West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews expressed optimism for the future of the sport in the Caribbean following her team’s successful finish in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
At Boland Park in Paarl, the West Indies defeated Pakistan by three runs to complete their group games with two victories out of four.
Despite the near impossibility of West Indies reaching the semifinals, Matthews claimed that the World Cup had been a significant turning point.
When they defeated Ireland in their previous game, they snapped a 15-match T20 losing record. In their victory over Pakistan, they displayed grit by holding Pakistan to a score of of 116 for 6, which Matthews described as “20 runs short.”
“In the field, we had to be extra special. We discussed placing our bodies in front of the ball,” she remarked.
Injuries plagued the West Indies throughout the competition, most notably to longtime star Stafanie Taylor, and Matthews acknowledged they had struggled with the bat.
“We must return to the practise field once we get home. Our team is made up of a lot of young players, and as they grow, we are progressing in the correct direction “the skipper said
While Pakistan could only muster 113 for five on Sunday, Matthews was outstanding on the field, holding a punishing early catch and then going 2 for 14 with her off-spinners.
Nida Dar, a veteran of Pakistan, had a bitter-sweet day when she equaled a former West Indies star by taking two for 13 in four overs of precision offspin. the women’s T20 international record of 125 wickets held by Anisa Mohammed.
Dar contributed 27 runs to Pakistan’s reply, but her team was unable to win.
With three victories in three games, the outcome guaranteed England’s qualification for the semifinals.
If Pakistan defeats England in their final match and India, who is now second in Group Two, loses to winless Ireland, Pakistan will still have a mathematical chance.
According to Pakistani captain Bismah Maroof, “This is a really significant game for us.”
“We have played well in cricket and will attempt to do so going forward.”
There were only nine boundaries in the West Indian innings and eight when Pakistan batted due to the batsmen’ struggles to score rapidly on a slow wicket.
