West Indies are back in contention to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, and showed just why they are a dangerous proposition during their eight-wicket win over Bangladesh on Thursday.
There are few players in the tournament who are as good to watch in full flow as West Indies captain Hayley Matthews.
And the 26-year-old right-hander showed her world-class quality with a powerplay blitz that rocketed West Indies towards a heavy victory in their crucial match-up in Sharjah.
Matthews found the boundary six times in a 12-ball stretch to blow Bangladesh away, racing to a 22-ball 34 in which the only shock was an inside-edge onto her stumps that ended the spectacle earlier than neutrals would have wanted.
But Matthews wasn’t drawn on her own form after the match, saying instead that the last two wins from her side have been a result of a squad-wide mindset shift following the opening defeat to South Africa.
“I think after that first defeat we did speak a lot about how we wanted to come back and how we want to do it as a team. I think everyone was up for the challenge since that moment.
“Obviously at World Cups you lose one game early it does put the pressure on, but I think the team has been wonderful in the way they’ve handled the pressure. Everyone’s in a good mood.
“I think a lot of the time when you do get into trouble situations, players and teams can sometimes shirk from it, but I think the way the girls have stepped up, tried to put in big performances and taken the attack to teams is good to see.”
With Matthews in this sort of form, and West Indies showing that they have plenty of power elsewhere in the order, not least in the shape of Deandra Dottin, they will be a threat to England in the final Group B fixture, and have what it takes to go all the way if they manage to make it out of the group.
And the captain is delighted with the fearless approach shown by Dottin and company.
“I think our attitude at the crease, wanting to play fearlessly and wanting to take the game to the other teams… I think we could have been stuck on the back foot after that first match, but we did want to go back on the attack.
“I think you can see that through our batting order, the way Qiana Joseph batted in the last match, Deandra Dottin she’s been fiery since she’s been back, Chinelle Henry even coming into the lineup. I think the girls have done a great job of being able to bounce back and really have that attitude and that fight within them.
“We’re obviously going to try and take that into the next match against England. We know how crucial that is and how big of a match that is, but we want to have the same attitude against better teams as well.”
West Indies are temporarily top of Group B on net run rate thanks to the huge margins of their wins over Scotland and Bangladesh.
And that attacking intent means that the West Indies may not even need to beat England in their final group game, depending on results elsewhere, with the possibility that NRR could send them into the semi-finals with just four points.
“I am going to say that I am pleased with the way we are playing,” the West Indies captain said. “I think obviously we had it in mind over the last two matches and that’s why the girls were so positive in those middle overs, taking our run rate into a really good position.
“Being able to play that last match going into it knowing exactly what we need to do, but I think at the same time we’re going to go out there and try and win no matter what.”
Remaining fixtures in Group B
Bangladesh v South Africa – Saturday 12 October (18:00 local time), Dubai International Cricket Stadium
England v Scotland – Sunday 13 October (14:00 local time), Sharjah Cricket Stadium
England v West Indies – Tuesday 15 October (18:00 local time), Dubai International Cricket Stadium
-ICC
