On a tour of recurring themes, Windies bowled well again and chased again only to lose again
Australia 269 for 7 (Mooney 65, Litchfield 46; Matthews 3-40) beat West Indies 179 all out (Matthews 45, Fletcher 32*; Gardner 3-34) by 90 runs
The West Indies have so far lost all five games of their white-ball tour at home to Australia, with the latest contest concluding in a 90-run defeat in the second Women’s One-Day International at Warner Park in St. Kitts & Nevis on Sunday.
Not for the first time, the West Indian bowlers tested Australia’s batting, leaving the hosts with a real chance at the halfway stage of the game. Yet just as it had panned out on each occasion prior, the result went the visitors’ way, this time giving them a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match contest.
There was a feeling that if the West Indies were to chase any score in the series, it had to be the 269 they restricted Australia to on Sunday. Chasing 270 runs for victory, Qiana Joseph and captain Hayley Matthews saw them to 48 without loss after 10 overs. The pair went on to share in a 57-run stand for the first wicket before Ashleigh Gardner (3/34) dismissed Joseph, caught and bowled, in the 12th over for 29.
The partnership between Matthews and Stafanie Taylor that followed was a struggle, to say the least. The two boundaries in the stand came within the first 20 of the 74 balls the duo faced in their time together. They only managed to score 37 runs between them as the Australian spinners took control of proceedings.
Inclusion of ball tracking and reduction in the number of games are among the changes
The 2026 edition of the West Indies Championship will feature three concurrent, three-match bilateral series played across the region, guided by the traditional West Indies Championship points system. The tournament is set to bowl off on April 12 and run through May 17.
In a statement released on Friday, Cricket West Indies revealed the change was prompted by their continued efforts to “ensure the sustainable management of resources across regional cricket."
Despite the new format resulting in a reduced number of games, the board insists it will function to “preserve relevance and competitive impact while managing operational costs,” once again highlighting their financial struggles.
Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe is confident in the new format.
“Despite the reduction in matches, we anticipate keen contests,” he said. “The West Indies Championship will form a key part of talent identification and preparation for the home series, and the bilateral series format will add an interesting dimension, closer to mirroring the Test cricket format.”
How it works:
The six regional franchises will be seeded 1–6 based on their final standings at the end of the 2025 edition of the tournament.
The winners of each bilateral contest will be ranked 1st through 3rd based on total points accumulated, with the top-ranked team advancing directly to the Grand Final.
The 2nd- and 3rd-ranked teams will meet in a Playoff match to determine the second finalist. While the 1st-place team will take on the West Indies Academy to maintain match readiness ahead of the final.
The board announces plans for Seales, Shamar Joseph, and Alzarri Joseph
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced plans to "prioritize the long-term health” of three of its frontline fast bowlers—Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph, and Alzarri Joseph—for the remainder of 2026.
Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe is “confident that this structured and proactive approach to player management will keep the West Indies fast-bowling group in peak condition.”
Seales and Shamar Joseph are set to participate in the upcoming season of the West Indies Championship in what the governing body advises will be a “carefully managed capacity.”
“Seales will be available for selection from April 9, with his participation confirmed for Rounds 1 and 2 of the Championship,” said CWI in a media release. “Should his territorial side, the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, advance to the second phase of the tournament, his continued involvement will be assessed at that stage.”
Australia 211 for 7 (Voll 101, Molineux 25; Matthews 3-29) beat West Indies 61 for 3 (Matthews 30*, Brathwaite 18; Perry 1-1) by 40 runs (DLS)
Showers at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Monday confirmed a 40-run defeat for the West Indies, via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, in the 3rd Women’s T20 International against Australia, as the visitors claimed a 3-0 series sweep. After twice restricting the Aussies to 164 earlier in the series, the Caribbean side could, this time around, find no answer to Georgia Voll, whose century propelled them to a 200-plus total.
Voll hit nine 4s and six maximums on her way to a maiden T20I hundred, which she brought up in 52 balls. The 22-year-old shared in a 19-ball stand of 39 with Phoebe Litchfield (15) for the second wicket, as Australia smashed 65 runs in the powerplay. Voll then put on 42 (30 balls) with Ellyse Perry for the third to push the visitors to 99 for 2 at the halfway stage of the innings.
The West Indies responded with back-to-back wickets. First removing Perry (18), who was caught behind off the bowling of Deandra Dottin in the 11th, followed by Tahlia McGrath, who was clean bowled by Zaida James (2) in the 12th, to leave Australia 112 for 4.
Nicola Carey joined Voll, and the pair shared in a 62-run stand (37 balls) for the fifth wicket, Australia having already scored 174 with three overs remaining. Skipper Hayley Matthews then accounted for Voll (101) and Georgia Wareham (1) in the 18th before Carey (24 from 20) and Sophie Molineux (25 from 12) took 33 runs from the final 13 deliveries of the innings.
A better Caribbean batting display was not enough to challenge the top-ranked Aussies
Australia 164 for 5 (Perry 42, Voll 39; Ramharack 1-21) beat West Indies 147 for 4 (Matthews 56, Dottin 39*; King 2-25) by 17 runs
The West Indies turned in a much improved batting performance against Australia in the second Women’s T20 International at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Saturday. The result, however, was the same: defeat. The 17-run margin handed the visitors a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Where the first encounter was highlighted by the familiar story of demise by dot-balls for the West Indies, Saturday’s second once more emphasized the divide between the two Windies teams, one with Hayley Matthews at the crease and the other without.
While the skipper was equally slow out of the blocks, the sense that the chase of 165 was within reach remained while she was in the middle. Unlike Thursday's first game, however, Matthews managed to find her timing. After scoring the solitary run from her first 11 deliveries, the 28-year-old hit seven 4s and three maximums on her way to a 38-ball fifty.
Matthews put on 77 runs (52 balls) with Stafanie Taylor for the second wicket, leaving the West Indies 90 for 2 and needing 75 from 47 for victory. Following her dismissal by Alana King (2-25) in the 13th over for a 41-ball 56, Windies scored just 15 runs in the next 23 balls to be left with a required rate of 15 entering the final 4 overs.
