Most ODI centuries for Windies Women: Matthews (11), Taylor (
, 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)
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.
