West Indies kept their 2025 Women's World Cup hopes alive with a nail-biting victory over Ireland in Friday's (April 11) qualifier match.
For the second consecutive match, West Indies found themselves in a thriller at the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2025 – this time edging past Ireland by just six runs to stay alive in the race for one of the two remaining tournament spots.
Match 5, Ireland Women vs West Indies Women
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Asked to bat first in a rain-reduced 33-over contest, West Indies posted 181-6. Stafanie Taylor and Chinelle Henry top-scored with 46 each, with Henry remaining unbeaten. Ireland's chase began strongly with openers Amy Hunter and captain Gaby Lewis putting on a 57-run partnership at nearly a run-a-ball. The stand was broken when West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews clean bowled Lewis for 17 in the 10th over, leaving Ireland at 57-1.
Matthews single-handedly kept the West Indies competitive despite their modest total. After the initial strike, she removed No.3 Orla Prendergast for one an over later, reducing the chasing team to 65-2, then returned at the death to claim two of the last three wickets - most crucially dismissing No.8 Arlene Kelly to clinch the win.
Kelly's run-a-ball 18 (including two fours) had brought Ireland within touching distance of victory, threatening another heartbreak for West Indies. But with seven runs to defend in the final over, Matthews dismissed Kelly off the second delivery, securing a nail-biting six-run win.
This marked Matthews’ second notable all-round performance in the qualifiers. Against Scotland, she had taken 4-56 before scoring an unbeaten 114 while battling severe cramps in Lahore’s brutal heat – even retiring hurt briefly before returning heroically. Unlike that effort, which ended in a heartbreaking 11-run defeat, this time she ended up on the winning side.
With just two main-event spots up for grabs, West Indies, ranked fourth in the tournament standings, face a must-win clash against Pakistan. A dominant victory is critical to overhaul their -0.060 NRR and leapfrog either Pakistan, Bangladesh or Scotland in the standings.
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