One of the leading allrounders in women’s cricket, Hayley Matthews has been appointed as the West Indies skipper, the CWI have confirmed on June 25. The 24-year-old will take over from Stefanie Taylor ahead of the next series.
The board made the announcement on Saturday, saying this was the right time to make the decision for the future of West Indies women’s cricket.
The team’s head coach Courtney Walsh said they want to give the new captain some time before entering into a world cup. Walsh believes it’s a win-win situation for the team as it allows Stefanie Taylor to focus on her own game.
“The Selection panel felt the timing was right with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup coming up early next year. Hayley Matthews is young; she has longevity in the game, and she can lead the team for a longer time to get the experience and we are here to support her,”
Walsh said.
Taylor is the most successful women’s player for the Windies and ranks among all time greats. She led the Windies Women to the 2016 T20 World Cup triumph and was the captain when they made it to the 2022 ODI World Cup semi-final earlier this year.
Her career numbers read 5298 runs from 145 ODIs and 3121 runs from 111 T20 Internationals. She has also claimed 250 wickets across two formats.
Matthews, who takes over from Taylor, has been in incredible form recently with both bat and ball. The allrounder has 1764 runs and 78 wickets from 69 ODIs, and 1055 runs and 58 wickets from 61 T20Is.
“I am both humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to Captain the West Indies Women’s Team. It is definitely an exhilarating feeling and I welcome the experience to lead and learn with open arms,”
said Matthews.
The board and Matthews thanked the outgoing captain Taylor, under whom West Indies achieved some great moments.
