CWG 2022: Barbados skipper Hayley Matthews confident of upsetting heavyweights India
CWG 2022: Barbados captain Hayley Matthews and her squad are not intimidated by the presence of title favourites Australia and a strong India in their group and hope to pull a few surprises in the women’s cricket category at the Commonwealth Games.
With Pakistan, India, and Australia in group A, Barbados must defeat either the tournament favourites, Australia, or India, the team that finished second in the previous T20 World Cup in 2020, if it hopes to advance to the semi-finals.
“It’s going to be a challenging tournament for us, but we’re welcoming it with open arms,” the 24-year-old Matthews, a West Indies regular and also someone who plays in India’s T20 Women’s Challenge, said.
“Once we go out there and execute what we know we can do, we have a chance of beating the bigger sides.”
Matthews has been a member of the international cricket team since she was 16 years old, but this will be her first time playing for Barbados internationally.
Barbados was selected to attend after winning the 2019 Caribbean domestic T20 event since West Indies teams typically compete together in international cricket, while Caribbean countries are represented separately at the Games.
“It’s definitely a bit different, but we’re a tight-knit group… We’ve been playing together for a couple of years as a Barbados team regionally, and all the girls have gelled well.”
Hayley, who recently promoted to captain the West Indies, will get the chance to take the helm in a legitimate international game.
Asked about the key to success against the cricketing giants, she said:
“Every time we step onto the field, I encourage as much enjoyment as possible.”
“That’s when a lot of us play at our best. When everyone knows they have the freedom to go out and express themselves.”
Since the ICC has given all games international status. At least four Barbados players will receive their first caps in their inaugural encounter against Pakistan on Friday.
“A lot of them are going to be excited about facing players they have looked up to. And players who are role models for them,” she said.
After men’s cricket debuted at the Kuala Lumpur edition in 1998. In which the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh had competed. Women’s cricket has added to the Games for the first time and will make its debut in the T20I format.
Matthews and her teammates are gaining knowledge from assistant coach Ryan Hinds. She made his Barbados debut in Kuala Lumpur as a 17-year-old.
“It’s quite unique that he was able to be part of it in 1998. And to come back now as a coach,” she said.
“We’ve chatted about what he went through when he was playing at the 1998 Games,’ the skipper said.
The post CWG 2022: Barbados skipper Hayley Matthews confident of upsetting heavyweights India appeared first on CricTelegraph.