Matthews’s ton steers Windies Women to consolation win

The three-match One Day International (ODI) Series between West Indies and Sri Lanka came to an exciting end for the hosts at the National Cricket Stadium in St George’s, Grenada, as another masterful innings of stroke play led the Caribbean Women to victory.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat, as they had in the first two games, where they defeated West Indies by 10 and 14 runs, respectively.
However, on Wednesday, Hayley Matthews stole the show, scoring a well-crafted 100 from 119 balls, including 13 fours and a six.
Early on, however, the West Indies Women were in trouble after Qiana Joseph fell for two in the third over. Two overs later, Shemaine Campbelle went back to the dugout for a duck, leaving the hosts in hot water at 12–2.
Matthews and former captain Stafanie Taylor were the day’s heroes, joining forces for a stellar 124-run partnership that put West Indies in the driver’s seat.
Taylor departed first for a patient 38 off 70 deliveries, leaving Matthews to guide the team to victory.
Chinelle Henry offered solid assistance to Matthews before her departure, hitting an unbeaten 32 off 48 deliveries. Deandra Dottin later pitched in with 24 off 29 balls, featuring one four and one six, to get West Indies to their target of 218 for four in 46 overs.

Malki Madara was the pick of the visiting bowlers, claiming 2–33 from six overs. Inoka Ranaweera and Chamari Athapaththu pitched in with one scalp each.
Earlier, Harshitha Samarawickrama kept her good form in the series, top-scoring for Sri Lanka with 70 after Sri Lanka’s captain, Athapaththu, failed to get going.
At the top Hasini Perera slammed 27 from 34 balls, while Kavisha Dilhari’s unbeaten 45 off 58 got the visitors past the 200-run mark. Sri Lanka eventually posted 217–7 in their 50 overs.
Matthews was the pick of the West Indian bowlers, taking 2–33 in 10 overs, a performance that earned her the player of the match award. Karishma Ramharack had returns of 2–39 from 10, while both Afy Fletcher and Ashmini Munisar took one wicket each.
As such, the West Indies managed to avoid a whitewash in the 2–1 series. They will now turn their attention to the shorter format, which will bowl off on Saturday, February 28.