Magnificent Matthews steers West Indies to thrilling win over Ireland

MATCH CENTRE AND SCORECARD

After the West Indies bowlers had turned the tide following Orla Prendergast’s half-century to restrict the target to just 138, Matthews played a captain’s innings from the top of the order to steer her team to the target.

The win means that West Indies are still mathematically in contention to qualify for the semi-finals, but a third group-stage loss leaves Ireland with no chance of making it through.

It was Matthews who played the early anchor role when runs were hard to come by in the Powerplay.

The loss of Rashada Williams to an Amy Hunter run-out and Shemaine Campbelle to an lbw off Laura Delany put even more pressure on Matthews.

But the skipper managed the game brilliantly, accelerating through the middle overs and putting together a pivotal partnership with Chinelle Henry.

Henry fell with the target in sight, caught off Leah Paul for 34 (28). But Matthews (66* from 53) carried her team home, keeping her composure in a nervy final over and creaming a beautiful boundary to seal the win with one ball to spare.

Earlier, a brilliant half-century from Prendergast helped Ireland to a decent score of 137/9 after they had won the toss and opted for first crack in Cape Town.

But a flurry of wickets at the back end of the innings saw West Indies stem the flow of runs and give their batters some hope for the chase.

Opener Amy Hunter (1) fell early to Shamilia Connell, but Ireland brought up their 50 without the loss of a further wicket, as Prendergast and Gaby Lewis set a foundation for a decent score.

Prendergast found the boundary with impressive regularity, before eventually falling for 61 (47) – Ireland’s highest individual score at a Women’s T20 World Cup.

Lewis looked classy out in the middle, accelerating after a slow start, but was trapped lbw by the impressive Karishma Ramharack for 38 off 34 balls.

And West Indies did a decent job to bring the scoring back under control once the two set batters had departed.

Elmear Richardson was promoted up the order and hit 16 off 19. But Ireland’s innings somewhat petered out as they missed the opportunity to rack up a big score.

Seven wickets fell for 21 runs in the final four-and-a-half overs as Ireland finished on 137/9, with Connell taking 3/24, Afy Fletcher bagging 2/21 and Ramharack taking 2/18.

And that end to the innings proved pivotal, with West Indies just having enough to chase the target down.

State of Play in Group 2: The qualification scenario

It takes a special player to carry a team on her shoulders in the way that Hayley Matthews has for the last year for West Indies.

The captain knows that she is the vital member of the batting order, and when she fails typically so does the team.

So to withstand that pressure and end a 15-match losing streak with a knock of the highest quality is a supreme achievement.

Matthews is great to watch, has all the shots, and clearly has the temperament to match her talent.

Still just 24 years old, we should be in for a treat watching her perform over the course of the next decade.

Ireland have never won a match at a Women’s T20 World Cup. But they went extremely close against the nation who won the tournament back in 2016.

That the match was so evenly balanced shows just how quickly the gap has closed, with Ireland’s new generation of cricketers looking well worth their place on the world stage.

The quality of 21-year-old Gaby Lewis has been known for some time. But it has been Orla Prendergast, a year her junior, who has impressed the most in this tournament.

The all-rounder is Ireland’s best bowler and had West Indies in all sorts of trouble in the Powerplay.

And her batting efforts speak for themselves. She’s quite a player.