Photo Credit: Cricket West Indies
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has risen to the top spot among all-rounders in the One-Day International format for the first time in her career. The talismanic right-handed batter and off-spinner scored 88 runs and grabbed five wickets in the recent CG United ODI Series against New Zealand to secure the Number 1 position in the ICC rankings announced on Tuesday. Mathews, who has been a top ranked all-rounder in T20Is in the past, has also moved up three slots to 18th among batters and two places to sixth among bowlers.
Speaking on the eve of the T20I Series against New Zealand Matthews said:
“It’s pretty exciting and very grateful for the opportunity that I have been given this year to bat at the top of the order at the World Cup to help myself and the team. I’m excited to now be able to bring my form into this series against New Zealand and move up those couple spots to number one.”
She added:
“I’m happy to also move up in the bowlers’ rankings but as a player I’m always looking forward to performing for the team and I’m just grateful to be having a decent year so far.”
The West Indies Women saw three players into the Top 50 in the bowlers’ rankings: Shakera Selman moved up two places to 28th along with Afy Fletcher, four places to 41st and Chinelle Henry two places to 45th. Stafanie Taylor, one of the greatest players of all time, moved up two places in the batting rankings to 14th spot.
West Indies Women will switch gears from Wednesday when they take on New Zealand Women in a five-match T20 International series. First ball at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is 1pm (12 noon Jamaica Time). Both teams will be using this series as vital preparations in the lead-up to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa from 9 to 26 February 2023.
