Matthews stars as West Indies defeat Ireland to stay alive

Hayley Matthews led from the front with an unbeaten 66 off 53, overshadowing Orla Prendergast’s 47-ball 61, as West Indies secured a nervy six-wicket victory against Ireland to stay alive in the T20 World Cup. Shamilia Connell’s three-wicket haul and two wickets apiece for Karishma Ramharack and Afy Fletcher kept Ireland to 137/9 after they opted to bat. A 74-run stand for the third wicket between Matthews and Chinelle Henry powered the chase after a slow start, with West Indies getting over the line off the penultimate ball to register their first win and end Ireland’s hopes of further progression in the competition.

Brief scores:

Ireland 137/9 in 20 overs (Orla Prendergast 61, Gaby Lewis 38; Shamilia Connell 3-24) lost to West Indies 140/4 in 19.5 overs (Hayley Matthews 66*, Chinelle Henry 34; Leah Paul 1-26) by 6 wickets.