Since making her West Indies debut as a teenager in 2014, Barbadian all-rounder Hayley Matthews has hardly had a break.

For the past 11 years, she has been an omnipresence in Maroon and her career has been a relentless cycle of international tours and franchise leagues along with the added weight of West Indies Women’s captaincy.

However, when a shoulder injury suffered on tour to England in May and the subsequent surgery forced her off the field last summer, Matthews received something most professional athletes don’t - a good, solid, old-fashioned rest.

"It certainly is the longest time that I've been away from the game since I started my career. It was a bit different, but I really enjoyed the time at home with loved ones, friends and family,” Matthews said.

"Recovery is coming along really well. It’s been about three months since the surgery and it's been a lot of hard work to get to where I am now. The quiet months after the surgery were a bit different for me.”

“After a career without many breaks for 11 years straight, it also gave me a great opportunity to sit back and reflect on everything that's happened. There are a lot of proud moments for sure, but I'm still very hungry and looking forward to the future."

That hunger was the main driving force behind her rehabilitation as well as a return to competitive action, starting with the Women's Premier League in India, where fellow West Indians Deandra Dottin and Chinelle Henry will also feature.

Additionally, while Matthews was recovering and regaining match fitness, her West Indies teammates were grinding during their eight-week intensive High-Performance camp from October to December in Antigua.

"The girls had a great opportunity to be in camp for an extended period of time where they worked hard on their skills but also on building the culture, dynamic and purpose of the team going into such a big year,” Matthews shared.

"I know the girls were there for a long time and were tired from a lot of hard work but they were all very dedicated and committed to improving their skills and also their fitness.”

Some might say the Maroon Warriors’ 2026 schedule is unforgiving. From February through to the summer, West Indies will face Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Pakistan and Zimbabwe and Ireland across different formats, with the T20 World Cup sandwiched between those commitments.

Ten years on from her match-winning performance in the 2016 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final, Matthews is preparing to lead once again with the 2026 edition on the immediate horizon in June and July in the United Kingdom.

"The last time we were at the T20 World Cup, we got all the way to the semi-finals and I certainly feel like we're a much better team now than we were then. This is a great opportunity for us to not only go to the World Cup, but to compete and fight for that trophy. We know within the dressing room that we have the ability to do it once we're at our best."

Perhaps the most symbolic moment of the year will come in whites when, for the first time since 2004, the West Indies women's team will play a Test match. Their opponents will be Australia, 50 years after their maiden series with the Aussies.

Looking ahead to a busy year, Matthews was also clear about expectations for the new ICC Women’s Championship cycle which commenced last year.

"We know that at our best, teams like Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland are teams that we want to be winning more games than losing and picking up some crucial points in those series," the skipper said.

"This is going to be the first Test match for every single one of us on the team. It certainly is going to be an honour for me to put on the whites with the West Indies crest and wear that baggy cap as well. It's a great opportunity for us to grow and learn even more about ourselves and our techniques as a group."

After months away from the spotlight, the 27-year-old Matthews, still in her prime playing years, returns with renewed perspective and restored ambition and is determined not just to come back into the fold, but lead West Indies women's cricket successfully into its next chapter.

This article was written by Nicholas Maitland, Content and Media Officer assigned to the West Indies Women’s Senior Team.