Matthews reaches new heights with back-to-back ODI centuries

West Indies Captain Hayley Matthews described her latest century as a “pretty special” milestone after becoming the first West Indies woman to score back-to-back One-Day International (ODI) hundreds, leading her team to a series-clinching victory over Ireland.
Matthews followed up her match-winning century in the opening ODI with another unbeaten 100, sharing an unbroken double-century partnership with veteran Stefanie Taylor as West Indies chased down 242 to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Reflecting on her historic achievement, Matthews admitted she was determined to build on the confidence gained from her first hundred.
“It was a pretty proud moment. After the first ODI, I certainly felt like I wanted to back that up with another big performance,” Matthews revealed. “It was really good to get to spend some time in the middle again, batting with another partner and someone I’m really familiar with in Stefanie Taylor. It’s a big, happy milestone once more. It feels pretty special.”

The West Indies skipper credited her long-standing partnership with Taylor as one of the keys to their success after the pair rescued the innings from early trouble.
“I think we have a really good relationship in the middle. It certainly feels like we feed off each other quite a bit, and I think that has a lot to do with the experience that we both have.
“We’ve spent a lot of time playing international cricket now, and I think we not only understand our own games well, but we understand each other’s games pretty well too. That certainly helps us when we’re out there in the middle and can have the conversations to get each other in the right frame of mind a lot of the time.”
The unbeaten partnership turned the match firmly in West Indies’ favour, highlighting the value of experience as Matthews and Taylor calmly dismantled Ireland’s bowling attack.
While pleased to have wrapped up the series with a match to spare, Matthews stressed that the team’s focus remains on collecting valuable International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Championship points.
The Windies Women skipper divulged, “Series win is obviously super important, and I’m glad we could get that out of the way. At the same time, we came here knowing that the points were definitely the priority.
“It’s really good that we were able to get four so far with the first two wins, but there are still two really important points to play for in our last match. Every game is crucial when it comes to getting points for the ICC Championship.
She added, “Hopefully we can get two more on the board and get ourselves climbing up that ladder.”
The West Indies will now look to complete a 3-0 series sweep when they face Ireland in the final ODI today, Wednesday, July 15, with Matthews and her team aiming to maintain their unbeaten run while strengthening their position in the ICC Women’s Championship standings.