Harare: West Indies captain Hayley Matthews produced an innings for the ages on Monday, smashing 182 off 156 balls — the highest individual ODI score by a West Indies woman and the sixth-highest in women’s ODI history — to set up a 99-run win over Zimbabwe in the series opener.
Brief scores: West Indies 299/6 (Hayley Matthews 182, Realeanna Grimmond 53) beat Zimbabwe 200 (Modester Mupachikwa 86; Aaliyah Alleyne 3/44) by 99 runs.
An innings of two halves
Matthews reached her hundred off 108 balls, then shifted gears brutally through the death overs, finishing with 26 fours and two sixes. Her 182 made her the first woman to score two 150-plus ODI innings in a calendar year.
Support acts
Realeanna Grimmond’s steady 53 provided the platform in a 128-run opening stand, while late partnerships with Shemaine Campbelle, Chinelle Henry and Jannillea Glasgow pushed West Indies to the brink of 300.
Zimbabwe’s fight
Modester Mupachikwa’s composed 86 kept the chase alive until the 44th over, but 300 was always beyond reach. Aaliyah Alleyne (3/44), Ashmini Munisar (2/27) and Jannillea Glasgow (2/37) shared the wickets.
Rankings reward
The innings also lifted Matthews to a new career-high in the ICC women’s rankings — just reward for a year in which she has been, by distance, the most dominant all-rounder in the women’s game.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
