3-159 (Campbelle, 37.1); 4-182 (Nation, 41.3); 5-206 (Taylor, 46.1); 6-216 (Alleyne, 48.4); 7-219 (Henry, 48.6); 8-221 (Fletcher, 49.5)

Bowling: Fatima Sana 10-0-49-1; Sadia Iqbal 10-0-36-1; Nida Dar 9-0-52-4 (w3); Umm-e-Hani 10-1-38-2; Tuba Hassan 10-0-38-0 (w1); Bismah Maroof 1-0-5-0

Result: West Indies Women won by two wickets (no balls remaining).

Series: West Indies Women lead three-match series 2-0.

Points: West Indies Women 2, Pakistan Women 0

Player of the Match: Stafanie Taylor (West Indies Women)

Umpires: Abdul Muqeet, Claire Polosak (Australia)

TV umpire: Nasir Hussain

Match referee: Ali Naqvi

Reserve umpire: Humaira Fara