DUBLIN, Ireland – West Indies Women were crowned winners of the 2026 Evara International Tri-Series involving Ireland and Pakistan on the back of dominant wins in their first two matches to finish atop the standings and lift the trophy in Dublin on Thursday.
Storming to victory by 8 wickets against hosts Ireland in their first encounter on May 28th, the “Maroon Warriors” then defeated Pakistan the following day by 25 runs to put themselves firmly in control of the Tri-series.
This proved to be critical as the last three matches of the series were heavily impacted by rain, with the West Indies’ fourth and final match against Pakistan ending in a no result, and the final match of the series between Ireland and Pakistan being abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Despite narrowly losing their third encounter to Ireland by one run under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method, the West Indies finished with a higher net run rate than the hosts to secure the series victory.
Captain Hayley Matthews expressed her pleasure with the win and spoke about the confidence it gives the squad heading into the T20 World Cup.
“We’re pleased to have secured the series win, which was our primary goal coming to Ireland. Despite the narrow loss in one match, it doesn’t define our performance. We used the tour to finalise our batting lineups and make the adjustments we needed. Posting our third-highest total ever has given us real confidence heading into what promises to be a big World Cup.”
The triumph represents a significant milestone for the team as they continue to build and establish themselves leading into the global tournament in England and Wales.
Head Coach Shane Deitz praised the performance of the team and in particular the readiness of all 15 players to contribute significantly to the team’s overall success.
“Over the four games, I thought we played some great cricket. We tried some new options and combinations and most worked well. All fifteen players got valuable time in the middle, and for the first time in my tenure as coach, all fifteen looked in solid form. We are in a good place going into the World Cup warm-up matches against India and Australia.”
The “Maroon Warriors” performed well with the ball with several players contributing in multiple matches, including Zaida James, Chinelle Henry, Jahzara Claxton, Qiana Joseph and Shawnisha. In match one they managed to restrict their opponents to 103 in 17 overs, a score they were able to comfortably chase.
Against Pakistan in the second fixture, the diverse bowling attacked kept taking timely wickets to contain Pakistan’s batting lineup, holding them to 174 for 8 in 20 overs in an unsuccessful chase of the Women’s third highest total in T20 Internationals of 199 for 6.
With the bat, valuable contributions came throughout the series from Hayley Matthews (82 and 40); Jannillea Glasgow (42 and 36); Stafanie Taylor (39); and Chinelle Henry (33), showcasing improved depth in the batting line-up, which was an area of focus for the coaching staff in the lead up to the Tri-series.
The West Indies returned to Wales to continue their preparation for the World Cup with two warm-up matches against India on June 8th and Australia on June 10th before their first group stage encounter against New Zealand on June 13th. (windiescricket)
