Australia has cruised towards an eight-wicket victory in their T20I series opener despite a batting masterclass from West Indies captain Hayley Matthews at North Sydney Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Matthews, named player of the match, scored an unbeaten 99 (74), the highest individual score by a West Indies player against Australia in any format of women’s cricket, as the tourists posted a respectable 3-147 in hot and windy conditions.
“It was a class innings,” McGrath told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“She was chanceless, did it with ease, and sort of played with us a bit in the field.
“We didn’t have too many answers for her … she’s an immensely talented player.”
MATCH CENTRE: Australia women vs West Indies first T20I scorecard
However, Australia chased the target with 40 balls to spare, courtesy of explosive fifties from captain Alyssa Healy (56 from 29 balls) and deputy Tahlia McGrath, who finished unbeaten on 60 (32).
The West Indies let themselves down with undisciplined bowling and sloppy fielding, with none of Matthews’ teammates scoring more than 19 in the first innings.
“If we took our chances, things could have been different,” West Indies coach Shane Deitz told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“We didn’t quite bowl to the field enough. We had some good plans, but we probably bowled the wrong ball to the wrong field at times.
“You get a couple of chances early, you’ve got take the hot ones, and we missed that opportunity.”
Matthews got the match off to a blistering start after Healy asked the West Indies to bat first, scoring 33 of the West Indies’ first 34 runs.
South Australian quick Darcie Brown struck in her first over, with Guyana opener Shabika Gajnabi chopping back onto her stumps for a seventh-ball duck.
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In the following over, Georgia Wareham put down a chance at mid-wicket, denying teammate Megan Schutt a wicket in her 100th T20I and handing veteran all-rounder Stafanie Taylor a massive reprieve on 1. It proved costly, with Taylor and Matthews combining for a 67-run partnership for the second wicket.
Brown badged Matthews with a 119km/h bumper at the other end, with the West Indies skipper undergoing a concussion test before bringing up her half-century in 36 deliveries.
Young gun Phoebe Litchfield created the much-needed breakthrough after the drinks break, nailing a direct hit from cover to send Taylor back to the sheds for 10 (20).
It took Shemaine Campbelle a while to get going at the picturesque venue, but she released the shackles in the 17th over with a thumping six over deep wicket, which landed on the roof of the southern pavilion.
Campbelle was given an extra life on 15 the following over after chipping Annabel Sutherland towards cover, only for Litchfield to drop the simple chance.
Meanwhile, Matthews slowly edged towards her century, but was left stranded at the non-striker’s end on 99 after Healy expertly stumped Campbelle for 19 (21) on the penultimate delivery of the innings.
Highest individual score against AUS in women‘s T20Is
113 – Chamari Athapaththu (SL) at North Sydney Oval, 2019
100 – Danni Wyatt (ENG) at Manuka Oval, 2017
99* – Hayley Matthews (WI) at North Sydney Oval, 2023
92* – Charlotte Edwards (ENG) at Bellerive Oval, 2014
Australia’s run chase got off to a horror start, with opener Beth Mooney top-edging a slog against West Indies seamer Chinelle Henry in the third over, caught at mid-off for 11 (9).
However, McGrath settled the nerves by slapping three consecutive boundaries in Henry’s following over, which leaked 19 runs.
Afy Fletcher’s first delivery of the match was a generous full toss, which Healy promptly smacked out of the ground and into St Leonards Park. However, the Australian skipper was gifted a second life on 27 later in the same over when Matthews bottled a regulation catch at cover.
It began raining sixes at North Sydney Oval, with Healy backing away and carving seamer Shamilia Connell over the cover boundary rope before skipping down the wicket and chipping spinner Zaida James over mid-wicket.
“We just kept saying to each other how fun it was,” McGrath explained.
“We just kept egging each other on … we both had a quite lean Ashes, so to be out there was almost a bit of a relief to both of us.”
The West Indies continued shooting themselves in the foot, with Campbelle dropping an absolute sitter at point in the ninth over, handing Healy a reprieve on 48. Adding insult to injury, the ball deflected off Campbelle’s finger into her jaw, with the 30-year-old leaving the field for medical attention.
“I guess that’ll teach her not to drop them,” Deitz laughed.
“She looks ok. She is an absolute tough cookie.”
Healy, playing her 250th match for Australia, brought up her fifty the following delivery with a boundary through mid-wicket, reaching the minor milestone in just 25 balls.
However, the wicketkeeper’s onslaught came to an abrupt end the following cover, holing out towards long off to wrap up an 85-run partnership with McGrath for the second wicket.
McGrath was unfazed by her skipper’s departure, reaching her half-century in just 26 deliveries as Australia raced towards the 148-run target.
Things went from bad to worse for the West Indies in the 13th over when Aaliyah Alleyne was pulled from the attack after bowling a pair of waist-high pull tosses.
McGrath and fellow all-rounder Ash Gardner, who finished unbeaten on 13 (12), got the job done in the 14th over to give Australia a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The second T20I gets underway at the same venue on Monday evening, with the first ball scheduled for 7pm AEDT.