West Indies Captain, Hayley Matthews, starred with a century and a three-wicket haul to lead the West Indies to a 58-run win over Ireland in the first ODI at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St. Lucia on Monday.
The hosts first posted a respectable 297-6 from their 50 overs, their second highest total ever, after winning the toss.
Matthews was the star of the show, scoring a 106-ball 109, her fourth ODI hundred and first since March 2022. She hit 10 fours and two sixes.
Former skipper, Stafanie Taylor, made her 39th fifty inn ODIs, 55 off 69 balls, in support while Chinelle Henry, coming off injury, hit seven fours on her way to a maiden fifty in ODIs, 53* off 37 balls.
Leg-spinner, Cara Murray, took 3-60 off her 10 overs.
Ireland, despite a crafty 83 from opener Gaby Lewis and 40 from skipper Laura Delany, fell 58 runs short of their target, eventually finishing 239-9 from their 50 overs.
Orla Prendergast also contributed 37 as Matthews provided the goods with the ball for the hosts with 3-53 from her 10 overs.
Spinners Afy Fletcher and Qiana Joseph also chipped in with two wickets, each.
The second ODI will be played on Wednesday.
Dottin top-scored with 73 from 87 balls to help the Windies chase down their target of 160 to defeat Ireland by six wickets.
After captain Stafanie Taylor won the toss and elected to field first, the West Indies bowled out Ireland for 159 in 43 overs.
Anissa Mohammed was the pick of the bowlers for the Caribbean side, taking 3-40 from her 10 overs.
She was supported by Hayley Matthews who took 2-20 from her 10.
Shamilia Connell took 2-33 from her 10 and Taylor took 2-15 from her 3 overs.
Gaby Lewis top-scored for the Irish with 36 from 58 balls.
The Windies Women then needed only 39.3 overs to chase their target with Dottin getting 73 and Taylor finishing not out on 41.
The West Indies and Sri Lanka both have two points, having won their first game, with the Windies at the top of the group due to a superior net run rate.
Those two will face off next on Saturday.
Winning the toss and batting first, Ireland posted 113-7 in their 20 overs. Amy Hunter led the scoring with 33 from 35 deliveries with skipper Laura Delany adding a valuable 20 for the tourists.
Cherry-Ann Fraser led the West Indies bowlers with figures of 1-16 and Captain Hayley Matthews taking 1-24.
Once again, Matthews led from the front with the bat during the run-chase, bringing up her eighth T20I half-century before being dismissed on exactly 50 off 39 deliveries.
Shabika Gajnabi scored 17 in a supporting role to her captain and Chinelle Henry smashed a full toss for six and three boundaries to finish on 22 off 12 as the West Indies Women reached the 114-run target in 16.4 overs.
“I think we’re pretty happy with the result,” said Matthews, who was Player of the Match.
“Coming into this tour we wanted to be able to take home both series, so just very happy that we were able to go out there and win convincingly today and secure the T20I series.
“We had more intent going out today and we noticed early on that the wicket was a bit better on today and we went out with the intent to chase down the runs quicker. What really helped us today was the fielding, the catches and run outs we were able to take, kudos to the overall team for the bowling performance they put on and the fielders for backing them up.”
The teams will meet on Saturday, July 8 for the final T20I. First ball is at 5pm local time (4pm Jamaica time).
Ireland posted 137-9 from their 20 overs, their highest total in T20 World Cups, after winning the toss and batting first.
Orla Prendergast and Gabby Lewis had a 91-run second wicket partnership to set the foundation for the Irish total.
Prendergast top-scored with 61 off 47 balls including six fours and a six while Lewis hit six fours during her 34-ball 38.
After Lewis fell in the 16th over, the West Indies bowlers did well to restrict their opponents, taking seven wickets for just 22 runs to close out the innings.
Shamilia Connell took 3-24 off her four overs while Karishma Ramharack and Afy Fletcher took two wickets each for the Windies.
