Most ODI centuries for Windies Women: Matthews (11), Taylor (8), Dottin (3)
West Indies 270 for 1 (Matthews 159*, Grimmond 91; Little 1-25) beat Ireland 269 all out (Hunter 96, Lewis 39; Fletcher 4-49) by 9 wickets
The West Indies completed an emphatic 9-wicket win over Ireland in the first One-Day International at the Bready Cricket Ground on Friday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. A record-breaking 258-run stand from openers Hayley Matthews and Realeanna Grimmond guided Windies to victory in what was their highest successful run chase.
Ten days prior, the West Indies had exited The Oval in London with heads hung, having failed to challenge eventual champions Australia in the semifinal of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Three days before that, they had lost by 6 wickets to this Irish team in the final group game, a win that was Ireland’s first-ever in the tournament.
This series signaled a switch to 50-over cricket, but the Caribbean side wasn’t necessarily comfortable in the format either. They had also failed to qualify for the 2025 ODI World Cup, following that up with four consecutive series losses, including a 2-1 defeat at home to Sri Lanka earlier in February. They needed to initiate a response.
While Ireland batted well before being dismissed for 269, the nature of the wicket suggested that the hosts might have left a few runs on the track. Of course, so much would depend on how Matthews went with the bat, and it did not take long to guess the mood the Windies skipper was in.
The Barbados Tridents today announced their overseas player roster ahead of the 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season, adding a formidable blend of top-order power, world-class spin, and seam-bowling variety as the franchise returns to its historic identity under the "One Barbados" partnership.
The five overseas signings confirmed for the upcoming campaign are:
Quinton de Kock (South Africa)
Chris Green (Australia)
Mujeeb ur Rahman (Afghanistan)
George Linde (South Africa)
Daniel Sams (Australia)
With Kensington Oval, "The Mecca" of West Indies cricket, set to host this year's CPL final, the Tridents' recruitment for 2026 signals intent to build a squad capable of matching aggressive batting with world-class control across all three bowling disciplines.
Realeanna Grimmond has replaced the injured Chinelle Henry in the West Indies squad for their upcoming Women’s One-Day International tour of Ireland, which gets underway on Friday. The change is the lone one to the group that featured in the recently concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
The tour, for which all three fixtures will be played at Bready Cricket Club, marks the team's third assignment of the new ICC Women's Championship cycle, offering another opportunity to bank points and build momentum on the road to World Cup qualification.
The St. Lucia Kings today announced their overseas player roster ahead of the 2026 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season, bringing together a world-class blend of spin bowling, power-hitting, and all-round versatility from across the international game.
The five overseas signings confirmed for the upcoming campaign are:
Result, Day 5: Sri Lanka 549 for 9 dec & 251 for 9 dec. (Chandimal 71, Kamindu 44, Alzarri 2-44) drew with West Indies 499 & 109 for 0 (Campbell 51*, King 51*)
Before the start of the series, the last West Indian captain to claim a Test series win over Sri Lanka was Brian Lara, 23 years ago. On Tuesday, Roston Chase’s men secured a draw that earned the Caribbean side a 1-0 series triumph, their first over the Asian team since then.
Chase is not underestimating the result. “I'm very elated, [winning] against a team like Sri Lanka that we struggle to beat, even at home,” he began. “So to come here and to not just beat them but [to win] in a dominating kind of way, it's very pleasing.”
Chase himself was part of that dominance, scoring 194 to help his team to an innings and 217-run victory in the first Test. He starred alongside Amir Jangoo (233) in a record-breaking 401-run stand for the sixth-wicket. Their partnership went a long way in helping the West Indies to what proved to be a decisive win.
The result was the first positive one in nine attempts for Chase as captain, who had been averaging 13.8 with the bat since his appointment.
“It's a great feeling [but] I don't want to take too much credit for it because at the end of the day it's a team sport and I can't go out there and do it by myself,” he said simply.
Handshakes signal the end of the Test (AFP/Getty Images)
