Gros Islet – The West Indies Women took the three-match CG United One Day International series 2-0, defeating Ireland by six wickets in the final match at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia.
Winning the toss and batting first, Ireland posted 203 all out in 50 overs. The star of the Irish innings was Gaby Lewis, who got stranded on 95 not out of 121 deliveries, she shared a 50-run partnership with Cara Murray which was crucial in steadying the ship after Ireland lost quick wickets.
Afy Fletcher took three for 37 and Shamilia Connell two for 16 to keep 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. Taylor notched her 40th ODI half-century, showcasing her experience and composure in a challenging situation, constructing her innings carefully.
She 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 6-wicket victory with 8.4 overs to spare.
It was the first series win for captain Hayley Matthews.
“I’m happy that we were able to get over the line in a series that we were looking to dominate. 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.”
The Player of the Match was awarded to Taylor for her outstanding knock of 79 not out under pressure, while the Player of the Series went to Matthews for her all-round performance.
The two teams will now switch to the shorter format for the three-match T20 International series. Matches will be played on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at the same venue. Start time is 5 p.m. Eastern Caribbean time (4 p.m. Jamaica time). (PR/SAT)