Sherdon Cowan-West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews is optimistic about her team’s readiness, as she stressed that the focus is on improvement and a desire to deliver a dominant 3-0 sweep in their three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.
Matthews pointed out that the series, which gets under way on Sunday at Warner Park, St. Kitts, represents a fresh start following a disappointing outing in India.
In fact, both teams are aiming to sharpen their skills for upcoming ICC events, as this series marks Bangladesh’s first bilateral tour of the Caribbean and the first bilateral encounter between the two sides.
It is with that in mind that Matthews highlighted the importance of spending time in the middle when batting, which she says has been a major focus during the team’s preparation.
“Preparation has been pretty good. Obviously, we had some time off over the New Year’s break to kind of reset after the India series. Everyone has been working pretty hard to get going. Batting has been something that we have been paying a lot of attention to and something that we know is going to be really crucial within this series,” Matthews said in a pre-game interview.
“We have been working hard in the bowling department as well. Obviously, wicket-taking opportunities and wicket-taking balls—that is something from the last series that we felt we could have improved on, so the coaches and everyone involved have definitely been putting in a lot more plans to hopefully get some more early wickets,” she added.
Knowing very well that facing Bangladesh’s formidable spin attack will be a key challenge for her side, Matthews believes the key to success lies in early aggression.
“They have a very strong spin attack, so it’s probably going to be about staying on them really early and keeping them out of the game as much as possible. Their spinners are going to be the ones to try and take wickets, so hopefully we can keep them out of the game as much as possible,” she noted.
Matthews explained that the Caribbean side, which boasts a blend of seasoned campaigners and emerging talent, has struck a harmonious balance with every player eager to give a good account.
“We already have a really good mix. Having that experience and youthfulness kind of brings about that fun in the camp, but we’re still very serious about what we have to get done out on the field. No matter who you are in the team—a young player coming in or someone that’s been around for a while—everyone is hungry to go out there and do well every single time,” Matthews declared.
While playing at home in familiar conditions provides a significant edge, Matthews is cognisant that efficient execution is required to exploit conditions, as she is clear about their ambitions.
“We’ve had a lot of experience playing here at Warner Park. The girls certainly know the ground very well, and it should be an advantage for us. Hopefully, we can use that to exploit areas of the ground and the wicket as well,” Matthews said.
“As the higher-ranked team, we do want to go out there and dominate. It (series) still plays a role in the position that we will be in the qualifiers, and so we want to focus a lot on what we can do. We know we are a quality side, and hopefully we will be able to showcase that, as winning 3-0 will be great,” she reasoned.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty is equally determined, as she also views the series as crucial for their World Cup qualification hopes.
“This is a very important series, and we really want to win to qualify for the ODI World Cup, so we have some plans that we want to execute on the day. We have a very good bowling attack and some very good top-order players, so we look forward to seeing how they perform,” Joty stated. (Sportsmax)
