After an undesirable start to their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews is hopeful that her team can turn around their fortune and possibly challenge for a spot in the semi-final.

Matthews’ optimism follows their 10-wicket hammering by South Africa in their opening fixture in Dubai on Friday.

In that contest, Matthews believes her team failed to properly acclimatize to the conditions, as they mustered a meagre 118 for six in their 20 overs. South Africa, led by half-centuries from Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, then made light work of the target at 119 without loss in 17.5 overs.

However, with Scotland being the Caribbean side’s next assignment on Sunday morning, Matthews says they will have to pick up the pieces and bounce back.

 “Obviously a pretty disappointing game (against South Africa). Firstly, not scoring enough runs on the board, and we would have liked to have taken a few wickets and at least put up a bit more of a fight in the second innings,” Matthews said.

“But with a game in two days’ time, we’re going to have to get things back together quickly and pick up the pieces and go again,” she added.

Reflecting on the outcome against South Africa, Matthews felt her team was undone by challenging conditions.

“It’s pretty hot here in Dubai. I’d probably have to say the hottest place I’ve ever played cricket or even been, and that’s someone coming from the West Indies. It’s definitely been some difficult conditions. We’ve been here for about two weeks, thankfully, and we’ve been able to acclimatise as much as we possibly can to conditions like this,” Matthews shared.

She continued: “I think we came down here expecting some pretty good wickets. We’ve camped here quite a bit when we went to Pakistan in April, and we tend to spend some time down here training, so we knew what the ICC Academy grounds were like, and those were pretty decent wickets early.

“It wasn’t a bad wicket. South Africa showed you can really bat on a wicket like that and even us in parts. Stafanie Taylor was able to take charge of the game as well throughout the middle. I don’t think the conditions surprised us too much. We probably just didn’t adapt to them as well.”

Matthews also addressed concerns surrounding Zaida James, who was hit in the face, and Taylor, who appeared to be cramping and had difficulty running between the wickets.

“For Zaida, it was pretty much just a knock on her face. I think the seam might have hit her in the face, so she was in a bit of discomfort. There’s a bit of swelling around her jaw, but she’s a tough girl, so hopefully it’s just one of those knocks that you get on the field, and hopefully she’ll be able to be out on the field for the next match,” Matthews noted.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 officially kicked off in style on Wednesday with the Captains’ Day at the Dubai International Stadium, bringing together all 10 team captains on the eve of the ninth edition of the tournament.

A special panel session featuring all 10 captains took place during the Captains’ Day, hosted by Melanie Jones, which showed fans a glimpse into the lives, strategies, and aspirations of the captains.

Australia Captain Alyssa Healy: “There are 10 teams sitting on the stage here today that deserve to be here and have a real shot of winning this World Cup. You don't come here to defend a title; that's not what a World Cup is about, you come here to win it, so we're here with that approach, and I'm excited to get underway.

“Our pool is quite a tricky one. We’ve got to get past a lot of these teams to be able to lift the trophy, and it's a challenge we're excited for.”

West Indies Captain Hayley Matthews: “You play all year long preparing, and this is obviously the pinnacle of where you want to be as a team and where you want to be competing.

“Every series you play, every training session you have is towards that goal of a World Cup, so [preparation] definitely is a long process, and I think one as a West Indies team we've had in our sights for a very long time. So yeah, just hoping for some success.”

Bangladesh Captain Nigar Sultana: “Yeah, [shifting the event from Bangladesh] was pretty disappointing initially. But the thing is we're very professional. Now we are here, and we are going to play this, and we are pretty fortunate that we will do something that is going to help all the fans and the families and friends to get cheered.

“I'm expecting a lot of spectators, because in Sharjah there are a lot of Bangladeshis there. And playing in this kind of event, I think more people will come watch us and support.”

Scotland Captain Kathryn Bryce: “Yeah, I think we just really want to compete in this competition. We've played some fantastic cricket in the qualifiers and leading up to it, so I think, we just want to go out there and do ourselves justice on that stage and put in some good performances against these teams.”

India Captain Harmanpreet Kaur: “I think that is something we keep learning every day. Because when you win, sometimes you feel, OK, that is something I have achieved. But at the same time, next day when you go, you may make small mistakes. And I think that is part of the game. And I think learning is something which is never going to stop; every day is a learning day. Every day I'm going and learning and getting experience from every game. Yeah, I think people around me are helping me; they are working hard to make our team go at that level where we want to be. I am happy with where our team is, like how our team is working hard to achieve small, small things.”