The West Indies reply got off to a decent start as openers Hayley Matthews and Rashada Williams put on 28 off 5.4 overs before Williams was run out for 17.
Shemaine Campbelle then joined Matthews and reached just eight off 10 balls before she was dismissed with the score on 46 in the ninth over, bringing Chinelle Henry to the crease to join her captain.
Matthews brought up her half-century, her seventh in T20Is, off 42 balls in the 15th over to leave the Windies needing 40 off 31 balls for victory.
The West Indies were cruising before the 16th over, bowled by Leah Paul, went for just six runs leaving the 2016 Champions needing 34 off the last four overs for victory.
Matthews and Henry put on 74 before the latter fell for a crucial 34 in the 18th over to leave the Windies 120-3 needing 18 runs off 13 balls. Henry’s knock came off 28 balls and included four fours.
Eventually, with Matthews and Shabika Gajnabi in the middle, the scenario came down to six runs needed off the last over.
The first two balls in the final over resulted in singles before Gajnabi was run out for 13 going for two off the third delivery, leaving the West Indies needing three runs from the last three balls.
Aaliyah Alleyne joined Matthews at the crease and immediately got to the other end, getting Matthews back on strike with two needed from two balls.
Matthews struck a boundary to seal the win with a ball to spare. She finished 66 not out off 53 balls including eight fours and a six.
The West Indies will need a big win against Pakistan on Sunday if they are to stand any chance of advancing.
Scores: Ireland 137-9 off 20 overs (Orla Prendergast 61, Gabby Lewis 38, Shamilia Connell 3-24, Karishma Ramharack 2-18, Afy Fletcher 2-21) West Indies 140-4 off 19.5 overs (Hayley Matthews 66*, Chinelle Henry 34).
Batting first, Ireland looked intent on posting their highest total of the series with beautiful stroke play from Amy Hunter and Orla Prendergast. The pair shared in a 66-run partnership for the second wicket when Hunter was runout for 44 off a deflection of Ashmini Munisar’s fingers.
Prendergast was caught in the deep by Shabika Gajnabi off the bowling of Afy Fletcher for 40.
Rain interrupted Ireland’s innings twice before they finished on 116-9 from their 20 overs.
Matthews saved her best bowling performance of the series for her final over when she took the wickets of Rebecca Stokell 0, Arlene Kelly 0 and Ava Canning 0 in consecutive deliveries to become only the third West Indies Women’s player to take a T20I hat-trick.
She finished with figures of 4-14 while Cherry-Ann Fraser took 2-19.
During the chase, Djenaba Joseph was caught behind for two in the second over, then Matthews and Aaliyah Alleyne took over the run-chase.
The pair smashed 12 boundaries between them as they raced to the 117-run target. Matthews was closing in on her second consecutive half-century when she was bowled by Georgina Dempsey for 48 off 34 deliveries.
Chinelle Henry joined Alleyne in the middle and the pair took the West Indies Women to victory in 18.1 overs. Allyene and Henry were unbeaten on 49 and 13, respectively, as West Indies Women finished on 120-2 for an emphatic victory that pleased the team’s captain.
“I am pretty pleased. Coming into the series, anytime I put on my West Indies shirt I try to go out there and do really well, whether that be batting, bowling or fielding,” said Matthews who was voted Player of the Match and Player of the Series after taking eight wickets and scoring 135 runs for the series.
“I’m just happy I was able to contribute to the team win. It was great to see some of the younger players getting the opportunity this series and coming into their own. We’ve had debutant players perform really well. We’ve had Chinelle Henry get her maiden ODI half-century then back it up with a second one (in the series), then two not outs in the T20 series.”
Looking ahead, Matthews thanked the women she leads for their support.
“I just want to thank all the girls who have supported me since I’ve become captain. Thank you for backing me up out on the field, we have bigger challenges ahead and I look forward to their support.”
Samuels, a former Jamaica captain played six Test matches and eight ODIs in addition to 106 first-class matches and 77 List A matches. His most recent role was as an Assistant Coach with the West Indies Women team.
