West Indies Left Stunned by Spirited Scotland Despite Hayley Matthews’ Heroics
The West Indies were left reeling after a spirited performance by Scotland on an eventful opening day of the tournament. Despite a valiant effort from Hayley Matthews, the results saw Pakistan and Scotland occupying the top two spots in the standings.
After the West Indies chose to field, Scotland’s openers, Abbie Aitken-Drummond (21) and Darcey Carter (25), got off to a strong start, building a 48-run partnership that laid the foundation for their innings. However, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews struck back, dismissing Aitken-Drummond and Scottish skipper Kathryn Bryce in the 12th and 14th overs.
Megan McColl then joined Sarah Bryce, and the duo stabilized Scotland’s innings with an 82-run partnership. Bryce scored a solid 55 (56), including six boundaries, while McColl contributed 45 (44) with five boundaries. Despite losing wickets in the middle overs, Scotland found themselves at 194/6 by the 37th over. A late surge from Katherine Fraser (25*) and Priyanaz Chatterji (15) pushed their total to 244. Scotland, however, were bowled out before completing their full quota of overs, with West Indies wrapping up their innings by the 45th over.
Matthews led the bowling attack brilliantly, finishing with figures of 4/56 off her 10 overs, dismantling Scotland’s top order. Aaliyah Alleyne (2/31) and Karishma Ramharack (2/46) also played key supporting roles.
With the bat, Matthews took charge after an early setback (Qiana Joseph dismissed for a duck), partnering with Zaida James (45) to steer West Indies forward. The team reached 120/1 before James fell, and Scotland clawed their way back into the game with a flurry of wickets. Matthews, however, continued her fight, inching closer to a remarkable century.
Concerns arose when Matthews was stretchered off the field due to an injury. Despite visible pain, she returned to the crease after the eighth wicket fell, determined to keep her team in the chase.
When Ramharack was dismissed, leaving West Indies struggling at 203/9, Scotland began celebrating. But Matthews returned to the crease, scoring her ninth ODI century. With Alleyne’s support, the pair brought West Indies close to the target. Just as momentum seemed to be swinging in their favor, Abtaha Maqsood turned the tide by trapping Alleyne leg before wicket. West Indies fell 11 runs short, leaving Matthews stranded on an unbeaten 114.
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Topics mentioned in this article:
- Hayley Matthews
- Scotland vs West Indies
- Women’s Cricket
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