Matthews confident as West Indies Women eye dominance in ODI Series
West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews has expressed confidence in her team’s preparations as they gear up to face Bangladesh in a pivotal ODI series at Warner Park, St. Kitts, which starts tomorrow.
With World Cup qualification points at stake, Matthews emphasised the importance of improving key areas, particularly batting and early wicket-taking, to assert dominance against their opponents.
“Preparation has been pretty good. Obviously, we had some time off over the New Year to, I guess, kind of reset after the India series. But yeah, getting over here for the last week or so, everyone’s been working pretty hard to get going,” Matthews said.
The skipper highlighted batting as a critical focus for her team, stressing the importance of spending time at the crease and building resilience. “When it comes down to the focusses, obviously, batting has been something that we’ve been paying a lot of attention to and something that we know is going to be really crucial within this series. Obviously, occupying the crease and, yeah, I guess spending time out there in the middle.”
Matthews also pointed to the need for sharper execution in the bowling department. “In the bowling department as well, just wicket-taking opportunities and wicket-taking balls. Probably something from the last series where we felt we needed to improve on.”
Playing on home soil at Warner Park is seen as an advantage for the West Indies. Matthews noted the familiarity with the conditions, saying, “We’ve obviously had a lot of experience playing here at Warner Park. The girls certainly know the ground very well. And like you said, it is an advantage for us, and hopefully we can use that advantage really well.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty acknowledged the challenge her team faces but remains optimistic about their preparations and plans for the series. “We have got two days of practising here, and the girls are doing really well. This is a very important series coming up, and we know the valuable points we need to get to qualify for the World Cup.”
Joty emphasised the importance of strategic execution against the West Indies. “We have got some plans that we want to execute on a particular day, and definitely each and every player has some plans. So we sit together and we are fixing some plans that we cannot disclose right now.”
After losing last month’s ODI series in India, the Women in Maroon sit ninth in the ten-team ICC Women’s Championship, having played 21 matches and lost 13. That means they have advanced to the World Cup Qualifier stage for teams placed from 7 to 10.
West Indies Women will be joined by Pakistan Women, who are eighth, Ireland Women, who are ninth, as well as Scotland Women and Thailand Women. Upcoming opponents Bangladesh can qualify for the World Cup outright if they win this series, as it would lift them from seventh to sixth. However, a series loss for the visitors against West Indies could see them drop into the qualifiers as well.
The two sides last faced each other on October 10, 2025, during the group stage of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, where the West Indies Women secured a convincing eight-wicket victory at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Their most recent ODI encounter was on March 18, 2022, in New Zealand, with the West Indies narrowly prevailing by four runs.
To date, the teams have met five times in international competition—four times in T20Is and once in an ODI—with the West Indies maintaining an unbeaten record.
West Indies Women’s Squad:
- Hayley Matthews (captain)
- Shemaine Campbelle (vice-captain)
- Aaliyah Alleyne
- Nerissa Crafton
- Deandra Dottin
- Afy Fletcher
- Cherry Ann Fraser
- Shabika Gajnabi
- Jannillea Glasgow
- Chinelle Henry
- Zaida James
- Qiana Joseph
- Mandy Mangru
- Ashmini Munisar
- Karishma Ramharack
Match Schedule:
- January 19: 1st One-Day International
- January 21: 2nd One-Day International
- January 24: 3rd One-Day International
- January 27: 1st T20I
- January 29: 2nd T20I
- January 31: 3rd T20I
(JC)
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