England Captain Heather Knight: “I think captaincy is always a constant challenge. I don't think you need that freshness as a captain. You've always been challenged in different ways and trying to learn little tricks and trying to grow in everything you do. But I think as you're there more, you learn to get your messages across in slightly different ways using the people around you. I've got through a few coaches as well, so that kind of helps freshen things up. And obviously, the team's constantly evolving, which is a place where you're obviously keeping things fresh and finding different ways to say things.”

Pakistan captain, Fatima Sana: “I will try to enjoy myself, express myself and back myself as well (as captain). Actually, our whole management is supporting me, and they told me that you just take a brave decision on the field, so just try to do this, be calm and just do whatever you want.”

New Zealand Captain Sophie Devine: “I think that's been the great thing about the women's game is the development and it's what's happened off the field I think that's helped achieve that. In terms of the quick bowlers you've seen the girls become more professional and what they've been able to do in the gym is starting to see bowlers hitting 120kms and more which it makes for a challenge. It's always exciting to be coming up against that but I think it just shows the development of the women's game that those sorts of skills continue to improve.

“We've got a number of young fast bowlers coming through. And again, their development has been massive the last 12–18 months so certainly looking forward to seeing what sort of bowlers they can turn into.”

South Africa Captain Laura Wolvaardt: “I think obviously last year was great, but we're just looking to take it one game at a time. Obviously a very difficult pool, but hopefully we can make semi-finals and then anything can happen from that.

“It's obviously a bit different now. I think most players who have played in the team have never played under anyone besides Hilton (Mooreng). But Dillon (du Preez), who's taken over, has been with us for four or five years. So, he still knowshow things were and where we’re headed. And we've actually got a batting coach and a fielding coach now this season for the first time officially as well, so everything just feels really well organized at the moment. It's been great just getting a lot of information from a lot of different coaches, even just to have the extra hands at training and to have specific groups doing specific things has been awesome. We’re looking forward to this tournament.”

Sri Lanka captain, Chamari Athapaththu: “We are coming with underdog tag all the time. So, we don't have any pressure. I don't want to take too much pressure on my shoulders and my teammates' shoulders. But we keep it simple. I have a very young team, so we have a few seniors as well. I hope we can continue our best performance, because we've been playing really good cricket the last 16 months. This is a different format and different conditions, so we have to start again, fresh days. So, keep it simple, one ball one time, one game one time.”

The World Cup which will see 23 matches held over 18 days in the two host cities of Dubai and Sharjah, promises to entertain and inspire a new generation of cricket fans while serving as a transformative platform for women's cricket.

The battle to reach the top of the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings is closer than ever ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

With the tournament set to get underway on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates, 10 countries will battle for supremacy to be crowned world champions on October 20.

However, while full focus will be on powering their respective teams to glory, some players will also have their eyes on topping the ICC batting, bowling, and all-rounder rankings come the end of the month.

Just 22 points currently separate the top five batters, with West Indies captain Hayley Matthews leading the charge to become the first non-Australian in three years to reach the summit. But, she will have to get past Australia’s Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath to do so.

Mooney currently heads the standings at 757 points, nine ahead of her compatriot and former number one McGrath. Mooney showed why she is the one to beat with an impressive 30-ball half century in Australia’s warm-up match against England last week.

Matthews is a further two points behind in third with a career-high 746, with India’s Smriti Mandhana also in contention on 743, while Laura Wolvaardt is also close to the leaders on 735.

Big performances from any of the top five could shake up the individual standings with so little to choose between each player.

There are six countries represented in the top ten, with Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu being just nine points off the 700-point barrier, while New Zealand pair Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine are ninth and tenth, respectively.

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana makes it seven countries in the top 13 batters, as she is the first female Bangladesh batter to accrue over 600 points.

Where the all-rounder ranking is concerned, Matthews is large and in charge there with a comfortable 109-point lead over Australia’s Ash Gardner thanks to her total of 524.

The top six all-rounders all hail from different nations, with India’s Deepti Sharma and New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr both just below the 400-point threshold.

Sri Lankan Chamari Athapaththu is the only other all-rounder above 300, with 330, while Pakistan’s Nida Dar rounds out a top six, demonstrative of the diverse strength with bat and ball set to be on show at the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, the bowling rankings are similarly hotly contested, with just 12 points between first and fourth. England’s Sophie Ecclestone leads the way with 757 points, but she is just two ahead of India’s Deepti Sharma.

