“Leading by example kicked me into another gear” – Hayley Matthews
Hayley Matthews, the captain of the West Indies Women's Team, demonstrated her leadership qualities by delivering back-to-back Player-of-the-Match performances at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup. With a remarkable score of 66 not out and 1-31 against Ireland and 20 and 2-14 against Pakistan, Matthews was the leading runs-scorer for the team and set an example for her teammates to follow.
Despite losing their opening matches against England and India, Matthews motivated her team to bounce back and give their best in the remaining two encounters which resulted in thrilling wins. Although the team did not qualify for the semi-finals, Matthews took her team to the brink of possibility.
In an interview with CWI Media, Matthews revealed her motivation to lead by example and inspire her teammates. She acknowledged the tough competition her team faced in the tournament, but expressed pride in the way they fought back in the final games.
“Just trying to lead by example helped kicked me into another gear from the Ireland game. As the senior player in the team, I just want to lead from the from and hope the others can follow in my footsteps.”
The skipper was pleased with the inclusion of three Rising Stars Under 19 players in the squad. She believes that their exposure to a high-level tournament like the T20 World Cup will prove valuable for their growth and development as cricketers.
“Having those Under 19 girls here at a tournament like this which is the pinnacle of T20 cricket. The experience they would’ve gotten from being around the team is going to be really valuable in them and I hope they’re going to take it and continue developing and growing their game.”
The West Indies Women's Team will next host Ireland Women for three One-Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals in June and July. The full match schedule will be announced once confirmed in coming weeks.
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