“Robert brings continuity and stability to get the team through this period. He has great knowledge of the players and the women’s game in general and strong knowledge of the support staff, so it’s almost a seamless transition with Robert coming in as interim head coach,” said CWI’s High Performance Manager Graeme West.
“He has his own ideas and is trying to implement them now as Interim head coach as opposed to assistant coach. He has made a good impact and start over the last few days and I’m sure it will continue throughout the series.”
Samuels will be supported by interim assistant coaches, former West Indies spin bowler, Ryan Austin and Steve Liburd, the former Leeward Islands batsman and captain. Liburd is the head coach of the West Indies Women's U19 Rising Stars.
The West Indies 18-member squad is in training camp at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia where they are preparing to face Ireland Women in the three-match CG United ODI Series which starts on Monday June 26. This will be followed by the three-match T20I Series from July 4 to 8.
The matches are West Indies Women’s only home fixture in 2023. The three CG United ODIs comprise West Indies’ third fixture in the ICC Women’s Championship where they are pushing to win points to achieve a top five position to qualify automatically for the ICC 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Match Schedule – All matches played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia.
CG United ODI Series:
Monday 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Wednesday 28 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Saturday 1 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
West Indies T20I Series:
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time).
Winning the toss and batting first, Ireland posted 203 all out in 50 overs. The star of the Irish innings was Gaby Lewis, who was stranded on 95 not out from 121 deliveries.
Lewis shared a 50-run partnership with Cara Murray which proved crucial in steadying the ship after Ireland had lost quick wickets.
Afy Fletcher 10-0-37-3 and Shamilia Connell 4-0-16-2 kept the Irish batters in check.
In response, the West Indies Women started their innings shakily, losing a few early wickets.
However, it was Stafanie Taylor who once again rescued her side. She notched her 40th ODI half-century while showcasing her experience and composure in a challenging situation.
Taylor found a reliable partner in Chinelle Henry, who carried on her good form from the first ODI, hitting her second consecutive half-century.
Together, they put on a match-winning 104-run partnership, steering their team to a comfortable victory with 8.4 overs to spare.
This was captain Hayley Matthews first series win.
“I’m happy that we were able to get over the line in a series that we were looking to dominate,” she said.
“We earned valuable ICC Women’s Championship points, Stafanie is back in form and Chinelle is coming into her own along with debuts from our youngsters, I’d say those are some serious positives we can take away from this series.
“We all knew the potential Chinelle has and what we have been expecting from her, it’s great to see her scoring runs and I know there’s more to come.”
Taylor was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding knock of 79 not out under pressure, while the Player of the Series was given to Hayley Matthews for her all-round performance.
The two teams will now switch to the shorter format when the three-match T20 International series starts on Tuesday at the same venue. All matches will start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean time (4pm Jamaica time).
T20 International Series:
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time)
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
The training camp will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia from 14 to 21 June, where the players will have training and fitness sessions as well as strategic preparations for the three-match CG United One Day International (ODI) Series. The CG United ODI Series will be played from 26 June to 1 July and is the West Indies Women’s third series in the ICC Women’s Championship, where the top five teams in the ten-team league qualify automatically for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
The preliminary squad includes a mix of experienced players and promising young talents. Cherry-Ann Fraser returns to add depth and experience to the team’s bowling attack after missing the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup due to injury. Left-handed allrounder Qiana Joseph, who last played international cricket in 2021, also returns to the training camp squad. She was among the leading players in the recent Women’s CG United Super50 Cup and the T20 Blaze played in St Kitts.
Several West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 players have been included in the preliminary squad. Zaida James, Jannillea Glasgow, Djenaba Joseph, Shunelle Sawh, and Under-19s captain Ashmini Munisar have all earned their place in the squad. Their inclusion reflects CWI’s commitment to developing younger talent and expanding the Women’s talent pool by providing opportunities for younger players to showcase their skills at the international level.
CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s cricket Ann Browne-John said: “The series against Ireland is an important one for the West Indies Women as the team seeks to build points to qualify directly for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. It also serves as a perfect opportunity to continue to expose younger players to international cricket. This was a policy that the CWI embarked upon which resulted in Under 19 players being selected to the team for the England Series in December and the ICC T20 World Cup in February.”
Browne-John added: “This is now being taken one step further and there are five players who participated in the ICC Women’s Under 19 T20 World Cup in January, now in the squad preparing for the series against Ireland. This means that there are some senior players who are not able to get a place in the squad at this time. The Selection Panel however believes that this squad has a good mix of youth and experience as we continue to build the West Indies team of the future.”
The Women’s Selection Panel will announce the official West Indies Women’s squad ahead of the three-match CG United ODI Series, with the T20I squad announced later.
WI WOMEN TRAINING SQUAD
- Hayley Matthews – Captain
- Shemaine Campbelle - Vice Captain
- Aaliyah Alleyne
- Shamilia Connell
- Chinelle Henry
- Afy Fletcher
- Cherry Ann Fraser
- Shabika Gajnabi
- Jannillea Glasgow
- Chinelle Henry
- Zaida James
- Djenaba Joseph
- Qiana Joseph
- Mandy Mangru
- Ashmini Munisar
- Karishma Ramharack
- Shunelle Sawh
- Stafanie Taylor
- Rashada Williams
Full match schedule:
All matches at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St. Lucia
Monday 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Wednesday 28 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Saturday 1 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
The first two CG United ODIs will bowl off at 10am (9am Jamaica Time), with the third being a day/night game, starting at 3pm (2pm Jamaica). The three T20Is will commence at 5pm (4pm Jamaica).
The ODIs hold significant weight in this series, as they contribute crucial points to the ICC Women's Championship and the results will therefore directly impact qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in India.
CWI’s High Performance Manager Graeme West said: “The Ireland Series is the only engagement in the region for the Senior Women in 2023 and its critical we maximize ‘home’ advantage in the three CG United ODIs as we continue our qualification campaign towards the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025. The three T20Is will kick start the preparation towards the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup which the team has already qualified for.”
West added, “Ireland have shown great improvement in recent times and the game between the two sides in February at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa was a thriller. We will need to prepare well for both series with very clear game plans, the squad will get time in St Lucia prior to the first ODI to establish the key roles and focus areas that each player will be required to execute in order to play winning cricket. It’s exciting to be taking international Women’s Cricket back to St Lucia, the island is developing a number of exciting young female players and we hope the Ireland games can inspire more girls to get involved and start their own cricket journeys.”
Fans worldwide can join the excitement as all eight matches will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Furthermore, live ball-by-ball scoring will be available on the Match Centre at www.windiescricket.com, ensuring fans do not miss a single moment of the action.
Full match schedule:
All matches at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, St. Lucia
Monday, 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Thursday, 29 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Sunday, 2 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
Wednesday, 5 July: 1st T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Friday, 7 July: 2nd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
Sunday, 9 July: 3rd T20I – 5pm (4pm Jamaica Time)
The provisional squad includes some exciting new talent, with right-arm off-spinner Ashmini Munisar and wicketkeeper-batter Shunelle Sawh being named for the first time. Both players have shown their potential with the West Indies Rising Stars Under 19s team and have now been called up to the senior West Indies Women’s squad. They will be joining their Rising Stars teammates Zaida James and Djenaba Joseph, who have already gained valuable experience representing the senior team in the Tri-Series against India and South Africa and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year.
The squad is boosted by Chinelle Henry, the experienced allrounder, who is selected having fully recovered from the injury which kept her out of the recent CG United Super50 Cup and CWI T20 Blaze tournaments. The squad is led by captain Hayley Matthews and vice-captain Shemaine Campbelle. The official squad of thirteen players will be named ahead of each match.
