Matthews sparkles but WI Women lose first World Cup qualifier

West Indies women's skipper Hayley Matthews put in a masterful allround performance and also notched a ninth One-day International (ODI) century. Still, it wasn't enough to stop the Windies from falling to an 11-run loss against Scotland in their International Cricket Council Women’s World Cup qualifier on April 9.

Playing at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground, Scotland batted first and were bowled out for a competitive score of 244 from 45 overs.

Top-order batter Sarah Bryce top-scored with a busy 55 from 56 balls, with Megan McColl making 45 off 44 before she was run out by Chinelle Henry in the 37th over. With Scotland positioned at 100 for four, the pair put on 82 for the fifth wicket before Bryce was dismissed by Matthews, who bagged four for 56. Matthews was a handful with her off-spin and accounted for the first three wickets.

After Bryce and McColl were dismissed in quick succession, Scotland got cameos from Katherine Fraser (25 not out off 27) and Priyanaz Chatterji (15 off ten) before seamer Aaliyah Alleyne (two for 31) ended their innings with a double-strike in the 45th over.

The West Indies batting scorecard was not a pretty sight, as Matthews (114 not out off 113) and Zaida James (45 off 89) were the only batters to get past 20.

After Qiana Joseph fell for a duck in the second over, Matthews and James put on 113 for the second wicket before the latter was dismissed by Chloe Abel (two for 31) in the 27th over.

The Windies were on 120 for two at that stage, and with Matthews watching wickets tumble at the other end, they slipped to 203 for nine by the 42nd over when Karishma Ramharack was dismissed for a golden duck by Fraser (three for 50).

A fighting Matthews, who left the field twice because of cramps, returned to the middle and tried to bring home the game with Alleyne (17 off 23). However, despite the pair's 30-run partnership, Scotland clinched the win when Abtaha Maqsood (two for 60) trapped Alleyne lbw in the 47th over with the Windies score on 233.

The Windies will next play Ireland at the Gaddafi Stadium from 12.30 am TT time on April 11.

The top two teams in the six-team qualifiers will advance to the World Cup in India later this year.

Summarised Scores:

SCOTLAND – 244 from 45 overs (Sarah Bryce 55, Megan McColl 45, Katherine Fraser 25 not out; Hayley Matthews 4/56, Aaliyah Alleyne 2/31) vs
WEST INDIES – 233 from 46.2 overs (H Matthews 114 not out, Zaida James 45, A Alleyne 17; K Fraser 3/50, Chloe Abel 2/31). Scotland won by 11 runs.