‘Bouncing Back’

West Indies Women’s Captain Hayley Matthews has applauded the Caribbean side for showing character after suffering a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against South Africa in their opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Since that defeat, the West Indies has registered emphatic victories over Scotland and Bangladesh and currently sit atop Group B.
After their eight-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Matthews said she was impressed with how the team recovered.

“After that first defeat, we did speak a lot about how we wanted to come back and how we wanted to do it as a team, and I think everyone was up for the challenge from that moment.

“Obviously, in a World Cup, you lose one game early on. It does put the pressure on, but I think the team has been wonderful with the way they have handled the pressure,” Matthews said.

West Indies’ Hayley Matthews celebrates after reaching her half-century during the Women’s Cricket T20 World Cup match against England at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Oct. 15, 2024. REUTERS/Satish Kumar

“Everyone is in a good mood, everyone is in good spirits, and everyone is up for the challenge. That’s been the biggest thing.

“I think a lot of the time when you do get into trouble situations, players and the team can sometimes shy from it, but I think the way the girls have stepped up and really tried to put in performances and take the attack to the other team, it has been great to see,” the skipper added.

Matthews said the team’s mindset had completely changed, and this could be seen in their performances on the field.

“Just our attitude at the crease, wanting to play fearlessly and wanting to take the game to the other teams.

“We could have been stuck on the backfoot after that first match, but we just wanted to throw the attack and come back at the other teams…” Matthews maintained.

“I think the girls have done a great job of being able to bounce back and really have that attitude and that fight within them, and we’re obviously going to try to take that into the next match against England.

“We know how crucial that is and how big of a match that is, but we want to try to have the same attitude even against better teams,” she added.