WI vs IRE 1st ODI: Hayley Matthews Smashes A Magnificent Ton, Leads WI To A Victory Against Ireland

WI vs IRE: Thrilling performance from Hayley Matthews, leading the West Indies to an impressive win over Ireland in the maiden game. West Indies beat Ireland by a huge margin of 58 runs in the very first game.

Hayley Matthews smashed a magnificent ton backed by Stafanie Taylor’s and Chinelle Henry’s 50 runs each. The Irish bowling side wasn’t able to hold on to the first inning which led them to having to chase a huge target of 297 runs.

The game at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, started off with the West Indies winning the toss and opting to bat. A bold decision indeed, with the Irish side in the opponent’s court. Hayley Matthews and Zaida James opened bat for the West Indies. While Hayley played an invincible game, striking deliveries beyond the boundary, Zaida had hard luck on the field. She was bowled before wicket by Sophie MacMohan and was sent back securing just 13 runs for the team.

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With Stafanie Taylor on the other side, Matthews secured some major runs for the team. Taylor assisted her batting and smashed a few deliveries off the boundary. Taylor secured a total of 55 runs in just 69 deliveries. Her bold performance provided the required confidence to the team and accelerated the runs for West Indies.

Matthews continued to bat even after the team had lost Taylor. Matthews secured a total of 109 runs in 106 deliveries at a strike rate of 102.8. Her contribution led the team to 250+ runs which was a requirement against such strong opposition. After losing Matthews on Ava Canning’s delivery, Shemaine Campbell and Chinelle Henry continued to bat and led the team to an impressive total of 297.

Henry’s last few runs were added like laurels to the teams’ collaborative effort and fantastic first innings, setting a fierce run course for the opponents to follow. Although the team lost 6 wickets, their efforts had shown colour.

A sad day for the Irish bowlers. While Cara Murray picked 3 wickets, her economy didn’t seem very impressive. Ava Canning and Arlene Kelly bowled at a good economy and picked a wicket each.

A huge milestone to secure for the Irish team. While there was some hope with Gaby Lewis batting, her wicket was devastating news. Lewis batted at power with her Windies opposition. Her fiery 83 runs setup at a strike rate of 82 displayed sheer courage and ambition to chase a huge target like that of today.

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Hayley Matthews was the bad news for Ireland today. She singlehandedly picked three major wickets in the form of Leah Paul, Gaby Lewis and Laura Delany. Laura Delany and Gaby Lewis, with their batting stance, seemed like rays of victory to the Irish team, but she picked both players pretty confidently.

The lower-order and the middle-order batters weren’t given many chances to bat comfortably. The Irish team was able to secure just 239 runs in 50 overs and lost the game by a huge margin. With only a wicket to spare, the Irish team wasn’t very impressive.

Full marks to West Indies and their fierce performance against Ireland. They won the game by 58 runs with Hayley Matthews taking home a well-deserving Player of the Match reward.

WI vs IRE 1st ODI Brief Scores:

West Indies 297/6 (Hayley Matthew 109 (106), Stafanie Taylor 55(69), Cara Murray 3/60) won against Ireland 239/9 (Gaby Lewis 83 (102), Hayley Matthews 3/53) by 58 runs.

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