The top four are all spinners, with Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal on 750 points and England’s Sarah Glenn a further five back on 745.

Indeed, 13 of the top 15 ranked bowlers are spinners, with Renuka Singh Thakur and Lauren Bell the only seamers amongst that group. Thakur is fifth with 722 points, 35 off the summit.

Bell is 11th on 676 points and is one of four England bowlers in the top 15, alongside Ecclestone, Glenn, and 13th-placed Charlie Dean.

Only Australia has more bowlers in the top 20, with five; Ash Gardner leads the way for the defending champions in ninth place, while Georgia Wareham’s form has helped her climb six places into 14th.

There are eight nations represented in the top 20. Sri Lanka’s Inoshi Fernando leads those looking to break the 700 mark this month with 691 points in seventh, while Bangladesh’s Rabeya Khan is 10th with 677.

West Indies Women’s Captain Hayley Matthews has been named among three nominees for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for April.

A past winner of the award and current holder of the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year, Matthews is another top-ranked performer to have grabbed headlines in April.

The 26-year-old skipper piled on the runs in her six outings for the West Indies, notching two brilliant ODI centuries followed by back-to-back half-centuries in the T20I contests against Pakistan.

Alongside her 451 runs in April, Matthews also flourished with the ball, taking 12 wickets; six in the ODI matches at an average of 14, and six more in the T20Is at 10.50.

Matthews’ competition for the award are South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu.

The South African opener is looking to claim her maiden Player of the Month award in what is her fourth nomination, and is a strong contender after another historic series of displays in April.

Wolvaardt started the month with a half-century in the final T20I contest against Sri Lanka before carrying her excellent form into the ODI series.

Her innings of 41 in the first match preceded an emphatic 110 not out in the second to claim a vital win, but the 25-year-old saved her best score for the last game, blasting a national record score of 184 in 147 balls only for South Africa to be outdone by the brilliance of Athapaththu.

Athapaththu, last year’s ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, continued her dominance in the 50-over format, reclaiming the top spot in the ICC Women’s ODI Batting rankings after a stellar showing in April.

Records tumbled for the Sri Lanka skipper, thanks to a sparkling unbeaten 195 in Potchefstroom against South Africa as the tourists won in a record run chase.

258 ODI runs was complemented by 148 runs in T20Is, which included two half-centuries in South Africa, plus another against Scotland in the ongoing Women’s T20WC Qualifier in Abu Dhabi, where Sri Lanka eventually sealed their qualification thanks to semi-final success on Sunday.

Deandra Dottin’s unbeaten 68 proved to be in vain as Manchester Originals’ Women went down by seven wickets with a ball to spare against Northern Superchargers (Women) in a thrilling encounter at Leeds on Sunday.

Deandra Dottin turned in a player-of-the-match performance to lead the Supernovas to a nail-biting four-run victory over Velocity and claim the Women’s T20 Challenge Trophy in Pune on Saturday.

Deandra Dottin’s 80 not out proved to be insufficient to prevent her Barmy Army Women from going down by eight wickets to Falcons Women in the FairBreak Invitational T20 Tournament, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in the UAE on Friday.

The hard-hitting West Indian’s innings came off just 59 balls and included 12 fours and two sixes.

Dottin, alongside England captain Heather Knight (20) and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (17), helped Barmy Army Women get to 152-3 off their 20 overs.

The Falcons then needed only 17.3 overs to get to 156-2 thanks to 76 not out off 49 balls from captain Danni Wyatt.

Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu and West Indian Britney Cooper were the next best scorers with 41 and 32 not out, respectively.

The 2022 FairBreak Invitational is taking place in Dubai and is an ICC-sanctioned tournament. The inaugural edition of the competition organized by Cricket Hong Kong will comprise six teams that will have players from across the globe.

The first match was played on May 4 while May 9 and May 13 will be rest days. Both the semi-finals are slated to be played on May 14, while the third-place playoff and the final will be held on May 15.

There will be six teams that will be taking part in the inaugural season and there will be ninety players from 36 countries who will feature in the competition. Among these, 40 come from ICC full members and 50 from associate members.

Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, Britney Cooper, Shemaine Campbelle, and Shamilia Connell are the West Indians participating.