West Indies women's team captain Hayley Matthews put in a superb allround performance to lead her team to an 88-run win against Pakistan in the third and final One-day International (ODI) at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi on April 23 – sealing a 3-0 series sweep for the regional women.
The 26-year-old Matthews, who put the Pakistan bowlers to the sword in Thursday's first ODI when she scored 140 not out, bettered her effort in the final match as she struck a brilliant 141 off 149 balls to notch her sixth ODI ton and secure a new career-best score in the process. As she did in the first game, the elegant Barbados right-hander guided the West Indies innings with great style and poise – hitting a total of 19 boundaries in her innings.
West Indies made a solid score of 278 for six, with Matthews losing her wicket in 47th over when she tried to hoist Fatima Sana (two for 67) over the boundary rope. Left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu (three for 54) was the pick of the Pakistani bowlers and she even found herself on a hat-trick in the 46th over after claiming the wickets of Chinelle Henry and former West Indies skipper Stafanie Taylor.
There was precious little for the hosts to cheer about otherwise, though, and they struggled for long periods in reply to the Windies total before being bowled out for 190 in the 48th over.
Top-order batter Muneeba Ali top-scored with 38 off 58 balls, while Afiya Riaz hit a brisk 36 off 41 balls in the middle-order and struck the only six in the encounter. However, Matthews' versatile bowling attack was miserly once again and they restricted the hosts to get the comfortable win.
Allrounder Aaliyah Alleyne (two for ten) cleaned up the tail by getting the wickets of Tuba Hassan (23) and Umme Hani (six) in quick succession, while the experienced pair of Matthews (two for 26) and Taylor (two for 29) also showed their worth with the ball by making inroads in the Pakistan middle-order with their tidy off-spin. Four other Windies bowlers took a wicket apiece.
Earlier, the visitors lost wicket-keeper/batter Rashada Williams (nine) cheaply once again when she was dismissed by Sandhu in the seventh over after the Windies progressed to 37. However, the impressive Matthews effortlessly steered the Caribbean team's innings and she was well-supported by vice-captain Shemaine Campbelle (38 off 58 balls) and Taylor (47 off 62 balls), whom she shared substantial partnerships with.
The Windies skipper put on 93 runs for the second wicket with the busy Campbelle, before the latter was trapped lbw by Sana in the 25th over as the score was pushed to 130 for two.
Taylor was then given a life while on zero, and she and Matthews made the Pakistan team pay with a watchful – but purposeful – 111-run stand for the third wicket. Matthews, last year's International Cricket Council's (ICC) women's Twenty/20 Player of the Year, got to her century off 117 balls before increasing the tempo of her team's innings with several piercing boundaries at the back end.
Taylor struck four boundaries in her knock,
