Matthews: T20 series will serve as tune-up for World Cup

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC):

West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews is viewing their three-match T2oI series against Sri Lanka Women as vital preparation for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup.

The regional team will look to rebound from their 2-1 series loss in the just concluded One Day International Series when they take on the visitors in the opener today at the National Cricket Stadium.

It will be Matthews’ first time leading the team in over a year, having last played a T20 international on January 29, 2025, when they took on Bangladesh Women in St Kitts.

And with the Women’s World Cup scheduled to be held from June 12 to July 5 in England and Wales, Matthews said the series will be the perfect warm-up ahead of the marquee event.

“It’s just about getting in a frame of mind obviously now to play some T20 cricket. Obviously, we’re going to go out there and look to be a bit more aggressive on the field.

“But yeah, it’s certainly a format that we figure we’re a lot more suited for as well, so I’m looking forward to the competition,” Matthews said.

“I think the biggest strength we have is probably the power within the team. With players like Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, who are big powerhouses and can launch a ball quite far, seeing them at their best is going to be super important leading up to the World Cup.”

Matthews said while she expected Sri Lanka to change their cautious approach from the ODI series, she said the West Indies were prepared for the challenge.

She admitted that while there were still some improvements that needed to be made, she was impressed with the team’s progression over the past few months.

“They definitely had a ‘take your time’ approach in the ODI series, but obviously coming into the T20 stuff now they are less overs to bat, so they will certainly be coming at things a lot harder. But at the same time, us as a bowling unit, we’ll just have to adjust and keep things tighter and hopefully bring more wickets into play as well.

“Bowling wise our spinners have been doing pretty well and if we can just improve in the pace department and hopefully take some more wickets there, it will turn us into a good all-around team,” Matthews said.

“I think T20 cricket is a game that’s played on the day, and we certainly have match winners within the team and that’s what’s super important. It’s just about showing up and executing really well when the day does come around and I think if we’re able to do that at our best, we are capable of beating any team.”