Matthews takes responsibility as Windies Women face batting blues West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews admitted her personal struggles and the team’s recent batting slump contributed to a 43-run defeat against Australia Women in the opening T20I on Thursday. The Windies’ innings, which began promisingly at 76 for one, collapsed under pressure, resulting in a total of 121 for six. Despite disciplined bowling that limited Australia to 164 for six, the home side failed to capitalize on opportunities, leaving them short of the target. Matthews, who scored just 11 runs, acknowledged her own form issues and linked them to the team’s broader batting difficulties. The 25-year-old captain, who returned to the team earlier this year after shoulder surgery in 2025, admitted she is still finding her rhythm. In a post-match interview, she expressed frustration with the team’s batting performance, stating, “We can take the positive out of how we bowled today, but over the last few matches we’ve been disappointing with the bat.” Matthews emphasized that while she is in a personal rut, the team must collectively improve its approach to scoring. She called for resilience and a commitment to learning from setbacks as the series progresses, vowing, “We want to come back strong. It’s going to be really important that we pick ourselves up.” Despite the batting disappointment, Matthews praised her bowlers’ performance, noting that the team’s bowling effort was solid. She acknowledged the challenging batting conditions but highlighted the need for better execution. “We figured around 160 would be a good score to chase, and I was pretty happy with how the pacers got those wickets up front,” she said. However, she pointed out that the Australian innings fluctuated in pace, slowing toward the end.#t20i #west_indies_women #hayley_matthews #australia_women #windies_women
