All-round Matthews stars with 159* & 3-52 as Windies dominate Ireland
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 in 49 overs, 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 right-hander got no reward for a cracking back-foot shot she played off the third ball of Orla Prendergast’s first over, yet her feet had the fleetness that was missing throughout the World Cup, the willow was free and wielding in her hands, and her wrists were rotating again.
Realeanna Grimmond, who met up with the squad after the injury to Chinelle Henry, was just as free-flowing at the other end. Grimmond had featured in Windies’ last ODI series against Australia in April, but this marked her return to the top of the order.
Grimmond’s shot-a-ball approach gave Matthews less to worry about, and the pair raced to a half-century stand in 36 balls. Ireland thought they had the all-important wicket of Matthews in the 11th over when she was caught in the deep with the score on 73. She was, however, recalled to the crease after replays showed Georgina Dempsey had transgressed the frontline.
Matthews was gifted another life in the very next over, dropped by Jane Maguire on 52 off the bowling of sister Aimee Maguire. Ireland were made to rue their mistakes as Matthews shifted through the gears to race to an ODI century number 11. She brought up the milestone in 90 deliveries, finishing unbeaten on 159 (123 balls), extending her record for the most centuries by a West Indian woman in the format.
The Windies openers had a few close calls running between the wickets, never shying away from pulling out the dive to secure their ground. They went on to break the record for the highest partnership for the Caribbean team in the format before Grimmond fell agonizingly short of joining a maiden international hundred on 91 (107 balls).
Grimmond’s wicket came with the visitors just 13 runs away from the 270 required for victory, which Windies completed with another quick single at 270 for one in 38.4 overs, confirming that Ireland’s score was indeed insufficient.
The injury to Henry earlier forced the West Indies to open the bowling with Jannillea Glasgow. A new-ball partnership between Glasgow and the inexperienced Shawnisha Hector meant the Windies’ opening pair had a total of two ODI wickets between them.
Glasgow claimed one for 21 runs in seven overs, while Hector’s wicketless three cost Windies 26 runs. That was the theme for the majority of the Irish innings: scoring at a run-a-ball against the Caribbean seamers while the dependable spinner trio of Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack, and Matthews did the business in the middle.
On what was a good batting surface, the hosts were cantering along at just under five and a half runs per over when Matthews introduced herself into the attack. She prised the wicket of her opposite number, Gaby Lewis (39), cutting short a promising 39-run second-wicket partnership with Amy Hunter at 77 for two.
Hunter went on to share in consecutive half-century stands with Orla Prendergast (69 from 68) and Rebecca Stokell (50 from 44) as Ireland zoned in on a near-300 target. It took the ever-reliable Afy Fletcher to get rid of the dangerous Prendergast for a 33-ball 30 before Matthews returned to put an end to Stokell for 20 at 196 for four.
Hunter looked certain for a second ODI hundred when a misjudgement on the long-on boundary resulted in a parry over the ropes from Glasgow, which gifted Hunter a maximum off Fletcher, which took her to 96.
Fletcher would get her revenge the very next ball, with Hunter playing on with Ireland 224 for six. Despite a 32-run ninth-wicket stand between Louise Little (27) and Cara Murray (14), Ireland lost their remaining four wickets for 46 runs to be bowled out in 49 overs.