The West Indies Women took the three-match CG United One Day International series 2-0, defeating Ireland by 6 wickets in the final match at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia.
Winning the toss and batting first, 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 10-0-37-3 and Shamilia Connell 4-0-16-2 kept 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, she showcased her experience and composure in a challenging situation, constructing her innings carefully.
Taylor 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.
This was captain Hayley Matthews first series win and she told CWI Media, “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 Stafanie Taylor for her outstanding knock of 79 not out under pressure, while the Player of the Series was given to Hayley Matthews for her all-round performance.
The two teams will now switch to the shorter format when the three-match T20 International series starts on Tuesday at the same venue. All matches will start at 5pm Eastern Caribbean time (4pm Jamaica time). (CWI)