Matthews raring, ready for visiting Sri Lankans

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC):

After a frustrating eight-month layoff due to a shoulder injury, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has been declared fit and ready to lead her side in the upcoming One-Day International series against Sri Lanka, beginning on Friday.

The charismatic all-rounder has not featured for the regional side since last June, making her return at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada a significant boost for the home team. Matthews is eager to shake off the rust and start the year on a high note against familiar opponents.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be a great opportunity for us to start the year off with a game against some really good opposition in Sri Lanka,” Matthews said.

“An opposition that we know we would have been matched very closely with in previous games, and who always give us a massive challenge to compete against. So, we certainly are looking forward to playing them.”

The West Indies skipper acknowledged the competitive history between the two sides, emphasising that her team is not just showing up to participate.

“We’re two teams that match up really well. We’re going to be right there competing to win games and hopefully win the series. There are great merits within the team right now, and everybody is just looking forward to getting going.”

With a new year comes a renewed focus, and Matthews is placing a heavy emphasis on the team’s energy and body language as they take the field for the first time in 2026.

“Just going out there with a lot of energy is gonna be super important. It’s obviously a new year and a fresh start, and we kinda wanna go out there with vibes and energy high for our very first match.

“I feel as though if we play the right brand of cricket and we play with the right energy and the right passion, the results will certainly follow.”

The squad features several promising young players, and Matthews sees this series as a vital opportunity for their development. She views her role not just as a run-scorer or wicket-taker, but as a mentor to the next generation.

“Them having the opportunity to watch me perform might be something to help them at the same time.

“But it’s just about encouraging them every single time. They’re obviously young and have quite a lot to learn. But the good thing with the youngsters on our team is that they’re all very keen, very hungry, and want to learn, get better, and improve.

“So for me, it’s just about going out there and trying to do my thing as much as possible, at the same time making sure that we nurture them to become the best version of themselves in the future as well.”

Beyond the immediate series, Matthews is looking to set the tone for the year, particularly in front of a home crowd. With limited international cricket played in the Caribbean recently, she is keen to establish the region as a fortress where visiting teams find it difficult to compete.

“We all are pretty hungry for that. We haven’t had many series in the Caribbean of late, so this is gonna be a great chance for us to kinda make home ours, and really give teams a hard time coming down here.

“This is gonna be the perfect time for us to set that up, and align things how we want to play at home in front of our crowd. And hopefully we’re able to set a really good example for how we wanna go about the rest of the year.”