West Indies 218 for 4 (Matthews 100, Taylor 38, Henry 32, Madara 2-33) beat Sri Lanka 217 for 7 (Samarawickrama 70, Dilhari 45, Matthews 2-33, Ramharack 2-39) by six wickets
Hayley Matthews struck her tenth ODI century to steer West Indies to a six-wicket triumph over Sri Lanka in the concluding fixture of the series, securing their first points in the new Women’s Championship cycle.
Although Sri Lanka had already wrapped up the series, they were denied a clean sweep as Matthews delivered an all-round performance. She made an immediate impact with the ball by dismissing her counterpart Chamari Athapaththu in the opening over, before producing a composed 100 off 118 deliveries that guided West Indies through most of the chase.
“I felt like I was in a pretty good space batting-wise and probably just [in the] first game got pretty unlucky with how I got out and then in the second match gave my own hand away,” Matthews said. “So I certainly felt like I was in a space where I wasn’t exactly being too threatened at the crease and I knew I just had to lock in and try to take it a bit deeper.”
Matthews and Taylor Steady the Chase
Chasing 218 in St George’s, the hosts stumbled early as Qiana Joseph and Shemaine Campbelle were both removed by Malki Madara, leaving West Indies 12 for 2. Matthews began cautiously, taking 12 balls to register her first boundary, but soon assumed control of the innings.
She combined with Stafanie Taylor in a pivotal 124-run stand for the third wicket. Taylor’s contribution of 38 also saw her climb to second place on the all-time ODI run-scorers list.
Matthews brought up her half-century from 48 balls before easing her tempo later in the innings, though the required rate remained manageable. She was offered a reprieve on 70 when Nilakshika Silva failed to hold a return catch. Shortly after reaching her century, Matthews found deep midwicket, but a 49-run partnership between Deandra Dottin and Chinelle Henry ensured there were no further alarms as West Indies completed the chase.
Sri Lanka’s Innings Built Around Samarawickrama
Earlier, after the early loss of Athapaththu, Sri Lanka’s innings was shaped by Harshitha Samarawickrama’s 70 from 112 balls. She shared a 78-run third-wicket partnership with Vishmi Gunaratne to stabilise the innings.
However, acceleration proved difficult in the closing stages as West Indies continued to make inroads. Karishma Ramharack struck twice within four overs, removing both Gunaratne and Samarawickrama, which slowed Sri Lanka’s momentum and limited them to 217 for 7.
West Indies ultimately chased down the target with six wickets in hand, ending the series on a positive note and opening their account in the new Championship cycle.
