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Matthews leads West Indies Women to series win

rugby23 June 2025 22:07| © MWP
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Hayley Matthews © Getty Images

Skipper Hayley Matthews struck a superb 65 off 50 balls to enable the West Indies Women to beat South Africa by six wickets with nine balls to spare in the deciding T20I at the Three Ws Oval at Cave Hill in Barbados on Monday.

The win clinched the series 2-1 for the home team after they came back with consecutive victories after being one down. The two white ball series were therefore shared, with South Africa winning the WODI series 2-1.

“Disappointed about today’s result, of course,” said Wolvaardt afterwards, “particularly as I thought we had enough runs. But we didn’t get our bowling lines right – they scored too many runs square of the wicket and we got a few small things wrong. But Hayley played so well, it’s difficult to get her out. Overall on the tour I thought we unearthed some good young talent who put their hands up and made a good contribution to the team.”

Matthews said that she would have taken a target of 148 for the win and praised her team’s fighting spirit to come back from 1-0 down in the series. It was the first time the West Indies had beaten South Africa in a bilateral series in 12 years.

Wolvaardt had won the toss and chosen to bat first, setting the West Indies a stiff target of 148 for victory, thanks mainly to a superb unbeaten half-century from Miane Smit, her first in T20Is.

And although opener Qiana Joseph and Realianna Grimmond went cheaply in West Indies’ reply, an excellent third-wicket stand of 82 between Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle set the stage for victory, with Chinelle Henry finishing matters off by striking Tumi Sekhukhune for 4,6,4 off the first three balls of the penultimate over to finish with a breezy unbeaten 20 in 11 balls.

But the heavy lifting had already been done by Matthews who received the Player of the Match and Series awards after completing her second consecutive half-century. The Windies captain played with power and authority, striking nine fours and a six in her innings. Campbelle also showed plenty of aggressive intent, hitting her 42 runs in 38 balls.

South Africa’s bowling problems were intensified when Nadine de Klerk collapsed at the crease and had to be carried off with a hamstring tear.

Earlier, the 20-year-old Smit from Bloemfontein played a splendid innings as she guided South Africa Women to 147 for six.

It was just as well that the fresh-faced batter excelled in her third T20I because few of the other batters acquitted themselves well on a slow track, many of them succumbing to soft dismissals.

Wolvaardt dropped down to three and the team opened with Tazmin Brits and Sune Luus – making her first appearance in the series. The pair made a useful start, reaching 29 halfway through the fourth over, before Luus slapped a slow full-toss straight to square leg.

Wolvaardt and Brits struggled to pierce the field in their partnership, not taking advantage of a number of short-pitched deliveries. Brits had reached 20 in 24 balls before she slog-swept Afy Fletcher straight to Joseph at a straight midwicket. Wolvaardt played a number of trademark drives as well as pulls in her 28 in 24 balls before she would have been hugely disappointed to drive Karishma Ramharack tamely to mid-on.

Marizanne Kapp came and went quickly, clipping Hayley Matthews to mid-on while Karabo Meso under-edged a sweep to the wicketkeeper off Fletcher.

It was left to Smit to rescue the innings and give the West Indies something to aim at. The youngster struck seven fours and a six in her innings and showed excellent composure as well as good timing and placement – particularly in her driving – as she provided the innings with plenty of momentum in the last overs.

Compared to the miserable total of six fours and a six struck by their batters in the second T20I, South Africa struck 15 fours and a six this time around with Smit responsible for seven fours and a six in just 38 balls.

PROTEAS WOMEN: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Marizanne Kapp, Miane Smit, Karabo Meso (wk), Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

WEST INDIES WOMEN: Hayley Matthews (capt), Qiana Joseph, Realeanna Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Jannillea Glasgow, Aaliyah Alleyne, Jahzara Claxton, Shawnisha Hector, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack

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