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So West Indies get off the mark. A tense victory for them in the end but this should give them confidence going forward. The T20 World Cup extravaganza continues tomorrow. Till then, it's goodbye and goodnight from the commentary box. This is me (Arya Sekhat Chakraborty) signing off on behalf of my fellow commentator and good mate Pragadeesh. Cheers!!!
Hayley Matthews (West Indies captain): Anytime we are chasing a score like this with the batting form we were in, we knew that somebody had to stay there and take the game deep. Look it got very tight in the game but I am happy we were able to get over the line. Yeah 100 percent, we felt that probably a couple of areas where we bowled today wasn’t really ideal. Gave a bit too much width but we took some important wickets towards the end. Ramarhack bowled brilliantly. Then we were able to restrict them to 137. I bowled myself with 5 players in the ring, with some much happening, was lost a bit but the girls did a fantastic job in restricting them to the score they did in the end. A complete team effort to get there in the end. We have lost a lot of games in a row so able to go and win that match, not only for the World Cup but also to be able to register a victory after a long time was really good. I think the girls will have some conversation before we came into the game. The last two games will be a real test of where we are as a team. Hopefully we can start with that and carry the momentum in the next games. I keep saying that we are going through a bit of a transition phase, good to see the young girls stepping up. These are the times which will test us and how strong we can stay together as a team. As a group we have to stay together and keep building together and puting up a big pool of players.
Laura Delany (Ireland captain): We batted with great intent and we think the last 5 overs is the thing which have too look at from the first innings. We just have to be better on the field if we have to compete with strong teams. Yeah I am sure there were nerves, there are several girls playing their first World Cup. I think we were about 30n runs short. Orla batted really well, she stayed calm and hope she and Gaby continue their form the next day. Look we have a very young side and a lot of these girls haven’t played in a World Cup before so definitely there is tension. We are not here to fight, we are here to win games. No the best is yet to come.
Hayley Matthews (Man of the Match): we needed someone to bat throughout the innings and I did it today. We needed someone to bat deep and kudos to the Irish for their bowling effort. Really proud of the girls and glad to pull this off. I have to take a bit more responsibility, only in the last couple of games, I decided to bat deep and really enjoy this new role
West Indies Women won by 6 wickets (with one delivery to spare)
Ireland Women 137/9 in 20 overs Orla Prendergast 61(47) | Gaby Lewis 38(34) | Shamilia Connell 3/24(4)
West Indies Women 140/4 in 19.5 overs Hayley Matthews 66*(53) | Chinelle Henry 34(28) | Leah Paul 1/26(4)
West Indies needed to get off to a steady start in order to chase down a tricky 138. The wicket was good to bat on and with Hayley Matthews being at the helm, Windies would have backed themselves to chase this down. She responded to the call, remaining unbeaten on 66 off 53 deliveries.
Rashada Williams was sent in as Hayley Matthews’ opening partner and the duo stitched together a vital stand but couldn’t quite get the much-needed boundaries in the powerplay. The Irish bowlers were very disciplined and didn’t allow the opposition batters to get away.
Matthews took her time in the middle and slowly built her innings with singles and doubles. An uncharacteristic lapse in concentration brought about the downfall of Rashada Williams. Shemaine Campbelle was dismissed early but the ploy to sent in Chinelle Henry up the order worked for West Indies.
She came out all guns blazing and her positive mindset was quite evident. Matthews was rejuvenated in her company and started striking the ball very well She completed her half-century in the 16th over and was helped by a poor fielding display by Ireland.
They kept conceding easy singles, doubles and boundaries and also dropped important catches which turned the match in West Indies’ favor. Matthews knew that she had to be there till and sail the ship along. She was constantly helped by the Irish fielders as they kept dropping one after the other.
Following the dismissal of Chinelly Henry, Shabika Gajnabi came out and smashed a couple of telling blows in the penultimate over to tilt the scales in West Indies’ favor. She was run out in the final over but Hayley Matthews ensured that she batted through and struck the winning runs, taking her team over the finishing line with a delivery to spare.
Earlier in the day, it was the Ireland top order who got them off to a splendid start and threatened to score well in excess of 150. Prendergast was the top scorer with a knock of 61 off 47 deliveries but the Windies bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals towards the end and they could only muster 137 at the end of their allotted 20 overs.
The leader of the West Indies team leads them to a victory and they have tasted success after 15 consecutive losses. It wasn't before that the Irish gave a good account of themselves but in the end, it was a Hayley Matthews masterclass that took their side over the finishing line. Ireland have now lost 16 consecutive games in the T20 World Cup.
19.5 Laura Delany to Hayley Matthews, FOUR! HERE COMES A HUGE ROAR! Matthews plays a captain's knock and ends West Indies' 15-match losing streak in T20s. Delany goes full and outside off-stump, Matthews get her beat underneath the ball and plays a sensational lofted drive over cover for a boundary
2 required off 2. What a match this has been.
19.4 Laura Delany to Aaliyah Alleyne, slow delivery angling on middle and leg-stump, Alleyne tries to clip this one and gets hit on the pads. Matthews runs across to the other end. Hang on! Delany takes a review. The ball hits the back pad. It's pitching in line, impact was umpire's call and the ball clips the leg-stump. No drama here and more importantly for West Indies, Matthews is back on strike
Aaliyah Alleyne, RHB comes out to the crease.
What was happening there? Lack of game awareness from Shabika Gajnabi, she thought Matthews would be settled with the single and just ambled along for the single. She fell well short in the end. Is there another twist in the tale? Still 3 needed off 3.
19.3 Laura Delany to Shabika Gajnabi, RUN OUT! Matthews is infuriated. Gajnabi walks down the pitch and clips the length delivery. The fielder was placed at short mid-wicket to prevent the single but she couldn't stop the ball. Matthews calls for a second run and that was needless as there was never a run there. Gajnabi was struggling and she was long way short of her crease when the keeper knocked the stumps. Tensions all around. Are West Indies gonna fluff this chase?
Shabika Gajnabi run out Gaby Lewis/Mary Waldron 13 (7b 4x2 6x0)
Just a couple of singles of the first two deliveries. Ireland still in with a chance. 4 off 4. This is getting tense for both the teams.
19.2 Laura Delany to Hayley Matthews, full angling on middle stump, Matthews stands in her crease and heaves this down to deep mid-wicket. One run
19.1 Laura Delany to Shabika Gajnabi, shuffles down the pitch and clips the length delivery to deep mid-wicket. Just a single on this occasion
Laura Delany [3.-0-23-1] is back into the attack.
Shabika Gajnabi has turned the game in favor of West Indies with a couple of boundaries early on in the over. 6 runs required off the final over. This is blockbuster stuff folks. Can the Irish pull of something dramatic or will it be West Indies who will win their first game after 15 outings?
19
overs
132/3score
4
4
1
1
1
0
runs
Hayley Matthews*
61(51)
Shabika Gajnabi
11(5)
Arlene Kelly
0/30
18.6 Arlene Kelly to Hayley Matthews, nails the yorker on middle stump, Matthews digs it back to the bowler
18.5 Arlene Kelly to Shabika Gajnabi, pitched up on a good length around off-stump, Gajnabi swings and gets a thick outside edge to short third. The fielder collects it on the bounce and they take a run