West Indies beat Ireland by six wickets to seal ODI series with Hayley Matthews, Stefanie Taylor centuries

Captain Hayley Matthews and veteran Stafanie Taylor struck magnificent centuries as West Indies Women defeated Ireland Women by six wickets in the second ODI at Bready on Sunday to seal the three-match series 2-0 with a game to spare.

After opting to bowl first, West Indies produced a disciplined effort to restrict Ireland to 241/7 before Matthews (100 off 94) and Taylor (104* off 104) stitched together a match-winning 158-run partnership to guide the visitors to 245/4 in 39 overs, completing the chase with 11 overs remaining.

Hunter, Stokell revive Ireland after early setbacks

Ireland lost both openers early after Deandra Dottin struck twice in her opening spell, dismissing Sarah Forbes and Gaby Lewis to leave the hosts under pressure.

However, Amy Hunter (67) and Rebecca Stokell (57) steadied the innings with a crucial 106-run stand for the fourth wicket after Orla Prendergast had fallen to Matthews. The partnership ended when Matthews removed Hunter before Afy Fletcher dismissed Stokell just nine deliveries later. Leah Paul then provided late impetus with a brisk 32 off 30 balls, helping Ireland post a competitive 241/7.

Matthews impressed with the ball as well, returning figures of 2/34, while Dottin’s fiery opening spell earned her 2/15.

Matthews, Taylor make light work of the chase

West Indies suffered an early setback when Realeanna Grimmond was dismissed in the opening over, but Matthews immediately took charge of the chase. The skipper played an attacking knock, racing to her second century of the series in just 94 balls, dominating a game-changing 158-run partnership with Taylor. Matthews eventually departed for exactly 100, leaving West Indies needing only 83 more runs.

Taylor, who initially played the supporting role, shifted gears after Matthews’ dismissal. The experienced batter reached her fifty in 62 balls before bringing up a superb unbeaten century off 104 deliveries, sealing the milestone with a six. She remained unbeaten alongside Shemaine Campbelle as West Indies completed a comfortable victory with plenty of overs to spare.

The result gave West Indies an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series ahead of the final fixture.

Brief Scores:

Ireland Women: 241/7 in 50 overs (Amy Hunter 67, Rebecca Stokell 57; Hayley Matthews 2/34, Deandra Dottin 2/15)
West Indies Women: 245/4 in 39 overs (Stafanie Taylor 104*, Hayley Matthews 100; Aimee Maguire 2/52)

West Indies Women won by 6 wickets and lead the three-match ODI series 2-0.