KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent — West Indies Women captain Hayley Matthews took encouragement from her team’s stronger all-around performance on Saturday, saying the side showed the kind of fight and structure it wanted, even as a 17-run defeat to Australia Women confirmed the loss of the T20 International series.
After falling heavily in the opening match, the home side responded with far greater resistance in the second contest, challenging Australia more deeply and producing the kind of batting partnerships and late control Matthews had wanted to see.
Australia surged early, but West Indies clawed their way back
Australia appeared poised for an even bigger total after openers Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney tore through the Powerplay, piling up 54 runs in the first six overs and setting the foundation for a commanding innings.
But West Indies refused to allow the match to run away from them.
The hosts rallied impressively at the back end of the innings, tightening their grip in the closing overs to restrict Australia to 164 for five from 20 overs, a total that, while still challenging, gave them a genuine chance to compete.
Matthews said that response with the ball reflected a stronger mental effort from her team.
“It certainly was a really good fightback from us, I think, in the bowling innings, as well when you talk about mentally. So, going on to the next game now we just have to put it all together.”
Matthews leads batting revival
In reply, Matthews ended her lean patch with a timely half-century, anchoring the chase and helping to restore momentum to the West Indies innings.
She found important support from Stafanie Taylor, who made 22, as the pair put on 77 runs for the second wicket and moved the team into a promising position at 90 for one.
Later, Deandra Dottin added further urgency with an unbeaten 39 off 28 balls, keeping the chase alive and ensuring Australia had to work for the victory rather than coast to it.
For Matthews, the improvement was not merely in the numbers, but in the way the innings was built.
“One thing that we really wanted to focus on was putting together some partnerships and having two batters at the crease for a longer period of time, and it was really good to see that we had a few of them today.
“Different people put their hands up; Stafanie in the middle, myself and Deandra coming at the end and looking really, really good too,” Matthews said.
Signs of progress after heavy opening loss
The West Indies captain made it clear that, despite the disappointment of conceding the series, she saw meaningful progress from the first match, which Australia won by 43 runs.
This time, the Caribbean side competed with greater composure, recovered well after Australia’s explosive start, and stayed in contention far longer with the bat.
That, Matthews suggested, offered a more encouraging platform heading into the final game of the series.
Henry’s absence loomed large
Matthews also acknowledged that West Indies were hindered by the loss of Chinelle Henry, who was unable to bat after suffering an injury in the field.
The captain said Henry’s absence significantly weakened the batting order and may well have altered the outcome.
“… We obviously missed Chinelle Henry today, who is one of the premier batters in the world, out of our line-up after she got injured.
“You never know her coming into bat today definitely could have meant a different result, too, so it was unfortunate not to have her …” Matthews said.
A defeat, but not without encouragement
Although the result handed Australia the series, Matthews’ assessment reflected a team beginning to correct some of the issues that undermined it in the opener.
The partnerships were stronger. The response under pressure was steadier. The effort, in her view, was unmistakably better.
Now, with one match remaining, West Indies will look to turn that progress into a complete performance.