CWI’s Lead Selector for Women’s Cricket, Ann Browne-John, said: “The CG United ODI series against Ireland gives a good opportunity for batters to focus and to stay longer at the crease and build an innings. A number of the younger players would be transitioning from the shorter format to the fifty over format. They definitely have the potential, and it is important that the policy of identifying young players and developing the talent pool is continued.”
Browne-John added: “The squad shows a great balance of batting coupled with a variety of bowling styles, which is something that has been lacking in the recent past. Victory here will provide valuable points as the team attempts to move up in the rankings and qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.”
The matches are West Indies Women’s only home fixture in 2023. The three CG United ODIs comprise West Indies’ third fixture in the ICC Women’s Championship where they are pushing to win points to achieve a top five position to qualify automatically for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025.
Match tickets are available online from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard - Tickets.windiescricket.com - at a discounted price of US$6/EC$16 (USS3/EC$7.50 children and seniors) with tickets available on the day at the box office at a price of US$7.50/EC$20 (US$3.75/EC$10 for children and seniors).
For fans unable to get to the games in St. Lucia, the CG United ODI Series will be exclusively live on Flow Sports in the Caribbean and on BT Sport in the UK & Ireland. The matches will also be shown around the world on FanCode (India), ESPN+ (USA), Sky NZ (NZ), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa) and in all other countries on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
PROVISIONAL SQUAD for 1st and 2nd CG United ODIs
- Hayley Matthews (captain)
- Shemaine Campbelle (vice-captain)
- Aaliyah Alleyne
- Shamilia Connell
- Chinelle Henry
- Afy Fletcher
- Cherry Ann Fraser
- Shabika Gajnabi
- Zaida James
- Djenaba Joseph
- Qiana Joseph
- Ashmini Munisar
- Karishma Ramharack
- Shunelle Sawh
- Stafanie Taylor
- Rashada Williams
Match Schedule
(All matches played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia.
CG United ODI Series:
Monday 26 June: 1st CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Wednesday 28 June: 2nd CG United ODI – 10am (9am Jamaica Time)
Saturday 1 July: 3rd CG United ODI – 3pm (2pm Jamaica Time)
T20 International Series:
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time)
The squad includes three Rising Stars Women's Under 19 players – Zaida James, Ashmini Munisar, and Djenaba Joseph. West Indies will enter the T20I Series on a high having clinched the CG United ODI Series 2-0, with one match being a no result due to rain.
CWI Lead selector Mrs. Ann Browne-John said
“The selection panel decided to retain the players who completed the ODI series. These players have shown form and performance which enabled the team to secure a series win, which the team has been striving for in recent times. As we continue the rebuilding, we believe we have found a competent balance in mix of senior players and the younger players selected. It is in keeping with our ethos of preparing the next batch of West Indies women’s players, by combining the experienced and the newly capped players.”
Match tickets are available online from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard - Tickets.windiescricket.com - at a discounted price of US$6/EC$16 (USS3/EC$7.50 children and seniors) with tickets available on the day at the box office at a price of US$7.50/EC$20 (US$3.75/EC$10 for children and seniors).
For fans unable to get to the games in St. Lucia, the CG United ODI Series will be exclusively live on RUSH Sports in the Caribbean and on BT Sport in the UK & Ireland. The matches will also be shown around the world on FanCode (India), ESPN+ (USA), Sky NZ (NZ), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa) and in all other countries on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
FULL SQUAD
- Hayley Matthews (captain)
- Shemaine Campbelle (vice-captain)
- Aaliyah Alleyne
- Shamilia Connell
- Chinelle Henry
- Afy Fletcher
- Cherry Ann Fraser
- Shabika Gajnabi
- Zaida James
- Djenaba Joseph
- Qiana Joseph
- Ashmini Munisar
- Stafanie Taylor
- Rashada Williams
T20 International Series:
All matches start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean Time (4pm Jamaica Time)
Tuesday 4 July: 1st T20I
Thursday 6 July: 2nd T20I
Saturday 8 July: 3rd T20I
