By Ben McLeod (CNW)— With the global spotlight fast approaching, West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews has framed the team’s three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka women’s national cricket team as a critical dress rehearsal for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
The series, which opens at the National Cricket Stadium, offers the Caribbean side an immediate chance to recalibrate after a narrow 2-1 defeat in the preceding One-Day International leg.
For Matthews, the contest marks a personal milestone. The dynamic all-rounder will captain the T20 side for the first time in over a year, her last appearance in the format coming against Bangladesh women’s national cricket team in St. Kitts on January 29, 2025.
With the World Cup set for June 12 to July 5 in England and Wales, Matthews emphasized the urgency of sharpening the team’s T20 instincts.
“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.”
Banking on firepower
Matthews underscored the squad’s explosive potential as its defining advantage, pointing to a core of hitters capable of transforming matches in a matter of overs.
“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.”
Expecting a tactical shift
Having observed Sri Lanka’s patient, accumulation-focused approach during the ODI series, Matthews anticipates a more aggressive opposition in the condensed format, and insists her team is ready to respond.
“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.”
She credited the spin department for steady performances in recent months while acknowledging the need for sharper returns from the pace attack.
“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.”
A format built on execution
Ultimately, Matthews believes T20 cricket rewards composure and decisive execution, qualities she says the West Indies possess in abundance.
“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.”
As the countdown to the World Cup intensifies, the series in Grenada represents more than a bilateral contest, it is a proving ground for a team intent on arriving at the sport’s biggest stage fully primed for battle
