In the third and final match of the Ireland tour of West Indies 2023, West Indies emerged victorious by eight wickets at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia. With this win, the Women in Maroon completed a clean sweep of the series, having won all three matches. Hayley Matthews shined for the hosts in their victory and etched her name into the history books by becoming only the third Caribbean women cricketer to take a hat-trick in T20Is.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Irish team struggled to build a substantial total and managed to score 116 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Amy Hunter was the standout performer with the bat for Ireland, contributing 44 runs off 35 deliveries, including four boundaries and two sixes. Orla Prendergast also played a crucial knock of 40 runs off 49 balls. Matthews was the pick of the West Indies bowlers, claiming an impressive four wickets for just 14 runs in her four overs. Cherry-Ann Fraser and Afy Fletcher also made valuable contributions, bagging two wickets each.
Prior to Matthews’ incredible feat, Ireland was positioned at 109/4, but she swiftly changed the course of the game by dismissing Rebecca Stokell (0) through a caught-out catch. Following that, she proceeded to bowl out Arlene Kelly (0) and Ava Canning (0) consecutively to register a hat-trick to her name in the shortest format.
Hayley Matthews' delivered a solid performance in the third #WIvIRE T20I, which also included a hat-trick 💥#HayleyMatthews
Scorecard: https://t.co/QQ76OcuYVo #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/hHCzcjYjHR
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) July 9, 2023
In reply, West Indies comfortably reached the target with eleven balls to spare, losing only two wickets in the process. Matthews led the charge with a blistering knock of 48 runs off 34 deliveries, including eight fours. Aaliyah Alleyne provided excellent support with a composed innings of 49 runs off 51 balls. For Ireland, Orla Prendergast and Georgina Dempsey picked up a scalp each, but their efforts weren’t enough to halt the West Indies’ victory charge.
Matthews won the much-deserved ‘Player of the Match’ for her all-round performance in the contest.
