West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews lamented her side’s batting performance after they were comfortably beaten by eight wickets in the third and final One Day International (ODI) against Australia on Friday.
As a result, West Indies Women lost the three-match series 2-0, bowled out for totals of 83 and 103 in their two ODI losses. In the washed out fixture, West Indies Women were 107-8 in 25.3 overs before the rain came.
Aaliyah Alleyne was the only batter to make a score above 30 runs and batters only made five scores of 20 or more, with Alleyne and Matthews contributing two each. Rashada Williams top scored in the final ODI with 25, although she was given a life, having been dropped at slip on eight runs.
Speaking after the match, Matthews said: “I think for us we’ve definitely got to find a way for more of our batters to chip in. It’s quite disappointing for a lot of us, especially throughout that ODI series obviously not being able to get totals on the board. I think the batters are really trying to have a look at themselves and finding ways to score.”
She continued: “But at the same time, we know we’re playing against the best team in the world and we knew coming down here was going to be challenging. But I think for us, there’s losing and then there’s probably losing with the performances that we lost with, and I think on reflection we know we can do better and should be doing a bit better still.”
The world number three Women’s ODI all-rounder admitted that the younger players in the squad have a more difficult task of making the step up from junior cricket than perhaps she would have had at 16 because of how much the women’s game has developed.
“I think I was a bit more fortunate,” Matthews said. “Women’s cricket right now is not what women’s cricket was I think eight or nine years ago. And I think that’s just the truth of it. I was pretty fortunate to come into cricket in a time where it was still growing and get the opportunity to play around the world and franchise cricket and kind of grow with the game.”
The Barbadian added: “I think they’ve now stepped into women’s cricket in a place where it’s very difficult and probably the skill of the game is a lot higher as well. So I think that it’s going to be a tough time for them early on against really good teams. But at the same time, we’ve got to keep encouraging them and keep wanting them to get better and keep giving them the opportunity to do so as well.”
The four rising stars who made this travelling squad, Ashmini Munisar, Djenaba Joseph, Zaida James and Jannillea Glasgow, will now head on a tour to Pakistan with West Indies Women A.
Matthews’ focus will now turn to the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) where she will be a key player for Melbourne Renegades. After some initial worries about her quad injury which caused her to miss the first ODI, she confirmed she was fine and ready to play a full WBBL campaign.
“It was just a grade one tear,” Matthews said. “But since that third T20, I’ve been in a pretty pain-free zone and managing it pretty well. Hence the reason for me missing the first game but at the same time, I wouldn’t have come back unless I felt pretty fit to do so.”
The WBBL starts on October 19 when the Sydney Sixers Women take on the Melbourne Stars Women at the North Sydney Oval. (JC)