KARACHI, Pakistan, CMC—Captain Hayley Matthews has praised the quality of her side’s top-order batting after West Indies Women swept Pakistan Women 3-0 in the One-Day International series, which wrapped up Tuesday.
The 26-year-old led her side’s domination with the bat, plundering 325 runs at an average of 162.5 with three centuries. Vice-captain Shemaine Campbelle averaged 45, and former captain Stafanie Taylor, 40—both notching a half-century.
“Coming down here to Pakistan, we wanted to be able to grab those six [ICC Championship] points, so I think everyone is super happy with the result and how it went,” Matthews said.
“For sure, I am pleased with how the batting went this series. I was obviously able to get some runs, but the way Shemaine Campbelle was able to handle number three and Stafanie, obviously coming in at number four, had a match-winning performance in the last game.
“So it was pleasing to see many of the batters step up, especially coming from the top five.”
In a series played exclusively at National Bank Stadium, West Indies Women won the opener by 113 runs after gathering 269 for eight, courtesy of Matthews’s unbeaten 140.
They captured the second ODI by two wickets after chasing down 224, with Campbell and Taylor getting fifties. They then won the final game by 88 runs, with Matthews lashing her sixth ODI hundred of 141.
However, Matthews said she believed her side’s batting could get even better.
“I think we can still score more runs. We did well as a team to score 270-plus, but if we can get more big scores coming from around the group, we’ll be even better,” she contended.
“Our top order especially batted really, really well this series—Shemaine Campbelle and Stafanie Taylor, both of them pretty consistent.
“And with the ball, there are always areas you can improve. We would’ve probably wanted to keep Pakistan to a bit less than that in the second ODI, but I think overall, we’ve had a pretty good performance that I can’t complain too much about.”
Matthews, her side’s leading batter, said her form had been driven by her desire to spend time at the crease.
“At the beginning of this series, I spoke about occupying the crease and spending a lot of time there, and I felt like if I did that, the runs would come and think so it happened,” she said.
The Caribbean side will now turn their attention to the five-match Twenty20 International series, which starts Friday at the same venue. Matthews has hinted at changes.
“We had the same team for the three ODIs, but depending on how the T20s go, we might be able to see some of the girls come in and get an opportunity, and that’s obviously what series like these are about,” she said.
“So obviously, now that we’re into the T20 games – and we have five of them – hopefully we can see some new girls come in and see them doing a bit with the ball and the bat and getting some experience.”
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