Hayley Matthews has been the driving force behind the West Indies women’s team for several years, consistently delivering with both bat and ball. One of the world’s leading all-rounders, the captain has built a reputation for playing match-winning knocks under pressure. Coming into the Ireland ODI series, Matthews had scored more than 3,100 runs in the format, underlining her consistency at the top of the order. Her unbeaten 159 against Ireland was another reminder of her ability to dominate attacks and lead from the front.
Chasing a target of 270, Matthews led from the front with a brilliant captain’s knock, combining patience with attacking strokeplay to anchor the West Indies innings. Opening the batting, she made a cautious start against Orla Prendergast, seeing off the first five balls before getting off the mark with a boundary from the final delivery of the opening over.
After settling in, Matthews began to play more freely. She took on Jane Maguire with two consecutive fours before striking two more boundaries off Prendergast in the next over. By the end of the Powerplay, she looked comfortable at the crease and had laid a strong foundation for her team.
Ireland’s bowlers slowed her scoring for a few overs by maintaining a tight line, but Matthews remained composed and kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and twos. Whenever the bowlers made a mistake, she made them pay. She struck a four off Georgina Dempsey and followed it with another boundary after a no-ball, ensuring the pressure stayed on Ireland.
Matthews brought up her half-century with a boundary off Aimee Maguire. Instead of trying to score too quickly after reaching the milestone, she continued to bat sensibly. The 28-year-old rotated the strike well, found regular boundaries and built an important partnership with Realeanna Grimmond.
As the innings entered the middle overs, Matthews took control. She attacked both the seamers and the spinners, hitting Cara Murray for two fours in one over before later smashing her for a six. Jane Maguire also came under pressure as Matthews struck back-to-back boundaries before adding another six, helping West Indies increase the scoring rate.
Matthews showed great awareness throughout her innings. She kept the scoreboard moving with regular singles while ensuring Grimmond settled in as well. Their partnership grew steadily and became the backbone of the West Indies innings.
As she moved closer to her century, Matthews increased the tempo once again. She found boundaries against Aimee Maguire, Jane Maguire and Georgina Dempsey, keeping Ireland on the defensive. She reached her century with a single off Dempsey, completing a well-paced and well-deserved hundred.
Even after reaching three figures, Matthews did not slow down. She continued to attack, hitting more boundaries off Louise Little and Dempsey to guide West Indies towards victory.
The dynamic batter started cautiously, built her innings patiently, accelerated at the right time and finished strongly. She also made an impact with the ball, returning figures of 3/52 from her 10 overs.
Matthews has long been West Indies’ biggest asset, but performances like these elevate her beyond that label.
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