(CMC) – Irrepressible West Indies Women captain Hayley Matthews conjured up yet another dazzling all-round effort as her side swept Ireland Women in their three-match Twenty20 International series.
Asked to overhaul 117 at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, Matthews spearheaded the Caribbean side’s chase with a top score of 48 off just 34 deliveries, as they pulled off a comprehensive eight-wicket victory with 11 balls to spare yesterday.
Aaliyah Alleyne also played a key role at number three, carving out an unbeaten 49 off 51 deliveries but with the Matthews having earlier paralysed Ireland Women’s innings with a four-over spell of four for 14, Player-of-the-Match adjudicators were left with little choice but to hand the 25-year-old honours for the third time in the series.
Matthews also secured the Player-of-the-Series honour, leaving her mark on a tour West Indies Women were expected to win against a side ranked four places below them in the ICC rankings charts.
Opting to bat first, Ireland Women got up to 116 for nine off their 20 overs with opener Amy Hunter top-scoring with 44 from 35 deliveries and Orla Prendergast stroking 40 from 49 deliveries.
Matthews struck early with her off breaks when she trapped the in-form Gaby Lewis lbw for a first-ball ‘duck’, with eight runs on the board at the start of the second over.
However, Hunter and Prendergast then combined in a 66-run, second wicket stand to stage a recovery for the Irish. The 17-year-old Hunter lashed four fours and a brace of sixes while Prendergast counted two fours, the pair taking Ireland past the half-way stage of the innings without further loss.
Hunter perished via the run out route in the 12th over, leading to a decline which also saw Prendergast fall at the end of the 17th over, as West Indies Women dominated the back end.
West Indies Women’s reply also suffered an early blow when 19-year-old Djenaba Joseph, in her first outing of the series, was taken behind in the second over off 21-year-old seamer Prendergast for two at seven for one.
But Matthews quickly squashed Ireland’s hopes of further inroads, belting eight fours as she dominated an 80-run, second wicket stand with Alleyne, who struck four fours.
When Matthews fell in the 12th over, Alleyne carefully constructed a 33-run, unbroken third wicket partnership with Chinelle Henry (13 not out) to see off Ireland’s challenge.
