Harare: Hayley Matthews completed a one-woman series on Wednesday, scoring her second century of the rubber — 118 off 112 balls — as West Indies beat Zimbabwe by 91 runs in the decider to take the three-match ODI series 2-1.
Brief scores: West Indies 271/5 (Hayley Matthews 118, Shemaine Campbelle 96) beat Zimbabwe 180 (Josephine Nkomo 74*) by 91 runs.
A series for the ages
Matthews finished with 326 runs in three innings at 108.66, including two hundreds. Her 118 in the decider was her 14th WODI century — joint-second most in the format’s history — and her fifth WODI ton of the calendar year, equalling the all-time record for most centuries in a year.
Campbelle’s perfect support
Shemaine Campbelle fell four short of a hundred, making 96 in a 160-run second-wicket stand that broke Zimbabwe’s resistance. After Zimbabwe had stunned the tourists in the second ODI — bowling them out for 139 — the response was emphatic.
Zimbabwe’s bright spots
Captain Josephine Nkomo’s unbeaten 74 took the game into the 48th over, and their win in the second ODI — chasing 140 after Nyasha Gwanzura’s 4/33 — showed genuine progress. But Matthews, quite simply, was the difference between the sides.
Historic year continues
Five WODI hundreds in a calendar year puts Matthews alongside Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Smriti Mandhana in the record books — and she got there in just 12 innings. On this form, every record in the women’s game is under threat.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
